QUESTION 8 -

Media is used throughout the Lego Movie to gratify and induce people of all ages, older and younger.  During the beginning scenes of the movie a lot of jokes and small comments are made that only the older generation would understand and find funny. For example Vitruvius talks about there being a piece of resistance and there is a famous French saying about the "piece de resistance" which means the missing piece. This would humour adults as it is a very well known phrase which would impress the adults. The film also directs a lot of messages towards the younger kids, by using music and characters. For example Emmet is seen as very ordinary and nothing special, just like most of the children in the world. Emmet then suddenly becomes "the special", which can help kids imagination and creativity.

The Lego game can also help with personal values, relating to a specific character. For example the girls can relate to Cleopatra's looks and witty personality whereas the boys can relate to Vitruvius and his personality.


By having famous people, like Morgan Freeman, doing voiceovers automatically draws a specific group of people in. This is called cross promotion as they are using other people and advertisement to draw people in. Throughout the film there are moments of enigma, jeopardy (a sense of danger) and spectacles, which are the amazing wow moments for example when Wildstyle is building multiple different objects. This moment, with Wildstyle, also helps again with creativity and imagination it's giving kids the idea that they can do and be anything they want.


The relationship between president business and Emmet can also be seen personal identity. As President Business can been seen as the parent figure and Emmet as the child. Business is very keen to stick to the rules and live in a perfect world whereas Emmet just has to follow these rules and does not have much control over his own life, just like kids. Overall the Lego Movie and game use many different techniques the draw and gratify people towards them such as :
-Personal identities
-Enigma (domino effect)
-Speed and motion
-spectacle
-jeopardy
All these things add a sense of danger, suspense and thrill to the game and movie.

HOMEWORK - ANALYZING MAGAZINE COVERS

PREP: Analyse the media language of the MOJO cover below. Use the terms that you have learned. 
Compare and contrast the cover with another magazine cover, drawing attention to the similarities and differences, and saying what the genre codes and conventions are.

The contrast cover can either be your own cover or another professional cover.


Bowie is seen to be in the centre of visual interest which shows us that he is confident and proud of himself. This could relate back to his previous drug issues and by having him in the centre and holding a sort of 'hero' pose shows that he has overcome these issues and is ready to face the rest of the world. The quotes underneath the main splash talk about the 'Berlin years' which can relate to the blue and white motorway sign underneath Bowie. The words are written in German which tells us that something important and significant could've happened for Bowie in Germany. Bowie is also wearing clothes that show him as both casual and smart a small tie can be seen very slightly showing a smarter and more together Bowie but his jeans are shown in more a casual way which shows us he can still be cool and casual but has reached a new decade in his life, a clean and solid one. The bright red colour of the pull quotes underneath are very noticeable, which helps the story to be recognised. 

Selena has been placed in a very bold and interesting position. By having her hands above her head can show some sort of vulnerability like she is being forced into something she doesn't want to do, her clothes also express this as she is showing a lot of flesh which is normally how woman look in magazines.  Although she can be seen as vulnerable her make up is shown to be quite bold and gives us a sense of confidence. The caption to go with the main splash is 'cool, candid and courageous' which draw people in, especially the woman. This is because woman are often seen as very dainty and delicate but the contrast between Selena's vulnerable pose and the caption is very eye catching. She is showing us that woman are and can be strong and confident. The pug at the bottom of the stage is telling us about the eight new designers to watch out for. The mast head tells us that this is a very high end magazine and that  will always have the new a exclusive stories.

SIMILARITIES-

- They are both very well known and interesting celebrities.

-They are both shown as very optimistic and self-confident.

- Both magazines are very high end and well known.

- Both celebs have their hands behind their backs showing Bowie as heroic and Selena as more vulnerable.

- Both have set colour schemes.

DIFFERENCES-

- Selena's clothes show much more of her flesh whereas Bowie's clothes are much smarter.

- The MOJO magazine is more factual and about stories whereas the vogue one is more of a beauty/womanly magazine.

AVRIL LAVIGNE - CODES AND CONVENTIONS

PREP MUSIC VIDEO CODES AND CONVENTIONS 
To prepare for the exam, we look at the media language of music videos, such as their codes and conventions below. For prep, copy the points in colour then add your own points in black.

1. Performance - the singer / band are seen to be singing and playing (including lip synching), to provide authenticity, so that followers believe in the talent and can see their star. Record labels sign stars and promote them  to ensure sales. Avril Lavigne sings throughout the video using a mike and draws a huge crowd of fans around her when she jumps onto a car roof in the street. She sings with great passion, energy and conviction, holding the mike close to her mouth. Close-ups show her every word (lip synching is a feature of music videos.) She performs for her fans and for her 'boyfriend' the sk8er boi who features in the narrative. Screens often feature in music video and the sk8er boi is videoing Avril Lavigne as he gazes adoringly up at her. She returns his gaze as she sings about 'we rock each other's world'. The performance element creates authenticity (fans have proof of her talent) because we see her sing.
2. Star - use of close-ups, sometimes direct eye contact with audience, to build relationship with audience. In this music video, we see a lot of close ups on Avril Lavigne's face. These close ups help us understand her personality and in this video she has quite an attitude and can be very brash. She is portrayed as quite rebellious and cocky. There is an extreme close up of the actual skater boy where she is singing a song about him and the camera moves to his face and we see a extreme close up of him gazing back at her. This shows us that he obviously loves her as well.  
3. The visuals (what the star and other characters are seen doing) illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics (the 'story in the words'). Illustration = the visuals play out the story more or less literally; amplify = the words in the lyrics are only the starting point and the story develops in other directions; contradiction / disjuncture = the visuals do not interpret the words of the lyrics and may even show something contradictory. Throughout the whole of the video we see an occurring symbol of a star which is helping to promote her recent concert, it is also a tag for her gang. The star can also represent more as it tells us that Avril herself is the star and can be seen as more superior to the rest of her gang. When she is singing about the other girl and mocking her and saying that five years from now that girl will be having a baby all alone but as she is singing these lyrics she is doing the complete opposite. She does this as she is trying to make the point that she is independent and can still have fun, unlike the other girl who has a baby all alone.  
4. The narrative usually features the performer in 'real life' situations but often with experimental types of film making such as hand-held, dramatic camera angles, symbolic codes and lighting. A lot of the camera work is very hand held. Like in the scenes with the cars we really feel like we are travelling with them as the cameras are following the gang.  
5. The visuals are usually cut to the beat of the music; the editing is often fast-paced; there is often use of montage, ellipsis and intercutting, stylish effects. the opening montage really sets the speed of the cuts and shows us what pace the rest of the video is going  to be at. The editing is very fast paced because the music and song is also very fast pace so they fit together. It is also marked that Lavigne's gang is preparing for a concert and have left there mark all around town, to mark there territory.
6. Refrain - repeated chorus, sometimes with variations. During he refrain the visuals intensify the pace. We see her and her gang setting up the concerts and plugging in all the amplifiers, the crowd also start to join in very quickly. The refrain helps tie the whole thing together.

AVRIL LAVIGNE MUSIC VIDEO - CAMERA WORK.

The camera work used in Avril Lavigne's music video, Skater boy, is very interesting and meaningful. At the beginning of the video the camera does a lot of close up shots on Avril Lavigne herself which shows her much closer up which means that we can understand her more and how she feels about the song as reading her emotions is easier when the camera is closer. During the scene when she is singing on the stage there are a lot of low angle shots to show her whole body whilst she is performing. This can help us understand the way that she performs in and how she interacts with her fans during a concert. Lastly, during her performance the audience members are jumping up and down a lot this can make the whole scene more authentic as the camera is shaking in time with the dancers.

EDITING QUESTION-

PREP Analyse how editing is used in the extract from Cuffs to create meaning. Refer to at least two examples from the extract in your answer. (This means that a good candidate will write fully and freely, covering more than just 2 examples, as we practised in class).
Worth 5 marks: write half a side of A4 and post on your blog tonight. If you have DoE, take an extra 24 hours

Slow motion editing is used when a team of police officers, including Jake and Ryan, enter the racists house who had previously attempted to kill and young Asian boy. As two other police officers are fighting off a gang of racists we as the audience see things from Jakes point of view. Everything around him is going in slow motion and Jakes mind is very confused. The editors have done this as it is easier for us to understand how hard a young new police officers job is and as we find out it is very hard for Jake to get his head around what is happening. We can also sympathise a lot more with Jake as we see how much he is struggling as everything has been put in slow motion.

A shot reverse shot is used when DI Kane is talking to a mother who is clearly in despair and her child has been taken by an unstable man. The editing helps us realize that DI Kane is clearly in a very awkward situation and cannot seem to look this woman in the eye. The editors have first placed the shot so we can hear the mother getting very angry but the shot then goes to DI Kane to show his embarrassment it then goes back to the mother who seems to be getting more angry by the minute, this shows us the contrast between a victim of crime and someone who has failed to solve the crime.

Multiple cross dissolves edits are used is the scene when Jake, Ryan and two other police officers are training after hours. As they are all running we see cross dissolve edits which suggest to us that they have been working very hard and have been going for a long time.

There are a lot of hard cuts that are used in the scene where Lauren's dad is on the edge of a hotel balcony debating whether to commit suicide or not. As DI Kane walks onto the balcony everything goes silent and the cuts go back and forth between both faces. This editing is very clever as its shows us how serious the situation is and we can tell by DI Kane's face that he is obviously very nervous and doesn't want to say anything wrong that might make Lauren's dad jump. The editors have also done a close up cut of Lauren's dads hand as we see it trembling, This tell us that it is not only DI Kane that is scared he also is very scared, this further helps up feel sympathy towards him and he is obviously very unstable and needs help.

-

- CROSS CUTS FROM HIS FACE TO THE RECORDING VIDEO. LAST FRAME IS HELD FOR  A LONG TIME SO HE CAN REALIZE WHAT HE SEES IN THE BACKGROUND.

- FOLLOWED BY AN EXTREME CLOSE UP OF THE HOTEL NAME.

- CUT BETWEEN LAURENS DAD AND DI KANE SEEING HOW TRAMATISED HE IS

THE EDITS GO FROM SHORT REVERSE SHOT TO A CLOSE UP OF HIS SHAKING HAND.

- CROSS DISSOLVES OF EDITING WHEN THEY ARE TRAINING.

MISE-EN-SCENE QUESTION

PREP Analyse how mise-en-scene is used in the extract from Cuffs to create meaning. Refer to at least two examples from the extract in your answer. (This means that a good candidate will write fully and freely, covering more than just 2 examples, as we practised in class).
Worth 5 marks: write half a side of A4 and post on your blog tonight.

In the first scene we see the chief superintendent making a speech we can tell by his clothes that he has a very important role for his job, we can tell by looking at his smart white gloves that this is a special occasion as he would not normally wear these. By him standing on a podium also shows that he has an important job as he is making a speech and the podium could symbolize that he is higher up then the rest of his colleagues around him.  The building that surrounds him is very modern which can tell us the time era and that the show in general will be quite modern.  

In a later scene we witness a drug addict who has self- harmed himself. At one point the camera has a birds eye view shot of the drug addicts room we can see a lot of empty alcohol bottle and the room itself is very messy. This mise-en-scene gives a back story of this mans life suggesting that he has been this way for quite a while and hasn't lived or is living in a very healthy life style. As the camera does a close up shot of his face, we can see a lot of marks and scars which could have been from the drugs he was taking and the scars from when he could have self- harmed again. The mise-en-scene in this scene creates a lot of meaning as it shows us that this man needs a lot of help and the police are giving this to him, it also can make the audience more sympathetic towards him as they feel like they know more about him now. 

We later see a scene with an Asian boy who is on the phone to his mother. We get a vague idea about this boys personality as his clothes a very clean and sleek which shows us that he seems like a young boy who knows what he wants. Later in this in scene a gang of white boys enter the same shop where the Asian boy is we can tell by their clothes that they could be a threat and they are wearing hoodies and very low cut vests they all walk with a very confidant manner. They all have very short hair and sharp cold facial expressions. By having this mise-en-scene we can see the massive contrast between the Asian boy and the gang.  

- EMPTY BOTTLE ON THE FLOOR/ CLOTHES/ DRUG ADDICT/ FACE SCARS

- CONTRAST BETWEEN THE ASIAN BOY AND THE GANG WHO ATTACK HIM 

EXAM QUESTION 1 - CAMERA WORK

PREP Analyse how camerawork is used in the extract to create meaning. Refer to at least two examples from the extract in your answer.
Worth 5 marks: write half a side of A4


In one of the beginning scenes we see a hippy, who has previously been arrested, protesting about her imprisonment and how it is unfair. The two detectives handling the case are Jake and Ryan. She states that her mother is a lawyer and Ryan says " we don't care what peoples parents do" the camera then does a focus pull to Jake's face which at first he looks confused but he then realizes the comment was actually about his Father so Jake gives the camera a sarcastic laugh. This specific technique can transition from one person saying one thing and the camera then transitions to show us the other characters reactions, especially Jake's . After the first focus pull the camera then moves to the other police officers show us that they are also laughing at the comment which then hurts Jake as the camera swerves again showing us his reaction to their reaction.

When Jo, a female police officer, is in the chief constables office and casually asks if he would like to go out with her, he immediately rejects her offer. The camera is then seen using a point of view shot of a picture frame sitting of the chiefs next of his wife and daughter. This specific shot cna help us as the audience figure out a bit more of these two character relations with each other. Showing us that they had an affair but the chief is stopping it and the reason why is because he has a family took protect, all this is shown by the camera pointing out the family portrait of his desk. Soon after being rejected there is a slow zoom onto Jo's face showing us the other side of this character. She is seen as old and drained due the the camera and the lighting.

During the chase between the burglars and the police force we see the camera change to a birds- eye view shot of both cars and the roads. This can allow us to see how hard the police force's jobs actually are as all the roads are very confusing and the speed of the cars is very high. This also allows us to sympathize with Ryan and Jake as we see it from above which gives us the whole idea of the difficulty, that is chasing someone down.

EXAM QUESTION 5

'Explain how social contexts influence television programmes. Refer to The Avengers.'




Social context can effect a television programme a lot, it can not only effect the people starring in the programme but also the audience and can change there views on what is going on. A good example for a series being effected by the outside world is the Avengers. The Avengers was first aired 20 years after the second world war had finished. Twenty years is not a very long time and WW2 effected a great deal of people as it was the time for England to step up and show the world what they could do.
 Many things had been completed before the avengers aired such as the suffragettes winning the vote, Hitler coming to power and both world wars starting and finishing. The Avengers expresses a lot of these points. For example the two main characters, Mrs Peel and Steed, are seen as equals maybe even Mrs Peel being slightly more important. This shows the world how woman can be independent and that Mrs Peel is expressing that in different ways. Like when she is fencing and Steed comes in and they start play fighting and Mrs Peel expresses a lot of independence. Not only are they equal in there bravery but they are also given the same opportunities and responsibilities to handle and complete.
A big part of this time period was your status and the amount of money you had. Throughout the 1900s you were judged upon because of your class, there was upper class, middle class and lower class. In this episode of the avengers you can see that Mrs Peel and Steed up from a higher class as in one scene you witness Steed taking china and porcelain teapots out of a bag and offering them to Mrs Peel. Clothes as well as the props can help you understand what class people were from for example Steed is always wearing a suit and Mrs Peel likes to wear her tight and very fancy outfit, this is suggesting that they like to look there best and can afford nice clothes like these. The last thing that could determine someone's class is the sound of their voice. Mrs Peel, particularly, has a very well-spoken and posh accent, suggesting that she was brought up in a wealthy family and taught well. An audience of this time period would look out for all these things so that they can have a rough background of the main characters.
 As I previously send the show was aired 20 years after the second world war. Many items and scenes suggest that the people of England still thought about the war greatly and were still recovering from it 20 years later. In the pub that Mrs Peel and Steed are staying in, there are many war related pictures showing the audience what the war was like and the steps that people are taking to get over it. You see many fighter planes hung up around the pub room, showing us that people are still thinking about the items used in the war. There is also a scene where Steed is shown putting bits of writing together, in a playground, the writing is talking about a man who was killed in action, in the war. This suggests that although these people died over 20 years ago, they are still memories of them all over the place and that the show is trying to make sure people don't forget about the soldiers who fought for us.
 In conclusion, the social context of the world around us effects all TV shows all around the world. They influence the actors and the audience to act upon the issues that have faced the world and are making sure people don't forget about the past.

EXAM QUESTION 2

  

In this episode of Cuffs we see many different events which can change our perspectives on how we see things. In the opening scene we see a camera panning across Brighton and its landmarks. Whilst the camera is panning we hear a voice over talking about the roles of a police officer and how you have to respect them and what they do. This voice over gives us a general perspective on what to expect of the police force and how they should be acting in this programme. We see Ryan, the main character,  walking across a naturist beach as he has heard there is trouble, as this is happening they use cross cuttings to go back to the chief constables speech about the roles of a police officer. This makes us see Ryan as a professional and they we should expect him to shut down any sign of trouble in an instance. Ryan approaches the beach where there is an affray of stag revellers taking the mick out of a naturist. The chief constable can still be heard in the background whilst Ryan is trying to sort out the situation this gives us a sense of irony towards the scene as Ryan is not being respected but the chief constable is saying all police officer should be respected at that they are "the centre of the community". This scene is very comedic and ironic and gives us a perspective that the police force are not respected or looked upon and that they are a bit pointless. 

In a future scene we see Jake, an inexperienced police officer, with Ryan. They have both been called to a situation where a drug addict is elf harming himself. Jake is seen looking very nervous as he tries to talk to this drug addict his tone is much more aggressive and his voice is raised a lot. When Ryan takes over we see the drastic change in personality as his voice is much calmer and much more reassuring then Jake's. The difference in their tone of voices tells us how experienced Ryan is and that Jake needs to start learning. Further into this scene Jake is bandaging the man and again he is being quite aggressive and forceful but suddenly non diegetic music is added and it expresses to the audience that Jake has finally learned something and he says to the drug addict, "I am here. I am not going to leave you". We feel a lot of sympathy for the police force in Brighton having to deal with big crimes like knife crimes. 

In the last scene that i am going to analyse today we have witnessed a racist act of assault towards a Indian boy. He has been stabbed in the back with a screw driver by a gang of white boys just because he has different coloured skin. This gives us a background of Brighton and how there is a lot of group divisions in it. After the attack a different police officer, a woman this time, has been brought onto the case (Jo Moffat). She needs to get information off a little boy who witnessed the attack. We see her talking to the young boy in a very calm but stern voice she's not trying to be too sympathetic but not too harsh either because she still needs information out of him. This shows us that Jo Moffat is a very sympathetic and sensitive person and shows us that she is a professional and is handling the situation in the right way.

EXAM Q1

Analyse how sound is used in the extract to create meaning. Refer to at least two examples from the extract in your answer.


In this episode of Cuffs sound is used throughout it, which can help set the mood and add that finishing touch to a scene. One of the first scenes we, as the audience see is the scene where the camera is panning across the Brighton beach showing us Brighton's citizens, and how they act. Without music this scene would be very simple and boring but in the editing suite they have added quick and upbeat music. This music relates to the scene as in the scene we see people messing around on the beach, which shows the audience that this could be a simple and slightly funny scene. This sound is a non-diegetic sound as the music was added after the scene, in the editing suite.


However there is a very contrasting scene in where a boy is being attacked as he is of a different race and religion. This scene is much more tense as you have a build up before the actual attack. The music that has been added here is much darker and faster drawing the audience in and getting them interested. This sound is also non-diegetic sound as it was added after the scene was shot. In this scene you also see the boy, who was attacked, drop something. You hear this sound in the background so this is diegetic sound meaning it was shot the same time as the normal scene was shot.


In conclusion by adding sound the producers and editors of Cuffs has given the show more of a feeling and it immediately makes the audience want to sit up and watch. By combining both sound and dialogue the producers give the show more of a feeling and can make it more authentic.

CONTRASTS BETWEEN AVENGERS AND CUFFS

THE AVENGERS                                                                 CUFFS

Surreal	naturalistic
comic	Serious
1960s	2015
Upper class	All social groups
New feminist representations	Men and women equal status
Light-hearted escapism	Serious topical themes
Two main protagonists	Team of police officers
Mysterious secret agent	East Sussex police force
Elegant clothes	Everyday outfits
RP accents	Variety of accents
sunny	Often drab weather
Good and evil conflict	Individual conflict
Old fashioned	Modern
8 years of episodes	1 series
Sci-fi	More realistic
Entertainment	Heavy topics
Changed the actors and actresses	Kept the actors and actresses
Luxury cars	Normal cars

THE AVENGERS- must see tv

• The film "The Avengers" Took off with its first episode on the 7th of January 1961. The show then lasted a total 8 years on the air.
• The language they used in the Television series is very different to the language we use now for example when they talk about feminism it had only just started back then but we are much more used to it now.
• The comedic sense of it is also very different some things said then are not as funny now as they used to be.
• The whole picture of the series is also very different as technology has progressed through the years so it looks much more realistic now then it did then.
• The Avengers storyline can also be looked on as similar to the TV crime dramas these day as they all seem to follow the same sort of plot.
• It received good reviews, for an example today the Internet movie database gave the show a healthy 8.4 out of 10. 
• The cast was very professional and the actors and actresses were very highly looked upon, including Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg.

CUFFS

Cuffs-


Cuffs is a TV crime drama, it was showed in 2015 but was cancelled shortly after the first season. Cuffs was a fresh, authentic and visceral drama that takes the audience on an exhilarating ride through the challenges of front-line policing. The cast included a lot of highly successful actors such as Ashley Walters. By using people who are well known the TV show has automatically draw in a specific type of audience before the show has even aired. This TV show was very authentic and didn't want to lie to the audience, so showed a lot of the truth through the acting and scenes. By using this authentic effect the show suddenly becomes a lot more relatable for the audience which helps them to enjoy it more.

The opening title, to the show, was very effective. The show was set in Brighton so the opening title seemed to set the scene a lot for the audience as well as introducing the cast and actors. The opening title was around a minute long and had various different pictures flashing up to the screen, two at a time. All of the images were taken from Brighton, where the show was set, each image was the opposite of the second one. This showed two different sides of Brighton helping the audience understand what Brighton is like and what behaviour they could expect throughout the show.

There were many positive reviews written about Cuffs,which helped boost the shows reputation a lot. Although there were a lot of positive things said about the show it was cancelled after season one. The BBC said this was because they needed to create space for new shows to come through. They're are a lot of different diverse ethnic groups, in Brighton, and this is showed in this programme very well and how the different groups act around each other. Brighton, in 2017, is seen as a very open minded play to all sexualities and in one of the first scenes one of the characters says he is gay. This can show a lot about Brighton and how accepting it is of different sexualities.

TELEVISION SCHEDULING

BBC1 Sunday 10th September 9 p.m. Strike
BCC1 Monday 11th September 9 p.m. Rellik
BBC1 Tuesday 12th September 9 p.m. Doctor Foster
Long form narrative seems to be a popular form.
 

SCOOPIT