QUESTION ONE - CUFFS

How is sound used to create meaning? give two examples(5 marks)

• The whirring of heavy machinery.
• Off screen sound.
• non- diegetic music/ thumping
• diegetic police siren
• dialogue/diegetic sound/urgency
• ordinary sounds/shock/everyday live
• tone of officers voice- urgent/scared/creates a tense and filled atmosphere

At the beginning of the clip the diegetic sounds are very ordinary as each officer is speaking in a normal, slow voice suggesting to the audience that this happens everyday and is very normal. This makes the audience feel at ease. The two female police officers are also speaking in a very calm voice this could connote to the audience, again, everything is normal. All of a sudden something happens and we know this because the truck starts to swerve and the diegetic sounds of the breaks and swerving tyres connotes to the audience that this however is not normal.
The sound of the female police officer on the radio confirms the fact that something is happening and the use of this off screen speech creates contrasting connotations of emergency to those of the canteen scene.  The non diegetic sound of the music in the background is thumping slowly therefore adding tension to the scene. The two male officers then enter the car and we start to hear the non diegetic sound of the police car siren this has the effect that us as the audience fell more involved in what is going on and can feel the panic and urgency of the two police officers. As the car chase is happening we hear rhythmic non diegetic music carrying connotations such as danger, excitement and urgency.

EXAM QUESTION 8 -

At the top of the home page, for the online observer, we see writing covered in a dark blue highlight. This writing is in dark blue because it contained key information and grouped all the news headlines together. They have used a burgundy colour to show us each new story so that the reader can find each individual story easily. The online observer has also put other key information such as famous people and brands in a bright orange colour, this could be because of sponsorships. The observer has used bright white writing which suggest that it is quite modern. They have used sans serif which can also give it a modern feel. The typeface that they have used in the headings gives us the impression that they are trying to express the fact that there stories are serious and important. The fact that the layout is very ordered and in line also suggests the objectivity and seriousness that the online observer are trying to express. The newspaper uses different peoples views such as the person they are writing about or the journalist themselves this helps the newspaper to connect with people as each person has a different view and by having different opinions in the newspaper it means that everyone can choose a different opinion to agree with. It connects with not just the majority of people but all of them. The observer uses a wide range of language such as emotive ("extraordinary"), hyperbolic ("get out") and sympathetic ("can I forgive the man who raped me"). All these different languages can make the reader feel all different emotions such as happy, sad and sympathetic.

ENIGMA REVIEW -

In our enigma today we decided to use the doll as a prop and create a short clip based around the story of a girl who grows to close to the doll and ends up dying because of it. We faced some technical challenges such as the camera wouldn't focus and sometimes the angles were not right. However a lot of things went well for example we worked well as a team, we managed to use our limited props well and we got the clips we needed and wanted. We have not yet started to edit it but we are planning to add music, transitions and special effects to make the clip seem more authentic and scary. 

PHOTOSHOP -

EXAM QUESTION

Exam question: Analyse how genre codes have been used in The Lego Movie poster campaign to appeal to a family audience. (10 marks) Write the equivalent of a page and a half A4 in the exam. This is a major question.


We can relate to the Lego movie through the posters as they express the idea of it being a family film. We can see, in the main visual interest, a bunch of characters running away from something, each human is different so each character is different. For example girls can relate more to wildstyle. It also relates to all generations as the older generation could relate to batman and wonder woman as they are from an older era whereas children can relate to Unikitty and new more imaginable characters. At the bottom of the poster we can see the date in which the movie is set to come out but not only does this poster give us the date it also gives us a small insight on what the movie will be about because instead of using the stereotypical word "coming out on..." they used the word "assembling on..." which can be related to building and making things - which is what kids do when they play with Lego.  

In this poster the centre of visual interest is a picture of Vitruvius. He is shown in a sort of sci-fi way as where his eyes are meant to be we only see two circles of bright light suggesting he has some special features of powers, this can suggest the movie has a whole other side to it - a more sci-fi side. He is also made to look a bit like God as he has pure white hair and a headband which maybe shows us that he will be more of a father like figure to the rest of the cast rather than an main action character.  The other thing that really sticks out is the top line where it says who will be playing this character, and as we can see it says Morgan Freeman will be. The older generation can relate a lot to this as Morgan Freeman is very well known but is much older then a lot of actors these days. The kids wont necessarily be able to relate to this but the parents will.  It also says "assembling" instead of "coming out" just like the main poster.

In this next poster we see Emmet very close up to the camera with an expression that shows us he is scared or running from something, it is similar to the expression that he is pulling in the first main poster. Although his expression suggests a sense of fear it also has a comedic side to it as he looks like is trying to connect with us asking us for help, which many kids will laugh at. This poster is very relatable and shows us that Emmet is just as ordinary as any of us. He is show to be wearing construction clothes suggesting that he has a normal job, we can also see that in the background there is a spectacle going on and his face suggests that this is not normal and that he's scared- just like we would be.It also says "assembling" instead of "coming out" just like the main poster.

In this next poster we also see another main character but this time she is a girl, this could mean that maybe more girls could relate and like her than boys. She seems to break many stereotypical rules which would immediately attract a girl of an younger and older generation. She is staring very coldly at the camera and looks quite relaxed suggesting that maybe she is used to this. Her hair and clothing are very edgy as she has bright eccentric streaks of pink and blue in her hair. Both those colours are stereotypically blue for boy and pink for girl but she is maybe making a stand against this and saying that both boys and girls can wear either colour and that we are equal. The voiceover for wild style is Elizabeth banks who is known to be very warm and kind in all her movie roles so would fit in well with this movie, she would also be recognised straight away making her an instant attraction helping the viewers of the movie go up.

In this last poster we can immediately see that this character is going to be the villain of the story. His facial expression seems to suggest that he is angry, his monobrow helps to shape his anger and can also make it more comedic. He seems to be wearing a lot of red which can suggest blood or danger, automatically making him the villain. This character is played by Will Ferrell who many teenagers and even younger kids will know as he is often in family and kid friendly movies like the Christmas movie elf. This could help to give us a small insight on what the movie will be about because his fans will know that he will be playing someone funny and family friendly.

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.