English Promotional Video - Created in 2008/2009

Above is a video I created to promote the English department for my High School's Open Evening in 2009. It had the purpose of entertaining and informing and I must warn you it is cringe-worthy and terribly cheesy - however I was told to make it as enjoyable and informal to watch as possible. This is one of the first videos I created completely myself.

Rock Magazine Photography

Below are a selection of photographs I took with a digital SLR camera for my AS Level Media Rock Music Magazine coursework. I was responsible for all the mise-en-scene in all photographs and had permission from the Church to include its building and grounds in the photographs.

 

BBC Workshop

Myself at the BBC 'Doctor Who' animation and green-screen workshop.

Photoshop Cartoons

Cartoon Rock Band created on Photoshop and WeeMee for the double page spread of my rock music magazine. I tried to make the cartoons look like my models - I just dressed the cartoons in more rock style clothing than the models were wearing in the photograph.

Campaign Poster

Student Union Elections - LGBT Officer Campaign Poster

Magazine Cover

Rock Music Magazine Cover

Contents Page

Rock Music Magazine Contents Page

Double Page Spread

Rock Music Magazine - Double Page Spread

Film Magazine Analysis

Film Magazine Analysis

 
Genre

The genre of this magazine is a film magazine. I can tell this is a film magazine as it has the following media language features in the layout which are typical of a film magazine:

• Masthead
• Banner
• Cover lines
• Close up shot
• Barcode
• 3 colour rule (black, green, white)
• Issue date

This magazine is missing a 'positioning statement' which is also typical of a film magazine.
The genre of this film appears to be horror as it depicts one of the most notorious super villains of all time, The Joker, whose appears is in the horror style due to the clown like make up and evil stare. This character is from the 'Batman' series of films which are typically a comic book/action genre of film, however the nature of these films have been getting darker recently and this character in particular is very fitting with the horror genre.

Narrative

From the close up of The Joker I can tell that the film is going to contain dark humour, villainous plans and plots, murder and have a sinister feel to it purely because of the nature and appearance of this character.

Representation

The Joker is represented as evil and villainous, shown by the position of his head, he appears to be looking down on everyone believing them to be beneath him and inferior. His stare looks sinister also adding to the villainous appearance. His dark eye make up in contrast with the white face make-up makes him look mysterious and deathly. The blackness surrounding the character's face also shows him to be mysterious and villainous as the nature of blackness/darkness is to instil fear.

Target Audience

The target audience for this film magazine is most likely to be between 16 and 25, the typical student/new-postgraduate age who have an interest in films and a spare few pounds to spend on a magazine. I would suggest the gender of the audience would be male, as typically males visit the cinema more/prefer films, they also buy more comic books than females do and this specific film is based upon a comic book. The Joker himself has a lot of male followers who dress up as him for cosplay (costume roleplay) events such as 'Comic con' and 'Expo', also suggesting the target audience to be predominantly male.

Disability Representations

TV Drama – Casualty Clip – Disability Representations

In the clip from Casualty, Adam and Alex are in a shopping centre and a long shot and two shot of Adam and Alex is used to show that Alex is disabled and in a motorised wheelchair. The mise-en-scene use of a wheelchair to display disability is a typical stereotype for disabled characters in TV dramas. A shot reverse shot between Adam and Alex is used in the shopping centre to show that that they are on the same intellectual level, as had the conversation taken place in the format of a two shot, there would have been a height difference and it would have seemed like Adam was superior to Alex due to the height difference. A common stereotype of disabled people is that they are less intellectual than non disabled people and by using the two shot to remove the height difference between Adam and Alex in the conversational situation, it attempts to remove the less intellectual stereotype and stops Alex from seemingly being looked down on by his brother.

Another shot reverse shot is used between the husband and wife in the ambulance scene. This was used to show the reaction and look of disgust on the wife’s face at her husband’s new deformity due to an accident and how the blood was trickling out of his nose when he spoke. This shows that the wife is not comfortable looking at her husband in such a way and therefore portrays disability as a bad, or uncomfortable, thing to have and for others to see. The shot reverse shot also puts the husband and wife in different shots, this could represent how disability separates people no matter how close they were before.

The dialogue between Alex and Adam, coupled with the action of Alex moving his wheelchair himself in the shopping centre shows Alex’s independence despite being disabled, as when Adam goes to push Alex’s wheelchair for him Alex replies that he doesn’t want to be “pushed about” which could mean in the literal being wheeled around sense, or in the mental sense of someone having control over him. This portrays disabled people as strong and independent people, the opposite of the stereotype. Alex’s dialogue also seemed to be predominantly negative, he was rude and negative to the shop assistant about Adam trying to play “happy families” with him, he made a negative comment about a watch Adam wanted to buy for him and during the toilet scene he was negative about his disability. This portrays disabled people as very negative towards themselves and others due to their disability and also implies that the disability is a negative thing. An over the shoulder shot is used, which shows Adam over his brother’s shoulder and shows his reaction to the negative comments Alex had made regarding his disability and the day in general.

The diegetic sound in the form of happy sounding music in the café Alex and Adam are sat in helps to portray the scene as happy, normal and just two brothers out for a coffee, as well as just being music to help keep the realism in the scene, as most cafes do play music. The diegetic music doesn’t draw attention to the disability Alex has, as the music is happy and because of Alex’s negative attitude the disability is now associated with negativity and sadness so the audience doesn’t associate it with the music.

During the scene in the toilet Adam is briefly shown, by a high angle, to be looking down on Alex, which makes Alex seem inferior due to his inability to go to the toilet alone due to his disability. This portrays Alex as being denied his dignity and not being independent anymore, as he has to have help going to the toilet.

The diegetic sound of laughter from the women who steal the narcoleptic’s bag after he falls asleep on the floor, shows how the women found his disability amusing and were more concerned with having a good time than helping him. This also shows how disabled people are treated differently to non disabled people as they didn’t help him get back up, or call and ambulance, they stole his stuff instead.

An eye-line match is used when the lads on the bikes look downwards and the shot changes to the narcoleptic sprawled out on the stairs. This shows the severity of the situation and how the bikers intend to separate themselves from the incident due to the bikers looking at the narcoleptic not being in the same shot, but being in separate ones to create the eye-line match.

The camera angle was slightly canted on the close up of the narcoleptic character’s face to show his expression when it looked like he was going to fall asleep due to his disability. The canted angle shows the confusion and disorientation caused by the disability and could also mirror the confusion of others who witness the disability as they aren’t entirely sure what has happened.

Towards the end of the clip, Alex is given the responsibility of calling an ambulance for the collapsed narcoleptic character, showing he can control a situation, can take responsibility and is not hindered by, or lost his confidence due to his disability.

Double Page Spread Analysis

Music Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

Genre

The genre of this double page spread is rock. It is clear to see this is a rock themed double page spread because of the imagery, text, font and colours used over the two pages. The imagery clearly represents the rock genre as it shows various images of males from the rock band My Chemical Romance in various rock poses. There wild hair, black clothing and typical rock style poses all relays the rock theme to the audience. The text also shows the rock theme, as it says "We're being the best MCR we can be" and MCR (My Chemical Romance) is a famous rock band, therefore showing the genre of the double page spread to be rock. The font style used on the main text on the page looks distressed and distinctly rock because of the block capitals (as rock music is bold and stands out) and the distressed look (as that's often how rock musicians look) The colours used on this double page spread; red, black and white are recurring colours in rock magazines and so immediately when I view these colours I know the genre being represented is rock. Red is a typical rock colour because it has implications of hell and rock music is often described as 'the devils music'. Black is a typical rock colour because it is dark and mysterious, like most rock artists themselves. Black is also the colour most artists choose to wear on stage when performing the rock genre of music. White is also a typical rock colour as it contrasts the black colour but is still plain and simple, which is what most rock artists want to be, as they don't believe in the latest fashions or corporate brands.

Target Audience

The target audience of this double page spread appears to be teenagers and young adults, who like rock music, of both genders. I know this because of the artist that is presented on the double page spread. My Chemical Romance are a modern young rock band that appeal to both genres and the particular age category of 13 to 25 year olds.  I can tell the double page spread is not targeting one specific gender because although the colours used are dark, they are not stereotypical gender specific colours, such as: blue for boys, pink for girls. I also know they are not targeting one specific gender because MCR the band are attractive to both genders, as boys and girls like their music and boys and girls idolize the band members. I know the target audience will like rock music, as if a person did not like rock music, they would not be reading this double page spread about this artist.

Representation

The band members of MCR shown in the images on the double page spread are all wearing black; this shows that they as a band are related to rock music, as black is the typical colour for rock artists to wear as its dark (like rock music) and is the complete opposite of the bright colours pop stars wear (as rock is the complete opposite of pop). The band members all have wild, untidy hair, which also shows they are linked to the rock genre, as rock hairstyles are usually wild, untidy and edgy to represent the style of music its self and the life style typical rock stars lead. The band members in the images are equipped with their band instrument (microphone, drums, guitar, bass) which also shows the band to be of the rock genre because other genres of music use more, or different, instruments to the ones MCR are pictured with.

Layout

The most noticeable thing about the double page spread is that the entire left side of the spread is an image and the other side contains text and images. The use of the full page image catches the reader's eye and makes them interested in reading the text on the other page. The full page image may also attract someone to buy the magazine, as they could then cut out the full page image and use it as a poster, which is what a lot of rock music fans like to do. The largest text on the page is the title, showing its important and grabbing the reader's attention due to its size. This text is spread over both sides of the spread showing that both the left side and the right side are related to each other. The main body of the text on the right hand page is in small font and split into two columns, making the information easier to read and look more attractive on the page. On the right hand side of the right page is a white column/strip containing other short pieces of information related to the main body of the text. This breaks up the page and adds a nice interesting and finishing touch to the double page spread.  The layout over all looks appealing to the reader as it is not all uniform and structured in standard boring columns, it looks appealing to the eyes because of the use of colour, images and neatly arranged (but not uniform or boring) columns of text.

Media Language

Mid shots, medium close ups and wide shot images are all used on this double page spread to show a variation in the images on the page so that they are more interesting to look at, rather than all the same shot type which could appeal uniform and boring - something the images in a rock magazine definitely should not be as rock music is anything but boring!

Ordinary Language

The language used in the article on the double page spread is very sensationalized and factual to keep readers both interested and informed by the article. The language is very positive to promote the band and give a good vibe about the band to the reader. I now know to write in a similar way and with similar techniques to make the article on my own rock music magazine double page spread just as interesting and factual to make my target audience happy.

Film Trailer Analysis

Repo! The Genetic Opera Trailer Analysis

GENRE

This movie trailer is for the genre of horror. The genre of horror is shown in this movie trailer in many different ways, from the costumes and locations, to the colours and over all character appearances. The costumes portray the horror genre as they are primarily gothic and made from black leather, which is associated with evil and villains which are typical of horror films. The colours of rich reds, contrasted with the blacks, gives the appearance of horror, as the colour red is associated with blood and danger and black is associated with the unknown and evil, typical features of the horror genre. The locations shown in the trailer range from a dark gothic building, to a graveyard and a torture room - locations typically associated with the horror genre, as they have elements of fear and danger about them. The characters that are featured in this trailer also give the impression that the genre of the film is horror, as two of the characters are seen clipping/gluing on human faces which is quite horrifying. This trailer also complies with Carol Glover's theory about the final girl being terrorised throughout the film, as the young female character in the trailer appears all the way through the trailer as the central character who is left alive at the end. That theory is usually applicable to horror movies only, making it clear that this movie trailer is of the horror genre. Levi Strauss and Roland Barthes theory of binary opposites is also featured in this trailer, as we see a young vulnerable female character along with a strong elderly male character killing people, which appear to be binary opposites.

REPRESENTATION

Laura Mulvey put forward the theory of 'the male gaze' suggesting everything is seen through a male perspective and I believe that to be true in this trailer. I believe it to be true as all the women in the trailer appear to be objectified and sexualised; wearing revealing clothing and having 'perfect' bodies which the typical male would find pleasing. The gender representations seem very stereotypical, as the women are objectified, sexualised and seem to be the vulnerable ones in the trailer, as they are dressed provocatively and are seen either being sexual, screaming, or looking scared throughout the trailer. In contrast the men are shown as strong, aggressive and dominant as they are the ones killing people, fighting and being fussed over by the women. Age is also stereotyped, as the elderly male figure in the trailer seems the most powerful, whilst the young female seems the most weak and vulnerable.

NARRATIVE

The story of the film is about a company named 'Gene Co.' selling replacement organs to humans on Earth after mass organ failure had become common in the future. However if the people can't keep up with their payments for their organs, then Gene Co's repo man comes and takes them back. The Repo man is also leading a double life as a monstrous legal assassin and a sick girl's loving father. This narrative is shown in the trailer through a few different methods, the first of which is the voiceover which begins to tell the story before the music from the film takes over. The second method is the rather unconventional comic strip featured in the beginning of the trailer to attempt to tell the opening of the plot line to the audience. The narrative is also shown through montages, particularly the montage of the same character flicking from one persona to the other, showing the narrative of him having a double life.

AUDIENCE

The audience of this trailer is anyone who happens to see it on TV or at the beginning of another film they are watching, however keeping in mind the movie is age rated 18, I believe the audience will be people over the age of 18. However, I believe the primary audience that this movie was targeted at was 18 to 25 year old males, who like rock music and comic books. I believe the target age was 18 to 25 because the creator of the movie, who also stars in it, is Terrance Zdunich - a Canadian Comic Book artist and musical theatre star, whose main fanbase is between the age of 18 and 25. I believe the main audience gender would be male, as the female characters are very objectified and sexualised, appealing primarily to males. As the music in the movie and the trailer is rock style, I believe the target audience would be interested rock music, as well as musical theatre as the 'big name stars' in the movie are all associated with musical theatre (Terrance Zdunich, Sarah Brightman and Anthony Head). I also believe the target audience would include students, as it has a very comic book feel to it and stereotypically it is students which love comic books and movie comic book adaptations. The audience need to be quite 'active' to understand the plotline, even though the trailer makes the movie look straight forward and not require much concentration.

MEDIA LANGUAGE

Cinematography

Close ups are used a lot in this trailer to convey the emotions of the characters and show their fear and horror, or similar emotions, to add an element of horror to the trailer. Over the shoulder shots are used so that the audience of the trailer can see something that the character they're looking over the shoulder of can't, increasing the tension. High angles are used on the vulnerable characters and low angles are used on the powerful characters, to show who are going to be the main characters in the movie. The shots are kept at eyelevel with the young girl character, signifying that she is the one the audience will watch the movie and become most attached to and see the movie through her perspective. There are zooms in the trailer to show the emotion and realisation of things by the characters, heightening the tension.

Editing

Jump cuts are used in the trailer to give the impression of something being wrong and increasing te tension for the audience. Fast straight cuts are also used to give the impression of panic and add to the horror genre of the trailer. Titles are used in between the montages of clips to add suspense to the trailer and help tell the story through the trailer. Montages are used to show the equilibrium and disruption that takes place throughout the movie, as well as showcasing the characters and showing the audience a little of what they will see in the complete film.

Sound

The voice over at the beginning is a deep male voice, which sounds very fitting with the horror genre and helps to set the over all scene and tell the story of the film. The diegetic sound switches to non-diegetic and back again throughout the trailer, as the film is a musical and the music that is played by the band and sang by the characters (making it diegetic), is also played over a montage of clips where the music becomes non-diegetic. The music which is both diegetic and non-diegetic has a rock hint to it and also has quite a horror element to it too regarding the lyrics and the baselines.

Mise-en-scene

The clothing of all the characters are rather gothic and black, adding an eerie and element to the film purely through costumes. Most of the shots are in low-key lighting, associated with horror, to show the dark nature of the film. The locations shown in the trailer, such as the big gothic house, torture rooms and graveyard are all places typically associated with horror, which cause tension in the audience.