Haille Elson
Music Videos
Harry

Assignment

In this vlog I will be explaining the different types of styles in music videos. Examples of music videos include; in-concert and 'as live' footage, Animation.

An example of an artist that has different styles of music videos is Jhene Aiko. She is an artist that is known for her four main genres: Contemporary R&B, Alternative R&B, Neo soul and Hip hop music. In her video Sing to me she demonstrates an in-concert as live footage style. This style includes Camera movements and angles.

In Trip (The movie) also performed by Jhene aiko which promotes some of her own songs such as "LSD", "Jukai", "While We're Young" and more. This is an example of Animation which Jhene Aiko uses in her music video to show the audience what getting high looks like from her point of view. This music video uses the technique visual effects to create an surreal experience to really suck the audience in. This scene is shown from 13:08 - 14:13.

13:08 - 14:13

Jhene Aiko's other song While We're Young is an example of pastiche this music video imitates the movie '50 first dates' and it seems to have the same concept as the movie. Jhene stars as the main protagonist who happens to have amnesia and forgets this man everyday who really loves her. It features Miming and Lip Sync and camera movements and angles. 

A great example of Interperative and Illustrative is Jhene Aiko's Never Call Me. She has two music videos for this song. One showcases her Japanese heritage and the other showcases her African American heritage. I feel as though her first video, which shows her Japanese heritage is more interpretative because it doesn't really match the lyrics however a message can be conveyed from it. In her Slauson Hills edition of the video which showcases her African American heritage I feel as though it is quite illustrative because most of the video matches her lyrics. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

The celebrity that I have chosen to look at is Oprah Winfrey.

When she is presenting in an interview she dresses formally, has good body language and constant eye contact with who she is presenting to. Also, Oprah seems to maintain the same tone of voice which is soothing and easy on the ear to listen to. Her facial expressions show she has an interest in what she is speaking about. She also has a good sense of timing because she leaves space for applauses and for others to talk.

Haille Elson
Film Studies
Marina

In this assignment I will be discussing two different directors,  Ang Lee and Tim Burton. Also I will be explaining queer and auteur theory and detailing the codes and conventions used in each type of theory to make them different from one another. I'll also be discussing genres and the ,meaning behind Queer and Auteur theory.

One of the directors that I have chosen to cover is Ang Lee who is considered a queer film maker. The first film that I will be discussing is The Wedding Banquet. Ang Lee is considered a queer theory director because he is known for his works which theorises queerness. An example of this is Brokeback mountain which demonstrates forbidden love between two male cowboys in the 1960's which is a part of the New Queer Cinema movement in the early 1990s. The techniques that Ang Lee uses is subtle colours, minimal effects and classic music. The purpose of this is to make his movies appear to be real life from a third person point of view. Rather than a very highly edited film. Ang Lee is consistent in his use of gay characters in his films like Taking Woodstock.

In The Wedding Banquet Wai-Tung and his boyfriend live together as a gay couple in New York but since Wai-Tung hasn't been open with his sexuality to his Taiwanese parents he decides have a traditional Chinese wedding to get his fiancee Wei-Wei a green card. Realistically though he doesn't want to do this because he is in love with Simon. It seems that he tends to use the same techniques through his different movies to create the same result. This means that he is consistent with his films to create one effect. In comparison to his film Brokeback mountain it seems that he has a consistent theme of his characters living a heterosexual lifestyle although inside the closet they are really homosexual. Another theme that also occurs is the fact that this homosexual lifestyle does not fit societal norms which means that these characters are stuck in the closet of not being able to express their true feelings.

Queer theory is one of the newer theories due to the fact that homosexuality has not always been accepted in society and therefore by incorporating this theory in his films it means that these films have a deeper meaning to them beyond the everyday films that may reflect societal norms. For instance. his other film, Brokeback mountain his main characters are in love with each other and it can be seen that the love is true however it makes the audience connect with the characters more because inside there is a deep empathy for the characters since they are unable to truly express themselves. Both of the characters have wives and children which reflects a traditional family of a mother, father and children however they don't want this. One might say that they are just accepting this everyday simple lifestyle because they are scared to pursue their love in the eyes of the public.

The second director that I have chosen to cover is Tim Burton. He is an Auteur film maker. The film that I will be discussing is Charlie and the Chocolate factory. This is one of Tim Burton's greatest films. Tim Burton is an auteur because he uses the same elements across his different films. For instance when the children are introduced to the chocolate factory a spectrum of vivid colours burst into view. This use of symbolism portrays a happy moment. This means that the audience will be able to sense that something good is going to happen which makes him a successful auteur. The genre of the film is mostly fairy tale and humour. Tim Burton is an auteur because in most of his films he incorporates humour and some fantasy fiction. I think that it engages an audience more because the surrealist element of his films makes them seem magical.

Auteur theory is all about the director being the main creative force in a film. This involves the use of bright colours for happy moments or dull colours for sad moments but overall creating a very strong message that the audience can pick up on.

                    

Haille Elson
Media Studies                                        
Harry

Understanding the purpose of music videos

In this report I will be explaining where people watch and consume music videos today and how this has changed over the past years, how music videos have increased the income for the record company. I will also be explaining how music videos are used to promote a particular song, the artists album.

MTV was one of the first original TV channels to air music videos. It was launched on the 1st of August 1981 and was guided by television personalities called ‘video jockeys’. Originally MTV’s target audience was young adults but now it is mostly teenagers. Particularly secondary school and college students. However, even though MTV is still a relevant source for music videos, Youtube has now become the most popular source for audiences to view music videos. This is because they can enjoy music videos from the convenience of their smartphones.

Also, it was possible for music videos to be consumed via DVDs this enabled companies to make money because they were selling the videos for a certain price and people used to purchase them. However it seems as though people are unlikely to pay for these videos as the alternative methods for viewing music videos such as MTV and Youtube are more popular. In addition music videos can be downloaded on the internet via illegal websites. This has also become a popular source for music videos. Statistics show that 78% of people download music illegally.

 It seems as though the era of using MTV to watch music videos has died down because on YouTube the user is able to choose which music video they would like to watch in comparison to MTV where they can only see a certain playlist that is picked by the host.

Music videos are a creative way for artists to express themselves through the form of visuals. The artists can use this as a form of communication between them and the fan base to generate visceral pleasure and maybe even subliminal messages. Music videos can also be used as a purposeful marketing and promotional tool to attract new fans that might be drawn to the visuals as well as the music. This generates more revenue for the artist and the label.

Music Videos have increased the profits for the record companies because the music videos can entice new people to buy the songs if they really like

Music videos can be used to promote an album. This is useful because when people view the video they might be more interested in the album than if there was a visual accompaniment to go with the music. An example of this is Nicki Minaj's Pinkprint movie. Her music video is 16 minutes long and features three of her songs in one video. The songs included are 'The crying game', 'I lied' and 'Grand Piano'. The genre of her Album seems to be Romance because it features love and heartbreak. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk7DT43hwFw

Also, music videos can be used to promote a synergy with other media sectors, like film. An example of this is the song Let it Go by Idina Menzel. This song gained fame by being associated with the Disney film, Frozen.

Bibliography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV
https://www.news.com.au/technology/internet-pirates-say-theyd-pay-for-legal-downloads/news-story/703dbe22813d1e0b18e8afccfb467039

https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/1978885/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-music-video

Commercial Radio Recap

1. Name 3 purposes of Commercial Radio

3 Golden rules:
*Inform *Persuade *Sell

1. Three purposes of commercial radio:
Syndication, Income - advertising, Selling newscasts, events and competition.

2. List 3 styles of Commercial Radio:
 Shock,  Humour, Repetition, Intertextuality,

3. List 3 pursuasive devices used in commercial radio
Characters and Voices, Narrative, Music and Sound. Music and Sound are different.
Music - Instrumental background
Sound - Diegetic, Non-Diegetic

4. List at least 2 regulators - specify what they can do and why (terms?)
ASA
Ofcom - remove and change

Codes
Use of children
watershed
Competitors
Fairplay

Haille Elson

Media Studies

Harry

What I have learnt so far

The first thing I learnt was genre. Many different media products are classified by genre which is the french word for type. The purpose of this is so that audiences can view the media products that they are interested in.

Another thing I have learnt is iconography. Iconography is the use of connotations that you associate with a genre. For instance one might associate ‘black, death and weapon’ with a horror movie. These key elements help the audience to identify what move they’re watching.

Interextuality is the use of referencing in media products. For example, TV programmes like Family Guy and The Simpson’s are know for their continuous use of intertextuality. For example in the Simpsons there was an episode where they referenced Planet Of the Apes. The purpose of intertextuality is to achieve audience gratification. It also makes the text more relatable because they can associate it with their favourite texts.

Haille Elson

Commercial Radio

Fay

3 Purposes of commercial radio, using examples (500w)

Throughout this essay, I will be exploring the purposes of commercial radio such as advertising, special events and syndication. These are all important methods that radio stations use to generate revenue and attract new listeners to their radio station. I will also be using the example of Capital Xtra’s special event.

One of the main purposes of commercial radio is to attract advertisers. This is because the majority of a commercial radio’s budget is derived from advertisers that pay for a spot on the radio. This means that commercial radio stations consistently needs a large number of listeners. The importance of this is that they will be able to show potential advertisers that investing in them is beneficial because it will reach a certain number of listeners.

Another purpose of commercial radio is special events. It is common for commercial radio stations to hold events. This has the multipurpose of attracting new listeners while generating revenue through tickets and merchandising. An example is Capital Xtra’s Homegrown Live. This event seems to be targeted at young people from the ages of 16-23 due to the current artists that will be performing. As Capital Xtra have created this event which is aimed at their primary listeners, this event is likely to be successful because their audience will buy tickets.

Additionally, Syndication is another purpose of commercial radio. Radio stations are always in need of big on-air personalities. This is due to the fact that they are guaranteed to draw in new listeners; especially if they feel like they can connect with that person. Also, radio stations can sell the rights to air one of their shows in exchange for a lot of money. Of course other radio stations will be keen to fill their airtime with popular shows because this will improve their ratings. This results in radio stations bidding against each other for this privilege.


Bibliography:

• Heather McDonald. (02.07.18). Commercial vs Non-commercial Radio.Available: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/commercial-radio-versus-non-commercial-radio-2460809. Last accessed 5th October 2018.
• Robert Morello. (30.06.18). How do radio stations make a profit?.Available: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/radio-stations-make-profit-57480.html. Last accessed 4th October 2018.
• (02.08.18). Capital Xtra Homegrown live: Everything you need to know. Available: https://www.capitalxtra.com/homegrownlive/. Last accessed 5th October 2018.

Film Homework 

Auteur theory and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Auteur Theory is the theory that an artist, e.g. film director is the fundamental creative force when making a film. This makes the director equivalent to an author of a novel or a play. In Auteur theory the director is in charge of budget and production of the film.

It is clear that Tim Burton follows Auteur Theory especially in his two films; Edward Scissor Hands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Bucket house is dull and somber but it is juxtaposed by the vivid and kaleidoscopic Chocolate Factory. Similarly with Edward Scissor Hands a large mansion is presented with dim-lit lighting to portray a somber mise-en-scene. Nevertheless when he enters the village it’s vivid and kaleidoscopic. This therefore proves that the director has control over most of the production as he is able to during his key ideas into his films.

Tim Burton is n auteur because there is a sub conscious recognition of his works. As aforementioned, many of his films begin with a dull mise-en-scene and then the plot evolves with characters escaping into a cheerful mise-en-scene which appears to be a constant theme in most Tim Burton films.

Film Homework

Task 1 - Film in theory

Define each and give an example when possible

Structuralism - It is a way of explaining things and focuses on juxtaposing ideas of a structure. It shows how it relates to the whole structure.

Semiotics - The study of the communication of language and other signs to their meanings.

Auteur theory - The idea that creative directors are prominent in film-making

Feminism - The concept and aim that women should have the same rights, privilege and freedom as men.

Queer theory - An approach to a cultural study that does not welcome classic divisions of gender and sexuality.

Marxism - A philosophy based on Karl Marx essays which emphasises the relevance of the struggle between different social classes.

Psychoanalytic - The therapy of a person who has mental problems by questioning them about their emotions and their past to understand what may be causing their condition.



Task 2

Review two films, what is the genre, who is the director, who is the intended audience.

I think Shrek 2 is a fantastic film that is friendly to a family audience. This is because there is plenty of adventure and comedy to keep both children and adults entertained. I think that the main genre of the film is Adventure, however, the sub-genre is a comedy because the film is very entertaining. The directors of Shrek 2 are Andrew Adamson, Conrad Vernon and Kelly Asbury. I think that the intended audience of Shrek is children because of the use of fairytale characters that they will be familiar with and because the film is rated universal: suitable for all.

In my opinion, Clueless is a great example of a romantic comedy film with a coming-of-age theme. It features a young,