Notes from today's lesson on Audience Demographic classification:
Age
Gender
Education
Social class
Race/ethnicity
Job/profession/earnings
Home (city/village/countryside)
Social class classification
Advertisers have traditionally classified people into the following groups:
AB – Managerial and professional
C1 – Supervisory and clerical
C2 – Skilled manual
DE – Unskilled manual and unemployed
Audience profiles
Advertisers these days are interested in more than just a social class classification. Now they try to sell a brand or lifestyle.
So you also need to think about the kind of brands your audience will be interested in.
Armani and Porsche? Banana Republic and Apple? John Lewis and The Times? Nike and PlayStation? Peppa Pig and Haribo?
Audience profile task
Create an audience profile for a magazine of your choice using Photoshop.
First, use demographics: Age, gender, education, social class, race/ethnicity, job/profession/ earnings, home (city/village/countryside). Then write some statements that your target audience agree with. Look at the NME example for inspiration. Statements such as 'It's important to look good' or 'Enjoy life and don't worry about the future' work well for this part of the profile.
Then use brand logos that the audience will use or enjoy and build them into your profile.
NME magazine example:
Make sure you save your audience profile in your folder on the Media Shared drive - we will be adding to it in future lessons as we learn more about audience!
We are now going to use everything we have learned about film language (camera shots, movement and editing) to produce a shot-by-shot analysis of key shots in the Minority Report sequence. Remember, writing analysis in Media means picking out the interesting or important aspects of something and then examining WHY or HOW they have been put together to create an effect on the audience.
The images are below and also on the M: Media Shared drive > Resources > GCSE > Introduction to Media > Camerawork - Minority Report
Here's an example of what you need to do:
Over-the-shoulder / medium shot (OTS/MS)
The over-the-shoulder angle allows a point-of-view shot from the perspective of the man reading the newspaper. The medium shot allows enough background to establish the location as a metro train. The corner of the seat immediately in the foreground also helps place the location. The over-the-shoulder shot also means the following shots, with the newspaper man recognising the fugitive, are easy for the audience to interpret.
The shots you need to analyse:
Shot 1
Shot 2
Shot 3
Minority Report: Blog task 1) Import these images into your own blogpost (from the Media Shared drive - M: Media Shared > Resources > GCSE > Introduction to Media > Camerawork - Minority Report) and write an analysis of each just like the example above (minimum 50 words per shot). 2) Why does the pace of the editing change in this sequence and what is the effect on the audience? Finish for homework if you don't complete this during the lesson - due in your first lesson after half-term. Reminder: you need to be revising everything you've learned in Media this half-term for your assessment on Thursday.
In some shots, the camera or picture moves to survey the action or follow the subject. We need to be able to recognise and analyse this camera movement when studying film or television. As ever with media, we need to be able to explain the effect this camera movement has on the audience. Camera movement: notes Pan: horizontal turn left or right
Used to follow movement. A whip pan (very fast pan) can create a feeling of action or drama.
Track/Dolly: Camera moves on tracks/wheels
Tracks action smoothly – look for in chases or fast-moving sequences.
Handheld: camera held by hand, often shaky
Handheld camera can add urgency, realism, pace or unease to a scene.
Zoom: focal length of lens changed to make subject appear closer or further away
A zoom into a character’s face can show realisation or an emotional reaction.
Crane: Camera attached to crane – can pan, track or ‘swoop’ in or out as required
Crane shots are often high angle and show large, epic scenes of dramatic action.
Tilt: Camera tilts up or down from fixed point
The hero or villain can be made to look weak or powerful using a tilt (high/low angle).
Camera movement: blog task
Find a clip from a TV Series no longer than 3 minutes. Embed the clip onto your blog with the title of the series.
1) Pick three camera shots and explain the effect they have on the audience.
2) Pick two camera angles and explain the effect they have on the audience.
3) Analyse the camera movement at two key points in the clip and write about why the director chose to use that camera movement.
Suggestions for possible TV dramas if you’re stuck: Waterloo Road, Doctor Who, Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife, Glee, Ackley Bridge. Extension: find an example from YouTube of each type of camera movement and embed the videos on your blogpost below the initial task.
Example: The Night Manager (BBC, 2016)
1) Three camera shots: - The opening establishing shot clearly shows the characters getting off a boat and walking into the restaurant. This both sets the scene for the following action and also confirms the characters are very rich. - The extreme close-up on the main character's eye at 0.52 successfully communicates the intensity of the scene and the mixture of fear and emotion he feels as he watches his son being kidnapped. This has the effect of causing the audience to sympathise with the main character and wonder what will happen to the boy after being taken. - The over-the-shouldershot at 1.13 shows the main character recognises the man who saved the boy and that the man with the face injuries is not who he says he is. Like many over-the-shoulder shots, it is also a medium close-up which allows the audience to see the confusion on the main character's face and the realisation that he has seen him before. 2) Two camera angles: - The power between the two key characters is shown using camera angles. The high angle shot at 1.21 looking down on the man who has been beaten up shows his powerlessness and that he will rely on others to make him better. He looks broken and defeated as the close-up shot from above shows him looking up at the main character. - In contrast, the main character is shown in a low-angle close-up immediately afterwards (1.23) to show his power over the broken man. The camera is looking up at him from the perspective of the man on the floor. This introduces a clear power relationship between the two characters - emphasised by the dialogue at the end: "We're going to take care of you." 3) Analyse the camera movement: The camera movement at the beginning of the scene is slow, steady and fits the relaxed atmosphere as they enter the restaurant. The smooth track or dolly shot as they walk to the table (0.14 - 0.17) makes the audience feel as if they are joining the party and included in the exclusive group in the island restaurant. This all changes in the scene where the kidnappers take the main character's son. The camera movement is suddenly handheld and edgy, signalling the tension and danger to the audience. This adds realism and suspense and contrasts strongly with the smooth camera movement of the opening to the scene. The camera continues to move (handheld) throughout this scene as the kidnapping develops - this keeps the audience on edge and creates the idea that danger or something terrible may be happening. As the kidnappers try to escape, the camera pans loosely from left to right and back again (0.57) to create the effect of someone looking around to see where the next danger will appear from. Finally, when the kidnappers have gone and the boy is returned safely, the camerawork is still handheld but not as shaky as previously. This restores normality to the scene as the danger has passed.
Complete for homework if you don't finish it in the lesson - due date specified by your teacher.
You will be receiving blog feedback from your teacher via email this week. This is a very important opportunity to reflect on the work you've done so far in GCSE Media Studies and identify the areas you need to improve over the next few weeks. Whenever you receive blog feedback over email you must do the following: 1) Open up your email and read the feedback carefully 2) Copy and paste your feedback and LR into a NEW blogpost in your blog called 'Blog feedback and Learner Response'. 3) Below the feedback, complete the learner response tasks or questions and then publish the blogpost. 4) Reply to the original email from your teacher confirming you have completed the learner response and provide a link to your learner response blogpost. This is how we get better in Media Studies - make the most of this opportunity!
The nominations are in for the Media Awards 2017! With the ceremony just two weeks' away, these are the films and music videos that will be battling it out for a prestigious Greenford High School Media Award. The quality level at both GCSE and A Level was exceptionally high and it has been an extremely difficult process narrowing down the nominations for our Oscars-style event. Tickets will go on sale on Monday 9 October priced £4 for early bird tickets and £5 in the week of the Awards. Be quick - the event sold out in just three days last year! A Level nominations Best Year 12 Original Screenplay Out of Mind Hiraeth Nowy Poczatek Best Year 12 Production Design Voice of the Void Euphoria Nowy Pockzatek Best Year 12 Dialogue/Voiceover Click Approval Euphoria Best Year 12 Cinematography Unstable Voice of the Void Click Best Year 12 Sound Design Voice of the Void Approval Out of Mind Best Year 12 Film Editing Unstable Click Hiraeth
GCSE nominations
Best GCSE Cinematography Take a Bow – Shanella Dammanpilage Done Earthquake – Ahmed Hassan Unfaithful – Blaise Marden Best GCSE Music Video Concept Radioactive – Tyler-Jade Kelly Don’t – Shabd Magon Mrs Potato Head – Areej Mehdi Best GCSE Production Design Unfaithful – Blaise Marden Mrs Potato Head – Areej Mehdi Wolves – Annya Ranshi Best GCSE Editing Symbolism – Mariam Ahmadyar Untitled – Kacper Ikwanty Party – Shahir Joian
Best Actress/Actor
Gifty Kumi – Unstable
Sophie Robertson – Out of Mind
Nasteha Mohamed – Approval
Abdullah Al-Fadhli – Click
Mr Mather – Training
Hussein Hamume – Click
Congratulations to all our nominees and we look forward to seeing you at the Media Awards on Tuesday 17 October!
Blog Feedback- This week's lessons - Time to Reflect
Hello GCSE Media students,
You will each have received an email from your Media teacher on your SCHOOL EMAIL with the title 'Blog Feedback'. Please read this carefully as it gives you information about what is missing or needs improving on your blog so far.
Whilst most of you have made an excellent and committed start to the course and shown real potential in analysis tasks, Photoshop activities and practical tasks, some of you are missing some work from your blogs or need to focus on making sure your analysis is in depth. GCSE courses take commitment and finishing all work to the best of your ability here and at home is essential.
Learner Response Task 1) Please read the feedback and then post my feedback on a new blog post on your blog. Call it 'Blog Feedback and Learner Response.'
2) Read the EBIs carefully so that you know each of the things that you have to improve upon.
3) Post the Learner Response and then DO the Learner Response. This might involve looking back on your own work in your drafts, finishing it and then publishing it or (if you missed a lesson) it might involve finding the work on Macguffin so that you can catch up. All the tasks are on Macguffin in order with notes to help you. If you have missed a lesson, it is your responsibility to make sure that your note book is up to date.
Those of you who ARE up to date, well done! You can make any changes that I have asked for and then you can continue with posting up your camera shot storyboard and writing your explanations so that you have less homework this weekend.
Remember - you need to include all ten shots/angles and write ananalysis to go with each shot to explain what it communicates to the audience. Finish this for homework if you don't complete it in the lesson - due for your double lesson next week.
