PREP Explain how music videos use media language to promote their artists. Refer to the pair of music videos you have studied from the list below in your answer.

Our music videos are Wheatus Teenage Dirtbag Avril Lavigne Sk8ter Boi

HOW TO ANSWER: Media language points to consider:

the prioritising of the star / the group; the privileging of the star / the groups in the frame

authenticating the star's performance / the band's performance to show their skills

the use of close ups; lip syncing to camera; eye contact with the audience

 

 

 

In the Wheatus Teenage Dirtbag music video, there is a clear narrative as the song is part of the story line. There are cuts between the actors and the band throughout the video. A panning shot is used in the video to show the whole of the band although there are many close ups of the lead singer who lip syncs and makes direct eye contact with the audience. He tells the story through his expressions and is very engaging and captivating. It is clear that it is his voice and that his band are genuinely skilled at their instruments which authenticates the bands performance. Furthermore, there are close up shots of the teenage dirtbag so the audience is aware the song is following his character. This allows the audience to empathise with him and fully understand his story. At the end of the music video, the band and the characters finally meet at the prom to create a euphoric end to the video as we see Wheatus’s adoring fans surrounding them in awe which accentuates the bands popularity.

In Avril LSk8ter boy, the editing is fast paced to create a sense of chaos and rebellion. Avril Lavigne is given a lot of screen time because she is the star. Therefore, there are many close ups of her singing and gazing deeply into the camera to draw in her audience. Her skill is also authenticated because we can see it is really her singing. The colours of the music video are desaturated which enhances the grungy tone. Towards the end of the video, the camera seems to be held by one of the fans which encourages the audience to fully immerse themselves in the video, as if they are there at one of Avril Lavigne's concerts.

MUSIC MAGAZINES: MEDIA LANGUAGE

 Look carefully at the front covers of MOJO and RNR magazines. 

QUESTION: How far do MOJO and RNR use different media language to create different connotations? (CONNOTATION meaning: an idea or quality that a word makes you think about in addition to its meaning.)

Answer on your blog. This is a high-value question and should take all lesson to answer. You can use the class blog search engine for more examples of how to analyse music magazines.

In your answer you should have 2 paragraphs:

• analyse the media language in MOJO and RNR magazine. 'Media language' includes the placement of the main image, the type of photography, lighting, colours, fonts, how busy or restrained the cover is, the layout (such as alignment to the margins), how serious or playful 
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the media language is used differently in both extracts to create different connotations. Are there similarities in both covers? What sorts of audiences are they targeting? You could think about MOJO's rock aesthetic of living loud and dangerously compared to RNR's folk, rock, blues vibe.

The MOJO magazine is very eye catching due to the blue background and the bolder colours used to attract readers. The rock band "Foo Fighters" is presented across the middle of the magazine and one of the members seems to be holding it in his hands as if he is showing it off to the reader. Dave Grohl is written in yellow so we can infer that he is the man in the  central splash of the magazine. Furthermore, the MOJO magazine is relatively busy with many things cover lines to read. However, the cover mount cuts across him and almost takes up a quarter of the magazine. The bright green and yellow stripes are very eye catching and there is a face of a skull playing the guitar. Contrastingly the RNR magazine is a lot calmer with it's soft brown background and sans serif, white text. It is very minimalistic and spacious, although there is still plenty to observe. Unlike the MOJO magazine, it has a serious tone to is which suggests the man in the centre is not a rock artist. We can infer he is called Christy Moore because the size of the text is larger than the rest. The lighting is soft and he has a warm smile on his face and he is wearing a black shirt in contrast to Dave Grohl's bright checked shirt. The placement of the text is clear and organised and the cover mount fits the tone of the magazine because it has the same background and text, but it is just given a white outline to make it stand out. Next to Christy Moore, it says "these days, it's yoga, camomile, tea and three Our Fathers".  

The magazines have totally different tones to them. The MOJO magazine has a sense of recklessness and the media language emphasise the rock and role lifestyle which is wild and dangerous. Although the media language in the RNR magazine connotes to peace and tranquillity. Especially the pull quotation which accentuates the serenity of the magazine. I would suggest that middle aged white men would be drawn to both these magazines because that is who is represented. However, those more interested in rock would be able to relate to the MOJO magazine. Whereas, those into nature, folk and blues would be more likely to want to read the RNR magazine. 

• 

MY MUSIC MAGAZINE

 

MOJO REPRESENTATION

TASK:  Copy this MOJO 2019 cover into a new blog post entitled  MOJO: REPRESENTATION. Then write 4 points, one each about about the following.

How the producers have chosen to construct a version of reality that represents events, social groups and ideas to fit their purposes:

• MOJO wishes to attract a target audience that shares its reverence for ‘classic rock’ so constructs a version of reality that represents musicians as authentic heroes, striving for excellence

The messages and values conveyed and issues addressed:

• MOJO’s front cover associates musicians with quest, danger and struggle, celebrating the values associated with rock music of ‘living fast and dying young                                                                                                                                                                                        This magazine has an element of rebellion and subversion to it. Neil Young is placed in the centre and is dominating the space, looking straight into the lens under his hooded eyes. The cover lines surrounding him are linked to danger as one of them says " all hell's gonna break lose" which is a wild phrase associated with rock music. At the bottom right there is "RIP" written which adds to the sense that life is short and worth living in a reckless and free way. 

How and why (e.g. to enable quick interpretation) stereotypes have been used, including anti-stereotyping / counter-stereotyping:

• MOJO’s selection of a cover photograph of a white male may be to fit the stereotype of rock musicians – this will enable instant recognition by audiences
  

• MOJO’s anti-stereotypical positive representation of older people as popular musicians. This may reflect the anti-ageism of an older audience

Which social groups are under-represented or misrepresented:

• MOJO’s front cover represents predominantly white male musicians in photographs, under- representing female musicians and musicians of colour

This magazine lacks representation of ethnic groups, sexuality and gender because it is dominated by a white male musician. There is a very small image of a woman but she is squashed into the upper right hand corner and isn't given much promotion or space.

POPCORN PREP

 Define the difference between scheduled tv and on-demand tv. Which is Cuffs and why does it matter?

On demand tv is any show that you either download or watch that is not live for example anything on Netflix or Amazon Prime. However scheduled tv is when a show is aired at a particular time. Therefore Cuffs is scheduled tv because it was shown at 8pm which was pre watershed time meaning it is a family friendly programme. 

LEGO MOVIE POSTER CAMPAIGN

 Analyse how gender has been represented in The Lego Movie poster campaign. Use the written handout to help you answer this exam question (10 marks).

There are not many main, female character in the Lego Movie. Although the poster of Wyldstyle portrays a strong, independent woman who is seen to go against gender stereotypes. In the poster, wyldstyle is cool, calm and collected and her warm smile could suggest she is a kind character which makes her more  appealing to the audience. Surrounding her white teeth is a bright pink lipstick that demonstrates she wears makeup which is therefore a more feminine take on the character. Although, Wyldstyle has her hair tied up to imply she is prepared for action and the streaks of pink and blue in her hair could hint at a side of rebellion. In the majority of action based movies, the women are portrayed as vulnerable and in need of saving. However in the poster we a presented with a powerful woman who is perfectly capable of taking part in the action of the film.

Furthermore, in the poster of the protagonist Emmet, he has a panicked and fearful look in his face, in contrast to Vitruvius. Emmet’s mouth is wide open which suggests he is screaming in fear while his panic-stricken eyes reflect his defenceless lack of strength. This is an unlikely take to a hero of a film, especially because he is a man. However, this allows the audience to relate to Emmet and he shows it is ok to be scared because you can still be a hero with emotions. In the background of the poster, there is an explosion which highlights the sense of chaos and danger but also entices the audience and makes them wonder what happened to make Emmet run away screaming. We see an anti-stereotypical representation of Emmet because he shown to be vulnerable which would often be the role of a woman in an action film like this. It is very unusual to see a male hero so frightened and weak which is perhaps a unique and modern take to a movie.

The poster of Vitruvius presents a close-up image of the character staring mesmerizingly into the lens with his wise eyes. Vitruvius has a long white beard with long, grey hair which suggests he is a wise, old man whose role in the movie is to guide the younger characters. He is an archetypal character that we see in many other movies like Dumbledore in Harry Potter for example. However, this type of character does reflect stereotypes of age and masculinity because it is presenting a man that is seen to be wise and intelligent. Although other stereotypical male qualities like physical strength or aggression are not presented in the poster.

Although, the poster of Lord Business presents the antagonist of the film and a character with more stereotypical masculine qualities such as aggression and physical strength. It could be seen as quite an intimidating image because he is taking up so much of the poster in order to assert dominance and his facial expression suggests he is shouting. It is clear he is stereotyped as a villain because he has a large, red helmet on his head, the rim of it is shaped like teeth which you might associate with a dangerous animal or being under attack. Furthermore, red is an aggressive and bold colour which is often used to convey anger as well as danger.

LEGO REGULATION

 Task 3: Go to the BBFC site and research age ratings. Why was The Lego Movie (2014) given a U rating? You need to click on the Ratings info

  

Go to the PEGI site and research what age ratings are about. Why is The Lego Movie video game classification 7+?

The Lego Movie was rated a U meaning it is suitable for all ages because there is some very mild bad language like "darn" and "heck" which is appropriate for children. Also, there are quite a few fight scenes that include the Lego figures punching each other. However this is suitable for children because it is clear that they are toys, not humans and you rarely even see a punch land clearly. On some occasions, the heads of the Lego figures pops off but it is not gruesome or scary in any way and it would be unlikely to frighten a child which is why it was awarded a U rating.