1B - Audience

Media consumers are organised into identified groups (based on such things as lifestyle or earning power) by producers, broadcasters, and advertisers who can then target consumers. In this essay I am going to evaluate the film opening I created with my group called 'Untamed' about a teenage girl who has an argument with her mother and runs away one night after coming home drunk without her permission. Im going to also discuss three theories which also helped shape the creating and excecution of our media product.
Audiences choose to consume certain text such as social media, film, television programmes and magazines because it is a form of entertainement, it is usually popular among their group of friends therefore they want to fit in and see what the hype is about, and often it gives the audience something to relate to so they do not feel like the only one going through a certain situation. These texts are consumed online through phones or laptops, or they can be read through magazines or newspaper articles. When they consume these texts, they then share their experience with it and often recommend it to the people around them which gives it more publicity and popularity.
There are key features when looking at the audiences of media texts, one of them being the theory of the 'Hypodermic Model' or the 'Effects Model' which is the theory of 'injecting' information into the audience which may be factual or just something that the media wants the audience to see. In some cases this has been used as a means of control over the audience/public like when it was used by Adolf Hitler for propaganda. It is also used a lot in advertisements as a way of the company trying to persuade people to buy its product as it creates a 'hype' for the product, therefore making it more popular. In our production we did not use the theory of the 'Hypodermic Model' as our narrative was only one that was intended for pure entertainment and not to persuade our audience like how an advertisement would. However, the stereotypical representation of the teenage daughter and the middle aged mother may sunconsciously give the audience an assumption about the way these groups of people act in real life, even though the film cannot possiblty speak on behalf of everyone within the group.
The 'Uses and Gratifications' theory is also another reason why audiences consume certain media texts. One of the reasons within this theory is so the audience can relate to what they are watching. People like to watch programmes like 'Eastenders' not only for the entertainment but so they can relate to a character or a storyline as the programme consists of ordinary people, and by watching it, it may make them feel better about their own situation. I believe that this is similar to 'Untamed' as the argument between the mother and the daughter is very similar to ones that have happened between family members all over the country which gives the teenagers something they can relate to so they feel like they are not the only ones. People also consume media texts so they can recieve information about world events, therefore read newspapers and watch documentaries and programmes like 'Quesion Time' to learn new facts. Audiences also consume the texts simply for their own entertainment, especially with popular TV series such as 'Broadchurch', 'Marcella' and 'Big Little Lies' because they are gritty and exciting to watch. Social interaction is also another main reason for it as after looking at the text, the audience can then speak about it with their piers so they can have something to speak about and relate to eachother with.
Hall's 'Reception Theory' is also another way in which audiences consumer certain media texts and how the interpret the information based on their situation or background. He states that there are three different types of people when it comes to audiences: Dominant, Negotiated and Oppositional. Dominants traditionally fully shares the text code and accepts and reproduced the preferred reading and the code seems 'natural' ad 'transparent'. A Negotiated reader partly shares the text's code and broadly accepts the preferred reading, but sometimes resists and modifies it in a way which reflects their own position, experiences and interests which involves contradictions. An oppositional reader understands the preferred reading but does not share the text's code and rejects the reading, bringing to bear an alternative frame of reference.
We targetted our teenage audience by using a rebellious teenage girl as the main character and a contrasting middle aged mum for her to have a conflict with because we knew that it is a very relatable and entertaining situation for teens, which they can compare with their own lives. Our audience enjoyed our film opening because they said it was very dramatoc and entertaining, also because of the good music behind it which is popular with the teen crowd, and they also said it had a lot of enigma which made them want to watch more. We worked out that we wanted to have a teen/ young adult audience because we felt that the genre was very successful, and we worked out what they like by assessing ourselves what films we like in our group as we are all teenage girls, and also looked at similar films of the same genre.
In conclusion the audience plays an essential role when analysing the success of our film opening as they decide whether the film is good enough or worth watching. Their opinion is then spread to their piers which could also influence how they see the media text which could either make the film a success or a failure.

1B - Narrative

Apply the concept of narrative to one of your media production.

A narrative is the way in which a story is told in both fictional and non- fictional media texts, which Todorov described as always having a disruption throughout, "disruption is always figured literally- as a physical force." In the 'teen drama' short film opening my group and I created, called 'Untamed', a teenage girl comes home drunk from a party that night past her curfew, to find her mother waiting for her to come back. The conflict between the young girl and her mother leads her to packing her things and running away from home.
We decided to dismiss Todorov's 'equilibrium theory' as we chose for the plot line to have a problem in it from the start, making the main conflict between the daughter, Aubrey, and the mother, Carol, the first disruption of the equilibrium. This is because we wanted to go down the route of a more 'indie' film structure as well as creating interest for the audience so they were engaged in the plotline and wanted to know what would happen next. By doing this it also makes the narrative less predictable which also creates some enigma for the audience. 

We did however, use Levi Strauss' theory of 'binary oppositions' which is translated through the mother and daughter. We show different forms or binary oppositions through these two characters, such as: good vs. evil, drunk vs. sober, young vs. old, indoor vs. outdoor and conforming vs. rebellion. The older mother represents the sensible, strict, safe and conforming women which are traditionally thought of when connected with the word 'mother', whereas Aubrey is the rebellious, drunk, daring young daughter who doesn't like to play by her mother's rules which is often portrayed of teenagers in the media.
In the film opening we also subverted Propp's theory of 'stock characters' which consists of 31 traditional characters which are reused and represented in every narrative one way or another, by making the 'baddie' character of Aubrey a female, as females are usually the good, conforming characters in the narrative. We also subverted the traditional roles of parenting by making the mother the strict parent who is in charge of telling the children off and controlling them, instead of the traditional father who is not even seen in the sequence. We did this to also make the film opening slightly different as only female characters are seen thus far which I believe is quite rare for even modern films.
We also follow Barthes theory of 'Enigma Codes' which makkes the audience question anything/ everyone in the film through the first and last scenes of the film. Within the first 20 seconds where the titles are shown, the main character, Aubrey is stumbling home drinking her bottle of alcohol with music in the background which makes the audience wonder who she is, how old she is and whys she is drinking on the streets at night on her own. This enigma also carried on through until the last scene of the sequence as Aubrey runs away from home and she is filmed running through the streets at night with her rucksack and the last shot is a man in the distance walkinf behind her before the screen goes black and the title of 'Untamed' appears on the screen. We did this to create dramatic impact on the audience and to make them engaged in the narrative and want to know what happens next.
In conclusion we created the narrative of our film opening by using and subverting ideas of multiple theorists to create interest and drama, in an effort to create a realistic sequence to keep our audience entertained.

1B - Representation

In this essay I will be analysing my film opening which my group and I created, and the representation of different social groups within the film.
Our video constructs the representation of different ages through the use of editing, costume, sound, props, camera, body language and facial expression. When filming Aubrey(the teenager of Carol, her mum) we used a lot of panning shots and made the camera shaky to represent the instability of her drunk self, and to show her as a care-free, reckless teenager. For the editing in the first section of the video, we used short shots of Aubrey walking and stumbling but sequenced them next to each other so it looked in-cohesive and jumpy, so the audience knew what it felt like for her to be drunk. This contrasts for the editing and camera work used when filming Carol, as only still shots and close ups were used when filming her, which represents her stability and authority as a parent, opposite to her daughter, Aubrey. The costumes also clearly represented the difference in ages as Aubrey was wearing a crop top with skinny jeans, trainers, a loose flannel shirt, along with her curly hair down and eyeliner. This shows how care free and fun loving this character is, compared with Carol's character. On the contrary, Carol was wearing a dressing gown and slippers along with pyjamas underneath and her hair tied back. To further create a more realistic characterisation, we added dry shampoo to make her hair appear more grey and created wrinkles on her face using make-up. This represents Carol as a sensible and sturdy character who likes the comfort of her own home which gives the impression to the audience that she does not venture out much and is a strict parent.
It is also arguable whether Aubrey and Carol represent good vs. evil, and if so, which side they would represent. The opposing characters both show signs of good and evil, which the audience will subconsciously decide on when watching the film opening, depending on what their personal role in their family is. Aubrey would typically be argued as the evil character in the situation to any mums or members of authority watching as she is rebellious and unpredictable. However, she may be seen as the good character to any teenagers watching as she can relate to them and the struggles she goes through by having such a strict parent who suppresses her creativity and freedom. On the other hand, the mother may be seen as the evil character to any teenagers watching because she is restricting her daughter from being sociable and making friends, but could also be seen as good to the mothers watching as she is staying up late until her child is home and safe and only has her best interests at heart.
In the film opening, we include stereotypes of the British youth and their mothers. This is shown both through their charcaterisation and their actions in the film, for example, Aubrey is a rebellious teenager who does not live by her mother's rules and stays out drinking until late at night and runs away after a huge argument with her mum. This conforms to the ideas of British youth which is portrayed in the media as traditionally they are seen as rebellious and disrespectful towards their elders. Stereotypes of mothers are also put into place in the film opening when observing Carol, as she is a strict mum who appears conservative as she is staying at home with her cup of tea in her pyjamas waiting for her daughter to come home. This reflects the medias idea of mums and how they are sensible and not adventurous while not always caring about their appearance like the younger generation, while also being strict and playing by the rules. We did not subvert the stereotypes of the teenager and the mum because we thought by making the two characters polar opposites and controvertial, it would create more drama and interest within the storyline as the characters are exaggerated.
In conclusion, we created specific representations of the two characters because we thought it would be interesting for the audience to watch and create enigma which would make the audience want to find out more from the plot line.

1B - Genre Plan

Introduction:
-Define the concept you have been given.
-Outline the production you have chosen to evaluate.
-Tell examiner what you are going to discuss (2 theorists.)

Para 1:
Describe the key concepts of genre by using theorists. Relate the theorist to your production.
Theorists-
-Daniel Chandler (type / audience expectations)
- Steve Neal (repetition and difference)
Describe
In detail
Setting - family home and street
Themes - conflict, family relationship, sexuality
Icons - bottle, backpack, mug
Narrative - Argument and running away
Characters - Carol, Aubrey (mother and daughter)
Textual Analysis

Para 2:
Apply the concept of genre making close reference to film opening

Para 3:
Show the ways in which these ideas work in your film opening.

Conclusion ;
Sum up by returning to the question

1B - Representation Plan

Introduction:
Explain media product you will be analysing and which social group/s you will be analysing.
Define the concept you haver been given.
Outline production you have chosen to evaluate.
Tell examiner what you are going to discuss. (2 theories.)

Para 1:
Describe some of the key features of representation using theorists. Relate the theorists to your production.
Theorists:
- Levi Strauss
- Laura Mulvey
- Angela McRobbie
(Stereotypical that the mum is in charge of Aubrey. Binary opposition between the characters.)

Para 2:
AGES - How does the video construct a representation of different ages?
            - Consider props, costumes, location, body language, facial expression, camera, sound and editing.
ETHNICITY - "         "
GENDER - "         "
CLASS - "        "
GOOD VS EVIL - "        "

Para 3:
Include stereotypes - conforming / converting.
Have you challenged stereotypes? Why?
Apply representation to your own production making close reference.

Conclusion:
Sum up ideas by returning to question.
Why did you create specific representations?

1B- Audience Plan

Introduction:
1. Define the concept you have been given.
2. Outline the production you have chosen to evaluate.
3. Tell the examiner what you are going to discuss (3 theories)

Para 1:
1. Why di audiences choose to consume certain texts?
2. How do they consume texts?
3. What happens when they consume the texts? (They tell other people about they feelings towards the text which influences other peoples opinions.)

Para 2:
Describe the key features of audience using theorists. Relate these theorists to your production.
3 Theories:
- The Effects Model or the Hypermodic Model - like a needle injecting information.
- The Uses and Gratifications Model
- Reception Theory

Para 3: Uses and Gratifications (pleasure)
-Personal identification
-Information - newspapers, documentaries, question time
-Entertainment
-Social interaction - talking to others about it

Para 4: Reception  Theory
Decoding / Encoding - Preferred, Negotiated, Oppositional

Para 5: Reflect on how text works
- How did we target audience?
- How did they respond?
- How did you work out who your target audience was and what they liked?

Conclusion:
Sum up by returning to question.

Understanding of real media conventions Essay

In your experience how has your understanding of conventions developed through creating your productions?

At AS, my group and I created a film opening of our own, relating to a specific genre and target audience which did not look professional due to our little understanding of real media conventions at that time. However, our understanding progressed dramatically at A2 where we created a music video, digipak and website to advertise our artist brand and image.
The concept of genre is substantial when creating a film or music video because it defines the style and sets expectations for the whole video and the makers can choose to either conform or subvert to the conventions of the genre. The main genres for film are: thriller, horror, comedy, romance and tragedy.
Carefully choosing a genre is important when creating a target audience because most of the time, the institutions want the genre/ video to be easily recognised and understood by it's audience so as many people watch the film as possible.
We carried our research into real media texts such as films like: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Juno and Mean Girls because they are all aimed towards teenagers, much like our own film opening. Looking at their media products such as advertising, we found that they used bright colours and interesting bold text on their posters, websites and front covers which inspired the colour and bold text on our own poster.
The mise en scene and narrative in our video are very important when creating the right mood for our audience because the lighting, costume, camera etc. tells the audience subconsciously what genre the video is.
We used these conventions in our video by using the costume to appropriately represent the characters age, for example Aubrey, the teenage daughter, wears a crop top with low cut denim jeans, trainers and a loose checkered shirt over the top with her hair let down and curly along with black eyeliner. This contrasts with Carol, the mum, who stays at home wearing a big dressing gown, pyjamas, slippers and her hair up in a bum with supposedly no makeup which shows how she is sensible and responsible compared to the care-free Aubrey. We also show Aubrey's age by making her hold and drink a bottle of alcohol showing the audience that she can be reckless, which is contrary to Carol's mug of tea she is drinking when her daughter comes home late. We found that no special effects are usually used in this genre of film so we decided we did not need to use any, apart from simple shots and cuts throughout.
However parts of our video subverts real media conventions as the lighting throughout remains dark and dingy instead of bright and colourful much like a typical teenage film. Also to reflect Aubrey's intoxication, at the start of the video we used a fading/double effect where it appeared like there were two of her, making it look like she cannot focus and her brain is lagging behind.
For the music video we made at A2, we also did a lot of research into the different genres of videos by artists we were inspired by, such as NAO, FKA Twigs, SZA, Jorja Smith and Dua Lipa which all included edgy outfits and bright colours in their videos with a strong female performer. We also carried out research into the performance, narrative and concept theories of music videos which helped us gain a lot of understanding about the meaning and structure of music videos.
We also did a lot of research into the websites, digipaks and tour posters of these artists as they have achieved a very similar look and target audience which we based ours around and have established a strong brand image which is easily recognisable to their fans. The genre of our video is a mixture of soul, funk and electronic dance so we did research into the conventions of each individual genre to see how we could incorporate ideas from each area and mix them together as well as creating our own twist with an essence of pop.
We conformed to the conventions of our genre in all three media products by using bright multi-coloured fairy lights throughout the video, webiste, digipak and tour poster which brought the feel of a pop and funk video, which contrasted with the dark purple and navy blue backgrounds which could be associated with electronic dance. The variety of outfits which our main performer wears also reflects the soul/funk genre with a modern pop influence to it.
As well as conforming to the conventions, we also challenged them by not including many references to soul performers, but adapting the star image into someone more of the pop genre, such as Dua Lipa who also takes inspiration from older, funk/soul artists with her fashion.
We have used a lot of digital technology in our research by using a Canon 700D camera to film the shots used in the video, using Blogger to show evidence of all of our research, using Photoshop and Word to edit the digipak and magazine cover, Wix to create our website and Adobe Premier to edit the music video.
In conclusion I have learned that using conventions from real media texts is very important when doing research and actually creating the finished media product as it is the best way to create the finished article into something as professional and accurate as possible.