component 2 section c- Online Media (Clay Shirky)

MOST DIFFICULT TYPE OF QUESTION

Clay Shirky states 'The future presents by the internet is the mass amateurization of publishing and a switch from 'Why publish this?' to 'Why not?'.

To what extent is this concept of 'amateurisation' applicable to Zoella and Attitude and to what extent can meaningful interact with these products 

Amateurization- the process of making something that was once professional the domain of amateurs and those who are inexperienced 

Online media is prone to the notion of amateurisation, as it is an open platform resources, both universal, inclusive and democratic (everyone can get involved) 

-Zoella presents her self as a relatable amateur for her target audience 

-Attitude online is a carefully curated and maintained website serving a valuable purpose   

Many opportunities for meaningful interaction 

Though arguably interactions themselves are limited  

Zoella and Attitude both sell an ideology and a lifestyle

Comments, response videos, email, PO box, Instagram, twitter, subscriptions, internet forums, blogs/vlogs

However this theory should be criticised, arguably the media industry is just as exclusionary as they have always been and audiences are less 'producers' than 'unwitting advertisers' promoting pre-exsisting products 

CLAY SHIRKY- END OF AUDINECE  

Audices are not producers when interacting with Zoella but marketers and distributors 

Youtube is a closed system, self regulated by youtube themselves and motivated by profit and power. While it seems to give users the opportunity to create products and become their own boss, only very through users actually meet the criteria for monetisation. Zoella constructs a fake and hypereal persona to her target audience, meaning that her audindince have little idea of who she really is. 

Zoella uses a business model based on algorithmic knowledge, each of the thumb nails for her videos provide the audience with a carefully selected unclose image of her face with a hyperbolic expression of joy which resembles a cartoon character. Thos confirms and reinforces Zoellas status as an amateur. 

She utilises commodity fetishism in order to provide audinces with escapism and capitalist values/ fantasy

Allows audiences to construct their own identies though her products and output, audinces ca identify with suggs and can take pleasure in the inclusive relationship with her 'gay' best friend and a metter native about friendship and inclusion  

pick and mix theory- Gauntlet 

component 2 section c- postmodernism Q

Jean Baudrille suggests that "we live in a world where there is more and more information and less and less meaning" Evaluate the extent to which the postmodernist statement applies to Zoella and attitude 

HYPERREALITY:

a representation of nothing which is more real than real

'More style than substance'

Zoellas 'mistakes' are left in e.g.. at the beginning of blogs  to make her more relatable and funny (hard just and out takes)

Zoellas picnic: intertextual references to Disney princess movies, all perfectly presented on wooden platters with a pastel coloured teepee tent 

mise-en-scen of uneaten food!

Zoella apartment: pink and perfect 

commodity fetishism- the packaging of her owns brands candles

Zoella is sexless making her  hyperreal issuing her being innocent and pure role model of women (chased- hegemonic idea of perfection of teenage girls)

Zoellas 2010 weeks- 'tranny, lesbo, skank'

Attitude representation of gay men is buff and good looking and over sexulised images e.g.. boys section (diminutive and condescending)

voyeristic perspective on both gay and straight men 

Attitude online: sections on theatre, clothing, gay holidays all aspects of line that the gay man 'should' be impressed in

also tapping into the pink pound

escapism

represnation 

binary opposition

codes 

hypereality

reception 
shot types/camera angles 
simulacrum- representation of something that doesn't exist 
hyper hypermodality 


both use Web 2.0- white, clean and simple format, currently fashionable 

eg. use of 35mm camera filter, over saturated filter 

poisoning the audience in an escapist fantasy in a voyeristic feature 

magazines- comp 2 section B- Industry and Audience

Explore how set edition of Woman magazine constructs its target audince (15)

-cultivation and reception

Woman magazine cultivates an ideology for the target audience by manipulation

'Are you an A level Beauty?' 

• condescending title, direct mode of address reinforces patriarchal hegemonic norms of beauty 
• A-levle insinuates high school qualification therefore suggests that the aspirations of the target audience are limited 
• Audience is constructed through the condescending lexis of 'girls' inappropriate for a middle aged target audience
• The mise-en-scene of the series of diagrams and complex information creates a highly manipulative and and highly singular and stereotypical construction of idealised hegemonic beauty norms   
• removes diversity and encourages audience to follow rules and guidelines   

'A Present for your Kitchen' 

• personification of the kitchen ensures the audience knows how important the kitchen is for the house wife 
• Kitchen symbolises the domain for the house wife, a place of ownership in a partriarcel society
• 'it slots so any girl can assemble it quickly'- reinforces hegemonic and sexist stereotypes
• could promote DIY target however one sentence later 'get a man in your life to glue the units together then paint them' cultivates gender binary 

Contents Page     

• highly stereotypical in terms of content: fashion, knitting, cooking and beauty
• Reinstates hegemonic ideal of being a house wife
• lack of representation of LGBT community and BME representation  

Explore how Adbusters utilised digital convergence to facilitate production (15)

-power and regulation 

Adbusters utilise digital convergence in order to create synergistic modes of production and distribution. This is primarily achieved through the relationship between print magazine and the digital website.

• website advertises the magazine
• multimode interface links in social media accounts
• selling of merchandise, including anti capitalist shoes- commodity fetish 
• taget audience of adjusters is both niche and unclear
• website and magazine have oppositional and different audiences and layouts 
• buy print copy, download pdf format  

Humans and Le Revenaunts question 2

Component 1 section B

i) How do the producers of video games ensure financial success for their product?

ii) How do the producers of media products  ensure financial success?


How do you get marks in an Industry questions
-Statistics
-Dropping names
-Facts

In what ways are Humans and Le Revenants shaped by specialised forms of production, distribution and circulation?

Knee jerk reaction: both set texts are fundamentally shaped by their contexts of production, distribution and circulation at a technical, narrative  and an audience level. In both instances the show can be seen to be standasied products, shaped by industrial contexts to ensure maximum profit. 

Horizontal integration
Vertical integration
multimedia integration 
Conglomeration
production values
digital Convergence
cult audience
success for their genre
budget and funding
marketing and advertising  
Trailers: missleading?
websites
reality vs fiction
themes of paranoia = make audience feel uncomfortable
Intertextuality
referential codes


Curran and Seaton: Power
Hesmondhalgh: industry integration/structure
Livingstone and Lunt: Regulation (or lack of)

Controversial aspects in Humans: Niskas vape/sex scene in Brothel
Controversial aspects in Le Revenauts: young Lena sex scene

cast: Gemma Chan- British Asian type cast? (Anita)
Katherine Parkinson- British (Laura)



Atypical of horror/zombie genre- no blood gore or slow walking corpses
Atypical of sci-fi genre- set in modren 21st century day

-Both text feature relatable middle class families-

both distributed by Channel 4

avalblibe on DVD and blue ray

LR was avalble on netflicks briefly

Channel 4 initially started 1982 as a subversive ideology tv channel however far more mainstream now

both mid budget

(11.5 mil for LR)

6.1 mil views on first eposides of Humans 

English Humans vs Swedish Humans 

• The look of the actors
• The setting and style of house
• The opening of the show was far more hard hitting
• tone of the show- more tongue in cheek
• far more explicit and violent 

exported to the US: fits into exotic sci-fi like DR Who and Sherlock

Channel 4 are selling audience to advertising companies through ad breaks
make revenue through selling adverting space and through franchising series
motivated by profit and power

Nearest competitors for Humans includes Doctor Who, Black Mirror 

Standardised production:

clear standardised narrative eg. begging middle and end

Narrative theory: Todorov 

Equilibrium- disequelibruim -restoration of equilibrium 

range of clear and identifiable character arcs

clear serial narrative, cliff hanger ending 

range of enigmatic hermeneutic code 

workshop- Hegemony

HEGOMONY

-one power having power over another group 
-RULES AND RESTRICTIONS WE FOLLOW EVERYDAY 
-eg. no one talks if the teacher is talking = authority 
-we meritocratic society 

MARXIST VEIW POINT=(a system of rules that keep the rich rich and the poor, poor)

paritarcheal 

martiarcheal 

cultural

generic

political

religion is the opiate of the masses

what is attractive..... the beauty myth by Naomi Wolf

Neoliberalism: greed is good

One way in which this product reinforces hegemonic norms is..
-male gaze theory 

John Bergin: "men act, women appear"

HUMANS- patriachael 

TIDE SOAP- patriacheal

ADBUSTERS- adverts = manipulation 

adverts lowkey promote capitalism and consumerism is right 

FORMATION -racial 

Zoella - "scams basic hoes" Sam

vlogging lifestyle 

hyper real shit

Humans and Le Revenauts question 1

Question: 30 marks 

Liesbet Van-Zoonen argues that media language encodes that male and female characters act in media products

Explore how representations positions the audiences in Humans and Le Revenas 

Knee jerk reaction:

Liesbet Van-zoonen's argument is an excellent way of exploring how gender in encoded in both Humans and Les Revenants. Not only does she argue that female characters are primarily situated in media products to appeal to a heterosexual audience, she also infers that men and women are constructed in completely different ways by the producer. Through this the ideological perspective of the producer can be decoded by the audience.

consumerism

objectification

sexism 

Introduction:

I shall argue that humans and Le Revenaunt use complicated and subversive represenation of women in order to position their audince in often uncomftable sinarios. Humans is a sci-fi TV show first broadcast in the UK in 2015 on Channel 4. It is an adaptation of the Swedish show Real Humans, although a number of changes were made in order to make the show appeal to a Uk market. Le Revenants is a French horror/thriller TV show set in a small village in the French Alpes. It relied on Funding from the European Union and has been succesful with its niche/cult audience.

Women

comparison between Matty and Lena

Semiotic codes

Venerability 

encoding of voyerism and scopophila 

mise-en-scene

hyperreality 

simulacrum (representation of something that has never existed) 

Example A) the breakfast scene

"This is what breakfast is meant to be like" said by dad Joe 

Anita adopts the role of both a maid and a mother. She is objectified by Matty when she compares her to a dish washer and calls her a slave. On the other hand Joe tries to impress Anita with his jokes. Laura is drawn into competion while Anita cleans around her implying dominace and materialness. 

Intradiegetic gaze: diffrent characters look at Anita in diffrent ways 

Prefferd reading is to see Anita as a compelling, interesting character 

Allegorical

Metaphorical 

The show in broad is about the representation of women in society 

Explores issues of consent, moral and conciseness 

Example B) Camilles return 

mothers reaction in complicated and nuanced. Initally she takes an atypical 'cold' reaction, before running to the bathroom and crying is a hysterical and stereotypical manner. Camilles attitude is stereotypically argumentative and slightly disrespectful conforming to more accurate representations of teenage girls.

non-diagetic music 

Radio comp 1 section B

RADIO

Explore how recent technological changes have shaped Late Night Womans Hour

digital technology refers to any technology that utilises a computer 

Broadcast date: Fri 28 Oct 2016, 11pm

'Home'

Role	Contributor
Presenter	Lauren Laverne
Interviewed Guest	Susie Orbach
Interviewed Guest	Rachel Hurdley
Interviewed Guest	Trine Hahnemann
Interviewed Guest	Helen Zaltzman
Producer	Eleanor Garland

Benefits of digital technology is can be accessed at any time 

BBC- to inform, to entertain, to educate

Threat from streaming services 

This is only possible through digital technologies and with a niche or cult audience

 

video games comp 1 section B

VIDEO GAMES AND INDUSTRY

Explore the ways in which audiences can use and take pleasure from video games

Make explicit reference to Assassins Creed (AAA production values)

Ubisoft: major label- 6000,000 copies sold 


Uses and gratification:
Sexual gratification- female protagonist- however not sexualised 

Identification with a strong female characters 

PS Vita 2012 (hand held consol) - portability and immersion 


My Little Pony mashup- fandom theory Henry Jenkins   
provides audience with the ability to combine two things they love through intertexulity 


Digital incentives/bonus- limited editions  
REASONS FOR PLAYING VIDEO GAMES:
challenge eg. Dark Souls (slogane Prepare to die)
social interaction 
tournaments
speedruns streamed on Twitch
escapism 
nostalgia, history and architecture 
information
customisation of characters 
enigmatic and mysterious trailer eg. Death Stranding 
extreme violonce 

Music Video Comp 1 section A

Explore how intertextuality creates meaning in the video of Riptide by Vance Joy and 7 Rings by Ariana Grande 

Intertextuality- when one media product creates meaning by through refrencing another 

Video is a cover of 'Favourite Things' by Julie Andrews for the Sound of Music 

Hyper reality is a representation of nothing 

We are currently libelling in a pop modern, unstable, hyper real world 

7 RINGS:

-references to Asian culture e.g Japanese text, modern technology, stereotypical Asian hair style (gaesia buns)

-range of polysemic representations of women 

-heavily sexualised gestures and performance elements e.g PVC dress and being on all fours, direct adress to audience 

-"Breakfast at Tiffany's" the popular Audary Hepburn film is included in the rise-en-scene with her jewellery

-references to K-pop and rap music conventions 

RIPTIDE:

-style over substance 
-references to the SALL films or the horror conventions through mid shot of dentist shot
-Late 20th centery French films: slow paced zoom and voyeristic viewpoint of women from behind as if being chased e.g 'It Follows'
-connotes westen culture: pistol shot, knife game, cowboy ect
-master shot of the lyrics being badly lip-synced as the women gets more injured, hermeneutic code and more horror conventions 


Anchorage!
Riptide creates an uncomfortable and disturbing experience for its audinces
the close up shots (e.g master shot) 
Audience placed in voyeristic position 

However also a clear references to the slasher sub genre therefore cannot get away fro intertextuality and references to horror films  



  

workshop- Postmodernism

Postmodernism 

Hyperreality- a representation of nothing (something that doesnt exist through the use of hyperreal imagery) audince now get confused between the signs of real of the real. Hyper real tends to be far more attactive or furistic 

Simulacra- a copy or a copy or representation, something that refers to something else and not something 'real'

Jean Baudrillard aurgued that the copy of a copy is real in its own way

Simulation- an imitation of something real

Archetype- a steryotype for a character 

Freinds: do you know a Chandler or  joey?

Audince activly idetifies with the certain charceters who were cynically constructed to maximise revenue 

Zoellas Picnic Party:

assprirational 

product placement eg. Fortnamus and Maisons hamper

escapist fantisy 

Humans:

Anita constructs the 'perfect' breakfast for the family 

Threat to Laura as she is more motherly 

The only thing that is real is fiction 

As it is the only thing that the audince can truly indetify with 

comp 1 section A and B newspapers

To what extent do representations in these newspapers make claims about realism?

Underline key points

Knee Jerk reaction

Plan

DAC

Paragraphing





Both the times and the Metro make na explicit claim that the representations of the events on their front covers are 'real' 

(no need to go into hyper reality in in comp 1)

definition of presentation is a re presentation where a person, issue or event is reproduced by the producer for ideological purposes. 

Every representation we see in the media is inaccurate and bias. Representations however can cause harm to the audience and in particular the group who is represented  

In order to explore this idea i will look at the set edition of the Times published on 10th November 2016 by News UK, a subsidiary of News International.
The Metro is a free tabloid news paper published by DMG media therefore is broadly a rightwing conglomerate that likewise publishes the daily Mail and Mail Online 

Plan:

bias by selection 

bias by commission 

representation- Stewart hall 

pick and mix- Gauntlet

Anchorage 
Internality
Polysemy
semiotics
hard and soft news
bleeds it leads
stereotypes

mise-en-scene
agenda

METRO:

Headline accompanied by the main image is a long shot positioning and anchoring the audience adopts a stereotypical tabloid mode of address by making the intertextual reference to crime shows eg. Breaking Bad. Confirms the target audience is working class as it is assumed this would be popular in grabbing their attention. 

Main headline story focuses on the issue of knife crime in the Uk, a moral panic which is currtley affecting the UK. The lexis of the headline is hyperbely in classical headline style for the purpose of constructing fear into the audience and an exciting narrative eg. "random attacks'. Symbolic f the issues the target working class audience may face. Can also manipulate the audience by reinforcing hegemonic ideological perceptions of black teenagers.

The image of Teresa May next to the subheading "dont be an april fool' demonstrates the political bias and ideology of producer (centrist)  

Binary opposition constructed between the hard news of knife crime and the soft news of the Vamps pull out top right.

THE TIMES:

Symbolism of the american flag constructs Trump as a nationalist, combined with the iconography of his pose (hand held in the air with fist clenched) explicitly shows his ideology. Anchorage of 'you will be proud' demonstrates right wing ideologies of the newspaper, a hyperbolic construct that attempts to convey a realistic, yet misleading representation to the audience.

Highly a typical format and layout of cover suggest the importance of the event. 

The proffered reading is anchored through the word 'proud' though this may be frustrating to the audience who disagree with Trumps veiws and promises therefore rejecting this reading. 

Mise-en-scene of Trumps emphtheic face is construct of reality placing him as the hero yet may form a binary opposition with the readers previous perceptions of him. However potioanl negative connotations of the word 'shockwave' serves as a hermeneutic code suggesting the uncertain future ahead.    

• The Times is owned by News UK a subsidiary of News International
• enormous media conglomerate and daily news paper
• Long established British institute 1785
• Sister paper: The Sunday Times
• Circulation 2019: 417,298
• Compact format meaning it is easier to read on the go 
• vertically integrated industry 
• Currently £1.80 (£1 to subscribers)
• right wing targeting an older middle class audience 

• The Daily Mirror is owned by by Reach PLC (formally known as the Trinity Mirror) 
• tabloid news paper aimed at a working class audience 
• Founded in 1903
• Circulation 2017: 587,803
• Sister paper: Sunday Mirror
• Reach PLC also publishes a range of local news papers eg. Cambridge news
• "The intelligent tabloid" 
• Cover price 80p

Explain how ownership shapes media products. Refer to The Daily Mirror (and The Times) to support your points

Underline key points

Knee Jerk reaction

Plan

DAC

Paragraphing

News value

story placement

Ideology

The intelligent tabloid

political bias

working class vs middle class

Knee jerk reaction: both papers are absolutely shaped by their ownership as it presents their political bias and the ideology of the producer in response to profit 

The Times: Page three discusses the cricket world cup, targeting a middle class audience. Focus on the England team demonstrates an ethnocentric bias. Highly politically motivated, front cover focuses on Brexit, an ongoing British political issue. Lexis is sophisticated and suggests a middle class audience in assuming they have a complex vocabulary and prior knowledge to subjects. Stereotypical representation of non British people, for example a dancing Indian woman could connote cultural misappropriation. Double page splash on page six and seven demonstrates Teresa May in a positive light, smiling and looking in control.

Advantages: ensure sales from a conservative audience, cultivating a conservative ideology therefore ensuring people may be more likely to vote for the conservatives. This would then benefit and advantageous for News International as conservative governments tend to favour less taxation, less restrictions on trade and similar 'pro business policies'  

How do the Daily Mirror and The Times construct their audiences? 

Construction: the way in which the producer creates a concept, representation or audience. In effect this involves the audience their likes, dislikes, political ideologies and even sexual preference 

Both news papers construct their audience primarily through a demonstrating a clear and instantly identifiable political inclination 

A constructed audience can be targeted far more efficiently also constructs brand loyalty and tribalism therefore ensuring the audience buys the paper daily