Thursday 3 May 2012
Thursday 22 March 2012
Discuss how you used genre in one of your products
The media production I am going to write about in relation to genre is my foundation portfolio which is my music magazine. The genre of the magazine is a hybrid between hiphop and RnB this broadened my creativity as my magazine was a hybrid between two genres which can gel together however did limit me as i had to stick with the generic conventions relating to hip hop and RnB.
This was done because the target audience can easily be recognised and they can also easily recognise and differentiate the magazine and genre, for example, hip hop culture can be related with flashy cars, baggy clothing and voyeurism. Steve Neal argues that ‘genre is a repetition with an underlying pattern of variations’ which meant that certain of generic conventions had to be repeated which in my case was the artists used, their clothing and language used. This pattern of variation helps distinguish my magazine's music genre throughout the magazine.
The shots I have taken for the front cover were a low angle shot which shows empowerment of the artist. Inspiriation from Jay-Z on the NME front cover, I used this camera angle as a tool to show power to the artist as it looks like he is looking down on the reader. This is more conventional in Hip hop magazines as the artists are predominantly male and have machismo ideology of being dominant. This can also portray a role model type person as they are lookinig up to the artist on the front cover. My magazine was targeted towards the younger generation therefore they would look up and inspire to be like the artist and may also relate to his culture.
Genre is also shown through the props the artist has and the clothing he wears. Baggy clothing and 'Dre Beats' headphones are part of a hiphop culture. His Graffiti top with London spelt in slang , 'LDN', shows he is part of a subculture and not part of mainstream artists who wear smart clothing. His belt of a lady posing reinforces voyeurism as it sexually exploits females which is a common generic convention used by most hiphop artists that we studied including music videos such as Jay-z 'On to the next one' where a female in the background is posing.
This was done because the target audience can easily be recognised and they can also easily recognise and differentiate the magazine and genre, for example, hip hop culture can be related with flashy cars, baggy clothing and voyeurism. Steve Neal argues that ‘genre is a repetition with an underlying pattern of variations’ which meant that certain of generic conventions had to be repeated which in my case was the artists used, their clothing and language used. This pattern of variation helps distinguish my magazine's music genre throughout the magazine.
The shots I have taken for the front cover were a low angle shot which shows empowerment of the artist. Inspiriation from Jay-Z on the NME front cover, I used this camera angle as a tool to show power to the artist as it looks like he is looking down on the reader. This is more conventional in Hip hop magazines as the artists are predominantly male and have machismo ideology of being dominant. This can also portray a role model type person as they are lookinig up to the artist on the front cover. My magazine was targeted towards the younger generation therefore they would look up and inspire to be like the artist and may also relate to his culture.
Genre is also shown through the props the artist has and the clothing he wears. Baggy clothing and 'Dre Beats' headphones are part of a hiphop culture. His Graffiti top with London spelt in slang , 'LDN', shows he is part of a subculture and not part of mainstream artists who wear smart clothing. His belt of a lady posing reinforces voyeurism as it sexually exploits females which is a common generic convention used by most hiphop artists that we studied including music videos such as Jay-z 'On to the next one' where a female in the background is posing.
Wednesday 21 March 2012
Media text rely on cultural experiences in order for audiences to easily make sense of narratives’ Explain how you used conventional or experimental narrative approaches in one of your production pieces
My foundation portfolio had no narrative in it as it was a magazine therefore I will be discussing how I used conventional and little experimental narrative devices within my advanced portfolio. For this piece, me and my partner created a music video for "Rolling in the deep" by linkin park (cover of adele).
Me and my partner began our project by researching conventional music videos with a relationship between lyrics and visuals. We first analysed "On to the next one" by Jay-z which was a great example for Goodwins theory lyrics and visual relationship.He argued that the visuals on a music video was an extension of the lyrics and through the video, the lyrics could be amplified. From this analysis we chose a powerfull, popular ballad, Rolling in the deep which has strong lyrics we can portray into a narrative with a protagonist and their partner.
With this we had a fragmented narrative within our music video wich is a conventional device according to vernallis, which switched back and forth from performance to narrative. We used a sepia effect to show that the narrative is in the past and the link between visuals and lyrics were really amplified through our narrative due to the protagonists actions.
This can also be related to film narratives as films have different stages of equilibrium. Our music video also went through three stages, the first when the couple are together, the second when they split up disrupting the equilibrium and then the third when they go there seperate ways living happy apart, creating a whole new equlibrium.
We used a range of shots which were an experimental narrative device but worked to our advantages. We had an over the sholder shot of the protagonist looking down at a memento of him and his girlfriend. This was to show empathy for the protagonist.
Me and my partner began our project by researching conventional music videos with a relationship between lyrics and visuals. We first analysed "On to the next one" by Jay-z which was a great example for Goodwins theory lyrics and visual relationship.He argued that the visuals on a music video was an extension of the lyrics and through the video, the lyrics could be amplified. From this analysis we chose a powerfull, popular ballad, Rolling in the deep which has strong lyrics we can portray into a narrative with a protagonist and their partner.
With this we had a fragmented narrative within our music video wich is a conventional device according to vernallis, which switched back and forth from performance to narrative. We used a sepia effect to show that the narrative is in the past and the link between visuals and lyrics were really amplified through our narrative due to the protagonists actions.
This can also be related to film narratives as films have different stages of equilibrium. Our music video also went through three stages, the first when the couple are together, the second when they split up disrupting the equilibrium and then the third when they go there seperate ways living happy apart, creating a whole new equlibrium.
We used a range of shots which were an experimental narrative device but worked to our advantages. We had an over the sholder shot of the protagonist looking down at a memento of him and his girlfriend. This was to show empathy for the protagonist.
Monday 12 March 2012
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Monday 5 March 2012
How might the influence of new media be said to strengthen or weaken the public sphere
The public sphere is a theory Habermas argues that the realm within social life in which public opinion can be formed and which is accessible to all. This may raise questions such as what purpose does the public sphere serve or what is needed for its success. However some argue and criticise his theory.
According to Habermas the public sphere has been somewhat weakend. He argues that the public sphere has been diluted in a time of advanced capitalism and mass media. This is because it is no longer for a public spere made up of private citizens to engage in critical debate likely to have consequences for politic, culture or even sport.
I need help!
According to Habermas the public sphere has been somewhat weakend. He argues that the public sphere has been diluted in a time of advanced capitalism and mass media. This is because it is no longer for a public spere made up of private citizens to engage in critical debate likely to have consequences for politic, culture or even sport.
I need help!
Sunday 4 March 2012
Michael Wesch
1. Sum up Michael Wesch's main point about the web (or Youtube in particular) in one paragraph.
Michael Wesch belives that web 2.0 is about building a community within social networks and sites through videos uploaded on youtube via webcams. People can reply to other videos or make "remix's" on videos on youtube creating a culture and identity for themselves which can be commented and viewed by millions.
2. Write down your understanding of the following terms used by Wesch: "networked individualism", "the invisible audience phenomenon", "context collapse", and "connection without constraint".
Network Individualism is when an individual is lonely, they long for attention and a community. Due to the rise of communal sites sucha as youtube on web 2.0, communities are easier to build with a webcam and talk to strangers across the world.
Context collapse is not knowing when one is filmed as anybody in contemporary society can get out a smartphone and record and upload due to the advance in technology.
Invisible Audience is not knowing when or who will see a video you upload online. Like youtube videos uploaded, they will never know who will see it.
Connection without constraint ????
3. On the whole, do you agree or disagree with Wesch's ideas? Why?
Yes i agree with Weschs ideas as now through the internet, is another form of communication and houses communities with common interest. This social cohesion is created and reinforced by social network sites such as Twitter and facebook where links are shared and fan pages are created. Also on Youtube videos are made and people subscribe and reply to individuals through videos, music or animations.
4. How might Wesch's ideas be applied to the music industry (or, at least, the production of music)?
As there are millions of viewers on youtube daily, artists with a low budget can reach a broad target audience by uploading it to Youtube and as technology has increased budget microphones have decent quality anyway. This will help to promote themselves like artists such as Justin Bieber who was signed through a viewer randomly surfing the web and noticing his talent. The key benefit is that websites like youtube, facebook and twitter are free therefore have many people on those sites.
Michael Wesch belives that web 2.0 is about building a community within social networks and sites through videos uploaded on youtube via webcams. People can reply to other videos or make "remix's" on videos on youtube creating a culture and identity for themselves which can be commented and viewed by millions.
2. Write down your understanding of the following terms used by Wesch: "networked individualism", "the invisible audience phenomenon", "context collapse", and "connection without constraint".
Network Individualism is when an individual is lonely, they long for attention and a community. Due to the rise of communal sites sucha as youtube on web 2.0, communities are easier to build with a webcam and talk to strangers across the world.
Context collapse is not knowing when one is filmed as anybody in contemporary society can get out a smartphone and record and upload due to the advance in technology.
Invisible Audience is not knowing when or who will see a video you upload online. Like youtube videos uploaded, they will never know who will see it.
Connection without constraint ????
3. On the whole, do you agree or disagree with Wesch's ideas? Why?
Yes i agree with Weschs ideas as now through the internet, is another form of communication and houses communities with common interest. This social cohesion is created and reinforced by social network sites such as Twitter and facebook where links are shared and fan pages are created. Also on Youtube videos are made and people subscribe and reply to individuals through videos, music or animations.
4. How might Wesch's ideas be applied to the music industry (or, at least, the production of music)?
As there are millions of viewers on youtube daily, artists with a low budget can reach a broad target audience by uploading it to Youtube and as technology has increased budget microphones have decent quality anyway. This will help to promote themselves like artists such as Justin Bieber who was signed through a viewer randomly surfing the web and noticing his talent. The key benefit is that websites like youtube, facebook and twitter are free therefore have many people on those sites.
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Are the media becoming more democratic?
As technology advances and the world develops, the impact of this has a great effect on mass media as the way we consume media and the range of choice has expanded due to the new web 2.0. Some may argue through this evolution media itself has become more democratic, others take a more cynical perspective and argue that our human rights are being breached.
The media could be argued more democratic due to freedom of speech and the range of new technology available. Nowadays , technology has advanced so much that even the people can record, produce and share footage across the web within minutes. Whereas in the past only big media companies known as "media gods" could record and distribute media through the expensive technology and big towers. However now due to devices of digital convergance such as mobile phones makes it easy to record and share footage on the web and social sites at an affordable price known as citezen journalism. David Gauntlett argues that the media is becoming more democratic because of this and the discovery of web 2.0. This allows people to share on websites such as youtube and widens the amount of videos and opinions you can search for. Also people can check online to view media when they want rather than waiting on the traditional media like news papers or tv.
On the other hand some argue that the media is not becoming more democratic but however is becoming more hegemonic. This is due to a passive audience of the media which dominate a social context.
The media could be argued more democratic due to freedom of speech and the range of new technology available. Nowadays , technology has advanced so much that even the people can record, produce and share footage across the web within minutes. Whereas in the past only big media companies known as "media gods" could record and distribute media through the expensive technology and big towers. However now due to devices of digital convergance such as mobile phones makes it easy to record and share footage on the web and social sites at an affordable price known as citezen journalism. David Gauntlett argues that the media is becoming more democratic because of this and the discovery of web 2.0. This allows people to share on websites such as youtube and widens the amount of videos and opinions you can search for. Also people can check online to view media when they want rather than waiting on the traditional media like news papers or tv.
On the other hand some argue that the media is not becoming more democratic but however is becoming more hegemonic. This is due to a passive audience of the media which dominate a social context.
Monday 20 February 2012
The long tail
1. What is Chris Anderson’s theory of ‘the long tail’?
The long tail refers to the statistical property that a larger share of population rests within the tail of a probability distribution.
The long tail refers to the statistical property that a larger share of population rests within the tail of a probability distribution.
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| Power law chart |
2. What does the theory of ‘the long tail’ mean for the music industry and to other areas of the media such as online television?
3. What is Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams’ theory of Wikinomics?
A term invented by Don Tapscott to refer to the theory in practice of mass collaboration.
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Task 2 - Piracy
Is piracy killing the music industry or are there other factors for the causes of the music industry declining?
Thursday 9 February 2012
Democracy
Whilst randomly surfing the internet and watching videos on youtube i stumbled upon this conversation which is an example of democracy on web 2.0 and even if comments are ethically wrong they still have freedom of speech.
He is also reffered to as a "troll"
He is also reffered to as a "troll"
Monday 6 February 2012
David Gauntlett's ideas
1. According to Gauntlett, what was "the media" like in the past and what changes have now occurred?
The media use to dominate and descend news to us like "Gods" in the heavens down to the "little people" (us). Now anybody can distribute media through citizen journalism. Before you needed big cameras and sound technology also massive distributing towers. In contemporary society smart phones are used to capture and even distribute through websites such as youtube and wikipedia. Thus using web 2.0.
2. How far do you agree with Gauntlett?
I agree strongly on David Gauntlets theory as now people search online for the latest news and look at more than 1 perspective. Also they can find it literally when and where they want. However, authors online may not have the same credibility as news corporations such as the BBC and the Guardian. Also only 20 % of all youtube viewers actually upload so that narrows down the number of perspectives drastically.
3. How might Gauntlett's ideas be applied to the music industry?
Before music good music technology was expensive but now decent equipment is cheap. therefore anybody can make and distribute music using the technology we have today and use the internet and websites such as youtube and myspace to distribute music like artists such as Lilly Allen and Justin Bieber were found on myspace and youtube and later on signed to record labels. Whereas before you had to be signed to a label to get any sort of recognition.
The media use to dominate and descend news to us like "Gods" in the heavens down to the "little people" (us). Now anybody can distribute media through citizen journalism. Before you needed big cameras and sound technology also massive distributing towers. In contemporary society smart phones are used to capture and even distribute through websites such as youtube and wikipedia. Thus using web 2.0.
2. How far do you agree with Gauntlett?
I agree strongly on David Gauntlets theory as now people search online for the latest news and look at more than 1 perspective. Also they can find it literally when and where they want. However, authors online may not have the same credibility as news corporations such as the BBC and the Guardian. Also only 20 % of all youtube viewers actually upload so that narrows down the number of perspectives drastically.
3. How might Gauntlett's ideas be applied to the music industry?
Before music good music technology was expensive but now decent equipment is cheap. therefore anybody can make and distribute music using the technology we have today and use the internet and websites such as youtube and myspace to distribute music like artists such as Lilly Allen and Justin Bieber were found on myspace and youtube and later on signed to record labels. Whereas before you had to be signed to a label to get any sort of recognition.
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