Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Meme
Definition: A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena.It can be an image, hyperlink or hashtag or a video, etc. that is passed electronically from one Internet user to another.
Monday, 13 May 2013
'Media texts rely on audience knowledge of generic codes and conventions in order for them to create meaning'
The piece of media that i will be discussing in relation to genre is the music video that myself and a partner produced during the A2 coursework. When making a media product it is important to consider genre as it categorises the media text and determines the audience. For my A2 coursework i created a music video. The video included a band made up of one girl and one boy. I would say the music video fell into Andrew Goodwins category of 'Performance' as the girl has an active role, singing and dancing. The song used in the video was a dance/pop genre song which gave us some freedom and dance videos can vary so much in terms of generic conventions.
We used the dance song because a dance genre matches the house party theme we wanted to achieve. It was crucial that we used some generic conventions in order to achieve the genre we wanted. Some of these generic conventions included, fast editing, steady cam effect on the girl dancing, and bright colours that we had at the start of the video to entice an audience. To gain a fast pace to the video and in order for the video to be synchronous with the sound, we used a lot of jump-cuts and cross cutting from each member of the band and the DJ mixer prop.
From the research and planning stage we knew that dance videos had a lot of fast editing and often used a DJ in the video for example DJ Calvin Harris appears in his own videos with a singer. Therefore we used similar iconographies. We used a lot of synchronous close-ups on the DJ's hand in our video, to demonstrate certain drops in the music. This matched generic conventions we had seen and matches the genre of dance as the movement is synchronous to the sound. We also used lip-syncing in our video. The li-syncing and active dancing from the girl in the video contributes to the 'first person mode of address' as she repeatedly looks down the camera, making direct eye-contact with the audience. Her lively dancing and quirky character matches that of music artist's such as Rita Ora or Rihanna.
When it came to certain media language, such as costume, we wanted to challenge existing stereotypes. From previous research it became clear that dance video's feature a lot of bright and contemporary costumes, with female artist wearing slightly revealing outfits to attract a larger audience. We wanted our costumes to look contemporary and almost timeless, therefore we had the girl wear a plain black top and the boy a plain white top. This choice does not match the generic conventions of the genre and challenges Laura Maulvey's theory of 'The male Gaze' because although the female is making eye-contact with the audience, she is not sexually suggestive. We purposefully did not have any revealing clothing or logos on the clothes as we didn't want it to de-tract from the action on screen. I think the costumes fit a more casual style, seen in an alternative/indie genre songs targeted at a young generation of people.
There are certain stereotypes of male's and specifically male DJ's. I believe our DJ again, challenges the conventional stereotype of being active, fist pumping and jumping around as our DJ has a more aloof personality and takes a step back from the girl's leading role. The location of the video did match the dance genre as we has flashing lights and a ‘party’ atmosphere.
Genre is installed into a peice of media in order for an audience to feel secure in there knowledge and expectations of that certain media.The song 'heads will roll' is a dance song, however it didn't make it into the top 100 charts. Therefore we didn't use a mainstream song that normal dance genre songs would fall into. We also challenged existing stereotypes of alternative. Therefore i think our video could fall into the category of postmodern, as there is a slight clashing of genre's and roles within a band.
We used the dance song because a dance genre matches the house party theme we wanted to achieve. It was crucial that we used some generic conventions in order to achieve the genre we wanted. Some of these generic conventions included, fast editing, steady cam effect on the girl dancing, and bright colours that we had at the start of the video to entice an audience. To gain a fast pace to the video and in order for the video to be synchronous with the sound, we used a lot of jump-cuts and cross cutting from each member of the band and the DJ mixer prop.
From the research and planning stage we knew that dance videos had a lot of fast editing and often used a DJ in the video for example DJ Calvin Harris appears in his own videos with a singer. Therefore we used similar iconographies. We used a lot of synchronous close-ups on the DJ's hand in our video, to demonstrate certain drops in the music. This matched generic conventions we had seen and matches the genre of dance as the movement is synchronous to the sound. We also used lip-syncing in our video. The li-syncing and active dancing from the girl in the video contributes to the 'first person mode of address' as she repeatedly looks down the camera, making direct eye-contact with the audience. Her lively dancing and quirky character matches that of music artist's such as Rita Ora or Rihanna.
When it came to certain media language, such as costume, we wanted to challenge existing stereotypes. From previous research it became clear that dance video's feature a lot of bright and contemporary costumes, with female artist wearing slightly revealing outfits to attract a larger audience. We wanted our costumes to look contemporary and almost timeless, therefore we had the girl wear a plain black top and the boy a plain white top. This choice does not match the generic conventions of the genre and challenges Laura Maulvey's theory of 'The male Gaze' because although the female is making eye-contact with the audience, she is not sexually suggestive. We purposefully did not have any revealing clothing or logos on the clothes as we didn't want it to de-tract from the action on screen. I think the costumes fit a more casual style, seen in an alternative/indie genre songs targeted at a young generation of people.
There are certain stereotypes of male's and specifically male DJ's. I believe our DJ again, challenges the conventional stereotype of being active, fist pumping and jumping around as our DJ has a more aloof personality and takes a step back from the girl's leading role. The location of the video did match the dance genre as we has flashing lights and a ‘party’ atmosphere.
Genre is installed into a peice of media in order for an audience to feel secure in there knowledge and expectations of that certain media.The song 'heads will roll' is a dance song, however it didn't make it into the top 100 charts. Therefore we didn't use a mainstream song that normal dance genre songs would fall into. We also challenged existing stereotypes of alternative. Therefore i think our video could fall into the category of postmodern, as there is a slight clashing of genre's and roles within a band.
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Dicuss why some people are not convinced by the idea of postmodern media
In a modern society it can be hard to define what it postmodern and what is modern. Thoerist Anne Friedburg has suggested this is due to how we consum our media. In the past the only place you could watch a new movie was at a cinema in public. However modernising technology has allowed media consumption to move from public to personal. Friedburg also suggests that there is now a 'postmodern way of life' , were audiences are manipulated and confused by conventional understandings of time and space.
A postmodern film can confuse time and space, creating a complexity within the narrative structure. Such as at the beginning of 'Pulp Fiction' where we are introduced to a scene that re-ocurs towards the end on the plot. 'Pulp Fiction' follows four different stories and groups of people, therefore flashbacks and wipes are used to define the transition from each story. This film requires the attention span of an audience to increase slightly, in order to keep track of the plot and the intertexual references, meaning postmodern texts are designed for a literate audience with previous viewing experience. However it could be argued that narrative coherence could be less important for a modern audience as they are less interested in understanding a text in depth and simply enjoy a film due to it's Hollywood stars or for other credentials.
Another of Tarantino's films that is considered postmodern is the 2009 movie 'Inglorious Basterds'. A parody and hyperreality is displayed as the soldiers maintain their clean uniforms even after the brutal slaughtering and scalping of Nazi's. Hollywood Actor Brad Pitt almost has an uncanny resemblance and character to that of the hero figure Van Johnson, who was a popular actor during the fifties and sixties. The film references an older genre of spaghetti western films, such as the opening scene is a shot taken from the older film 'The searchers'. Tarantino's inclusion of grotesque violence is shocking for the viewer, and some may not agree with it. One of the shooting scene's replicates that of Mexican stand off in 'The Good The Bad And The Ugly', which is a 60's film. There is an element of bricolage in Tarantino's movies as he incorporates inspiration from the past and the modern day for a new media product to evolve. Again people may not understand the exact references to the film, nevertheless i think the film can still be enjoyed.
Postmodern media can be hard to define and hard for some audiences to interpret, except and enjoy. Some of the reasons for postmodern media to be unconvicing is due to the idea of it being 'weird for being weird'. Some audience's may find it confusing and even boring if they do not understand the intertexuality in postmodern T.V show 'Flight of the Concords' or Tarantino films such as 'Inlorious Basterds', where there are many refference to modern society and pop culture. In Tarantino's 90's film 'Pulp Fiction' there are may references to celebrity icons such as Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. The parody of these iconic figures work as a waitress/waiter in the diner 'Rabbit Slims'. Nearly all of Tarantino's film'Pulp Fiction' follows four different stories and groups of people, therefore flashbacks and wipes are used to define the transition from each story. This film requires the attention span of an audience to increase slightly, in order to keep track of the plot and the intertexual references. However it could be argued that narrative coherence could be less important for a modern audience as they are less interested in understanding a text in depth.
Postmodern media can involve many different genre's. An example of multiple genre's in one postmodern media is the canadian T.V show 'Flight of The Concords'. It is essentially a comedy. However it also is considered a musical and mockumentary with many intertexual references. The Windig Refn film 'Drive' also features many different genre's, such as gangster, crime, fairytale and romance. The inclusion of many different genre's is unconventional and make the media postmodern. The idea of having many different genre's could confuse some people as we can not associate the film with one specific genre. The different genre's also change the representation of a traditional ganger or crime with one specific genre. which some audiences may dislike.
Postmodern media can also involve music. Kirby Fergason suggests 'everything is a remix' and there is an element of irony as bands who sampled other bands are now being sampled by bands. Such as Beyoncé sampling 'Pon de Floor' by Major Lazer for her song 'Run The World (girls)' and then Beyoncé's song being remixed and sampled again. Music can somtimes reflect hypperreality, such as the TU-PAC performance at Coachella in 2012. The TU-PAC performance is admittedly not convincing as a literate audience would be aware he was killed many years before. Then again it could be argued that is was never mean't to be convincing, but more of a tribute. Another example of postmodern music is again, the confusion of specific genre's. Beyoncé crosses over from her original R&B genre to pop, soul, and hip-hop. This is postmodern as it displays the complexity and variation of an artist's work. Again some people may not like this, or may not be convince by an artist constantly challenging convention as they are not loyal to one. Beyoncé as a postmodern artist links to one of Jonathan Kramar's theories of music being 'not as autonomous but as relevent to social, political and cultural contexts'.
The increase in reality T.V shows such as 'Made in Chelsea' and 'keeping up with the Kardashians' is an example of complete hypperreality, as most of the 'reality' shows are completely scripted. This also has an element of irony. Postmodern T.V as well as film is a form of escapism, with viewers simply watching these reality shows (that aren't a reflection of reality) in order to escape from their own lives and enter the weird world of postmodern.
Overall, i agree that postmodern media is not for everyone's taste and is not always as easily understood by a mass amount of people. However there have been a number of very successful postmodern media's such as beyoncé music and Tarantino's films. The idea of postmodern as 'weird for being weird' is a valid opinion of someone who is not convinced by the term.
A postmodern film can confuse time and space, creating a complexity within the narrative structure. Such as at the beginning of 'Pulp Fiction' where we are introduced to a scene that re-ocurs towards the end on the plot. 'Pulp Fiction' follows four different stories and groups of people, therefore flashbacks and wipes are used to define the transition from each story. This film requires the attention span of an audience to increase slightly, in order to keep track of the plot and the intertexual references, meaning postmodern texts are designed for a literate audience with previous viewing experience. However it could be argued that narrative coherence could be less important for a modern audience as they are less interested in understanding a text in depth and simply enjoy a film due to it's Hollywood stars or for other credentials.
Another of Tarantino's films that is considered postmodern is the 2009 movie 'Inglorious Basterds'. A parody and hyperreality is displayed as the soldiers maintain their clean uniforms even after the brutal slaughtering and scalping of Nazi's. Hollywood Actor Brad Pitt almost has an uncanny resemblance and character to that of the hero figure Van Johnson, who was a popular actor during the fifties and sixties. The film references an older genre of spaghetti western films, such as the opening scene is a shot taken from the older film 'The searchers'. Tarantino's inclusion of grotesque violence is shocking for the viewer, and some may not agree with it. One of the shooting scene's replicates that of Mexican stand off in 'The Good The Bad And The Ugly', which is a 60's film. There is an element of bricolage in Tarantino's movies as he incorporates inspiration from the past and the modern day for a new media product to evolve. Again people may not understand the exact references to the film, nevertheless i think the film can still be enjoyed.
Postmodern media can be hard to define and hard for some audiences to interpret, except and enjoy. Some of the reasons for postmodern media to be unconvicing is due to the idea of it being 'weird for being weird'. Some audience's may find it confusing and even boring if they do not understand the intertexuality in postmodern T.V show 'Flight of the Concords' or Tarantino films such as 'Inlorious Basterds', where there are many refference to modern society and pop culture. In Tarantino's 90's film 'Pulp Fiction' there are may references to celebrity icons such as Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. The parody of these iconic figures work as a waitress/waiter in the diner 'Rabbit Slims'. Nearly all of Tarantino's film'Pulp Fiction' follows four different stories and groups of people, therefore flashbacks and wipes are used to define the transition from each story. This film requires the attention span of an audience to increase slightly, in order to keep track of the plot and the intertexual references. However it could be argued that narrative coherence could be less important for a modern audience as they are less interested in understanding a text in depth.
Postmodern media can involve many different genre's. An example of multiple genre's in one postmodern media is the canadian T.V show 'Flight of The Concords'. It is essentially a comedy. However it also is considered a musical and mockumentary with many intertexual references. The Windig Refn film 'Drive' also features many different genre's, such as gangster, crime, fairytale and romance. The inclusion of many different genre's is unconventional and make the media postmodern. The idea of having many different genre's could confuse some people as we can not associate the film with one specific genre. The different genre's also change the representation of a traditional ganger or crime with one specific genre. which some audiences may dislike.
Postmodern media can also involve music. Kirby Fergason suggests 'everything is a remix' and there is an element of irony as bands who sampled other bands are now being sampled by bands. Such as Beyoncé sampling 'Pon de Floor' by Major Lazer for her song 'Run The World (girls)' and then Beyoncé's song being remixed and sampled again. Music can somtimes reflect hypperreality, such as the TU-PAC performance at Coachella in 2012. The TU-PAC performance is admittedly not convincing as a literate audience would be aware he was killed many years before. Then again it could be argued that is was never mean't to be convincing, but more of a tribute. Another example of postmodern music is again, the confusion of specific genre's. Beyoncé crosses over from her original R&B genre to pop, soul, and hip-hop. This is postmodern as it displays the complexity and variation of an artist's work. Again some people may not like this, or may not be convince by an artist constantly challenging convention as they are not loyal to one. Beyoncé as a postmodern artist links to one of Jonathan Kramar's theories of music being 'not as autonomous but as relevent to social, political and cultural contexts'.
The increase in reality T.V shows such as 'Made in Chelsea' and 'keeping up with the Kardashians' is an example of complete hypperreality, as most of the 'reality' shows are completely scripted. This also has an element of irony. Postmodern T.V as well as film is a form of escapism, with viewers simply watching these reality shows (that aren't a reflection of reality) in order to escape from their own lives and enter the weird world of postmodern.
Overall, i agree that postmodern media is not for everyone's taste and is not always as easily understood by a mass amount of people. However there have been a number of very successful postmodern media's such as beyoncé music and Tarantino's films. The idea of postmodern as 'weird for being weird' is a valid opinion of someone who is not convinced by the term.
Applying genre to your chosen text
Outline genre category for music video
Our video falls into the performance category. (andrew Goodwin)
genre of song
Dance/electronic/pop
Generic conventions
lip-syncing, repeated shots, close ups, zooms. First person mode of address (girl directly makes eye contact with the camera)
subvert male dominance in a band
Iconographies: The fast editing matches the song. Fits genre
Representations: character are typical of bands such as The XX , alternative. I would say the band go against stereotypical dance acts as far as their appearence. Dance artists would be colourful and vibrant in their appearence to match the music. However our actors have a casual style that is normally associated with the stereotypical 'indie' genre.
Postmodernisn - could a postmodern genre be applied to your chosen media text?
Jacques Derrida - 'there is no genreless text'
Our video falls into the performance category. (andrew Goodwin)
genre of song
Dance/electronic/pop
Generic conventions
lip-syncing, repeated shots, close ups, zooms. First person mode of address (girl directly makes eye contact with the camera)
subvert male dominance in a band
Iconographies: The fast editing matches the song. Fits genre
Representations: character are typical of bands such as The XX , alternative. I would say the band go against stereotypical dance acts as far as their appearence. Dance artists would be colourful and vibrant in their appearence to match the music. However our actors have a casual style that is normally associated with the stereotypical 'indie' genre.
Postmodernisn - could a postmodern genre be applied to your chosen media text?
Jacques Derrida - 'there is no genreless text'
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Representation
Essay
'Representations in
media texts are often simplistic and reinforce dominant ideologies so that the
audience can make sense of them. '
Evaluate the ways
that you have used/challenged conventions simplistic representations in
one of the media products you have produced
I agree with the statement above
and believe my video does represent dominant ideologies through the use of
mise-en-scene, stereotyping and camera work. I will apply relevant theories to
contribute to the quote through the discussion of my music video.
The music video I created as part
of my coursework represented two young people (male and female) as part of a
dance/electronic band with an
alternative style. I created the representation through the use of mise-en-scene.
The video was filmed in an unidentified location. For example there was a plan
white background that had a studio feel and made the video look more
professional. The mise-en-scene of the different colours and patterns being
reflected onto the projector screen represent vibrancy and gave the video a
youthful outlook. The pink and green colours at the start of the video could
also represent the two genders of the band and attract audiences of both sexes.
The bands costume matches the
dominant ideology of an alternative band as they wore plain clothing with no
logo’s for advertising. I wouldn’t say that the girl in the video relates to
the male gaze as she is not dressed provocatively. However the girl’s wild
dancing and care-free star image match the theory of John Berger who suggests in media, 'Women are aware of being seen by a
male spectator'.
The
close-ups on the girls face and mise-en-scene of the flashing patterns, matched
with the body language towards the male, contribute to the stereotype of a
typical teenage girl. Mark Barker suggests stereotypes are missrepresenting the
'real world' and comments that in order for stereotypes to work they must seek
audience recognistion. In my music video
I believe that the audience can relate to the band and I think I have displayed
a genuine stereotype. The representation of the girl was created in order to
apply to a mainstream audience. However the addition of the males character
changed this and the video was relevant to a niche/alternative audience.
Tessa Perkins idea of stereotyping suggests
that it is not an easy process. Some of the stereotypes created were not
actually thought about until the stage of post-production. For example the male
DJ is represented through the use of zooming effects and close-ups on his face
as an independent, slightly quirky and quiet band member. This matches the
characteristics of a band called ‘The XX’, where their personalities/ body
language do not always match the style of music. However his star image or
persona goes against stereotypes or expectations of a dance DJ, who would
normally be seen fist pumping and connecting to the audience. The
unconventional character of the DJ matches Baudrillard’s
idea of hyppereality as he suggests we
live in a place where things are constructed from no original place. It also
challenges stereotypes that attract a niche audience.
Overall, the camera work used and
fast editing such as on the shot with the dj’s hand connote and represent
typical dance video conventions. Some of the representations created have been
simplistic, which match the minimalistic style to the video. The general representations
are simplistic. Although I would argue some stereotypes (DJ) have been
challenged in order to appeal to a niche audience or simply offer something new
to the world of dance music.
Monday, 29 April 2013
Audience essay
‘Media texts will
never be successful unless they are carefully constructed to targets
pre-established audiences.’
Evaluate the ways that you constructed a media
text to target a specific audience.
When creating a music video, it is important
to have an initial idea of who the audience might be. Some media producers
categorize audiences into different groups to determined what media text would
apply to each group. It is a method of targeting an audience. A dance genre of
song (heads will roll – ATRAK remix) was used for the music video, therefore
certain representation were considered, such as the speed of editing.
I
knew from the research and planning stages of production that dance/pop songs
have fast editing and are normally targeted at young audiences. The initial
target audience for my music video was for a mass audience as the song had a
popular dance genre. However when we decided on the band (actors) and planned
out the storyboard it seemed that the video would take a
more alternative appearance and appeal to a niche audience.
The illusion of a house party was created in
the video by having people dancing, and flashing lights. This connoted a fun
and energetic representation of young people. The band was aged between 17-19
and represented average teenagers. Their casual costumes created a relaxed
approach to an upbeat song and purposefully went against what artist would wear
in a dance genre song. The general body language of the girl matched the song
as she was dancing around and creating the fun atmosphere. The audience could
draw on a number of interpretations/meanings from the video. The girl dancing
could be identifiable with other teenage girls as this is something
young people enjoy doing. The whole theme of a house party is also relevant to
the age and culture of the audience. The DJ remained aloof and reserved when it
came to dancing and he did not make eye contact with the camera. In some ways
this is a true reflection of a DJ as he was not the main singer. However it
also contributes to our niche audience acted slightly quirky. One way we
identified our audience was by creating a Facebook group and twitter
group. This allowed anyone to be a part of the progress of
the fictitious band and video. We could gain feedback from the audience
we were addressing which became very useful after handing in our draft video. I
also posted all my work and progression onto my blog along with a pitch. It
concluded that the target audience would be aimed at young people within the
age range of 16-25 and match the pluralist theory of being a ‘Active audience’
that are able to create their own understanding/interpretations of the media
text. Afterall, media texts are influenced by society meaning individuals
within a society can pick and chose a media product that has been aimed at
their needs as a media consumer.
The video was filmed in an unidentified
setting, with the band stood infront of a projector screen that displayed
different colours. In effect, this replicated a studio and made the video look
professional. The pink and green colours at the beginning of the video were
edited in during post- production. The neon colours attractive the viewer from
the very start and were repeated as an element of continuity. The colours
represent the different genders of the band e.g pink for the girl and green for
the boy. This mean’t that we could target both gender’s of and audience.
Theorist Ang (1991)
suggests that 'audience hood is becoming
an ever more multifaced, fragmented and diversified repertoire of
practices and experiences.' I would agree with Ang in relation to
my media product. There are many people that enjoy media products that are
targeted at different audiences. For example, someone might like pop video's
but also enjoy alternative electro music (sub-categories). When making my music
video I did target a pre-established audience. Even though the audience of my
music video changed during post-production it was still successful. Therefore I
agree with the quote and the idea of targeting an audience prior to making the
media product.
representation (PLAN)
'Representations in media texts are often simplistic and rienforce dominant ideologies so that the audience can make sense of them. '
evaluate the ways that you have used/challenged conventions simplistic representations in one of the media products you have produced
Dominant ideology - a common belief that most people have.
who have i represented? what? where (setting mise en scene)?
How have i represented them? (Look back at representation evaluation question) camera angles, mise en scene (pink colours) costume, setting.
(the girl) - John Berger. 'Women are aware of being seen by a male spectator'
Have i used stereotypes? do they link to other artists of the same genre (link to theories). why have i done this? (star image) appeal to your audience (niche)
Why? audience?
Have a created a simplistic representation? yes
intro -
refer to question
agree/disagree
introduce coursework you will be discussing
Main body -
go through different represtations - define them
plus stereotypes
plus theories
who, what, where, how, why?
Conclusion-
How does it link to audience
explanation, analysis,
refer back to question
sum up best points - used someone quirky that challenges representations
evaluate the ways that you have used/challenged conventions simplistic representations in one of the media products you have produced
Dominant ideology - a common belief that most people have.
who have i represented? what? where (setting mise en scene)?
How have i represented them? (Look back at representation evaluation question) camera angles, mise en scene (pink colours) costume, setting.
(the girl) - John Berger. 'Women are aware of being seen by a male spectator'
Have i used stereotypes? do they link to other artists of the same genre (link to theories). why have i done this? (star image) appeal to your audience (niche)
Why? audience?
Have a created a simplistic representation? yes
intro -
refer to question
agree/disagree
introduce coursework you will be discussing
Main body -
go through different represtations - define them
plus stereotypes
plus theories
who, what, where, how, why?
Conclusion-
How does it link to audience
explanation, analysis,
refer back to question
sum up best points - used someone quirky that challenges representations
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)