Component one
Section A: Analysing Media Language and Representation
Representation
Question 1 is based on the unseen audio-visual resource and the music video
you have studied: Formation.
The audio-visual resource consists of the Guinness: Compton Cowboys television advertisement, released in 2017.
You will be allowed one minute to read Question 1.
The advertisement will be shown three times.
First viewing: watch the advertisement.
Second viewing: watch the advertisement and make notes.
You will then have five minutes to make further notes
Third viewing: watch the advertisement and make final notes.
Once the third viewing has finished, you should answer Question 1.
1. Compare the ideologies conveyed through the representations in this television advertisement and the music video you have studied.
In your answer, you must:
consider how representations convey ideologies
consider the similarities and differences in the ideologies conveyed
make judgements and draw conclusions about how far social and cultural contexts affect the representations. [30]
Representations is the way in which producers RE-present a social group in a media product. These are constructed through visual and technical codes, revealing the ideology the producer is trying to convey. Stuart Hall would argue that representations exist through the repetition and remix of media trends. Ideologies of specifically ethnic representation are displayed in a variety of ways in both media products - social, cultural and historical contexts help to do so. I will exploring the way in which producers have done this in Beyoncé's 2016 music video Formation, released as a single from her album Lemonade, which additionally won a Grammy for the best music video of the year; and the Guinness: Compton Cowboys television advertisement released in 2017.
Both products present opposing ideologies where in which the characters subvert or conform to their 'black' narrative and stereotypes through the use of representations. In Formation, Beyonce is represented in a powerful and subversive way, through shot types and mise-en-scene techniques. For example, slow-motion dolly shots, high key lighting and shot composition of Beyonce in the foreground of every group shot places significance on ethnic empowerment and confronts racial hierarchies, shining light on racial binaries that still exist today. Along with the lack of white representation, this mirrors Gilroy's post-colonialism theory, of racial tensions being an ongoing social issue. Beyonce takes ownership of her black slavery narrative through ideologies represented in the antebellum costume and stereotypically white high class mansion setting choices of the producer. By exploring the historical context of the music video where it follows the New Orleans crisis of Hurricane Katrina, these ideologies are further enforced. This is represented through visual codes constructed by the producer, more specifically in the establishing montage of Beyonce floating on a sinking police car. This representation of criminal enforcement creates a polysemic meaning of both it's historical context of the crisis and also brings up ideologies surrounding police brutality.
On the other hand, in the advertisement for Guinness, representations of ethnic groups form ideologies that reject those of Beyonce's advert. For example, the conveying of the characters creates links to 'gang violence' in America, through symbolic codes such as tattoos, chains, police cars and diegetic sounds of sirens and helicopters. This is anchored by a screen caption reading 'South Central LA'; an area which holds a reputation for this type of ethnic representation. Additionally, the advertisements purpose glorifies and encourages alcohol, which has connotations of causing violence, creating the continued ideology that people of ethnic origin are associated with drugs and violence. It is done in a way that explores commodity fetishism, where the actual product is given 'magic', phantom-like features, where the human labour required to create the product is forgotten. This conforms to Hall's reception theory, forming an oppositional reading to the audience that implies this product consequences in violence, which may not have been intended by the producer.
In conclusion, both products present contrasting ideologies behind representations of the same social group of ethnic minority. This is accomplished through producers encoding meaning through visual and symbolic codes.
you have studied: Formation.
The audio-visual resource consists of the Guinness: Compton Cowboys television advertisement, released in 2017.
You will be allowed one minute to read Question 1.
The advertisement will be shown three times.
First viewing: watch the advertisement.
Second viewing: watch the advertisement and make notes.
You will then have five minutes to make further notes
Third viewing: watch the advertisement and make final notes.
Once the third viewing has finished, you should answer Question 1.
1. Compare the ideologies conveyed through the representations in this television advertisement and the music video you have studied.
In your answer, you must:
consider how representations convey ideologies
consider the similarities and differences in the ideologies conveyed
make judgements and draw conclusions about how far social and cultural contexts affect the representations. [30]
Representations is the way in which producers RE-present a social group in a media product. These are constructed through visual and technical codes, revealing the ideology the producer is trying to convey. Stuart Hall would argue that representations exist through the repetition and remix of media trends. Ideologies of specifically ethnic representation are displayed in a variety of ways in both media products - social, cultural and historical contexts help to do so. I will exploring the way in which producers have done this in Beyoncé's 2016 music video Formation, released as a single from her album Lemonade, which additionally won a Grammy for the best music video of the year; and the Guinness: Compton Cowboys television advertisement released in 2017.
Both products present opposing ideologies where in which the characters subvert or conform to their 'black' narrative and stereotypes through the use of representations. In Formation, Beyonce is represented in a powerful and subversive way, through shot types and mise-en-scene techniques. For example, slow-motion dolly shots, high key lighting and shot composition of Beyonce in the foreground of every group shot places significance on ethnic empowerment and confronts racial hierarchies, shining light on racial binaries that still exist today. Along with the lack of white representation, this mirrors Gilroy's post-colonialism theory, of racial tensions being an ongoing social issue. Beyonce takes ownership of her black slavery narrative through ideologies represented in the antebellum costume and stereotypically white high class mansion setting choices of the producer. By exploring the historical context of the music video where it follows the New Orleans crisis of Hurricane Katrina, these ideologies are further enforced. This is represented through visual codes constructed by the producer, more specifically in the establishing montage of Beyonce floating on a sinking police car. This representation of criminal enforcement creates a polysemic meaning of both it's historical context of the crisis and also brings up ideologies surrounding police brutality.
On the other hand, in the advertisement for Guinness, representations of ethnic groups form ideologies that reject those of Beyonce's advert. For example, the conveying of the characters creates links to 'gang violence' in America, through symbolic codes such as tattoos, chains, police cars and diegetic sounds of sirens and helicopters. This is anchored by a screen caption reading 'South Central LA'; an area which holds a reputation for this type of ethnic representation. Additionally, the advertisements purpose glorifies and encourages alcohol, which has connotations of causing violence, creating the continued ideology that people of ethnic origin are associated with drugs and violence. It is done in a way that explores commodity fetishism, where the actual product is given 'magic', phantom-like features, where the human labour required to create the product is forgotten. This conforms to Hall's reception theory, forming an oppositional reading to the audience that implies this product consequences in violence, which may not have been intended by the producer.
In conclusion, both products present contrasting ideologies behind representations of the same social group of ethnic minority. This is accomplished through producers encoding meaning through visual and symbolic codes.
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Media Language
Question 2 is based on an unseen film poster for Let Me In, released in 2010. Study the film poster carefully before answering the question.
2. Explore how codes and conventions create meaning in this film poster. [15]
Producers use visual and symbolic codes to either subvert or conform to conventions typical to that products genre or industry. Film posters use these codes to identify the genre and to construct an audience. I will be exploring how producers have done so in the 2010 film poster for Let Me In, which noticeably belongs in the horror genre, and also presents genre hybridity of the vampire sub-genre.
At first glance the poster uses visual signifiers that conform to horror genre conventions. For example, dark lighting, blood, young innocent children, forrest settings, and a black, white and red colour scheme. These signifiers create meaning to contemporary audiences familiar with the horror genre, who will construct their own viewpoints on the film. The direct lexis of the film title 'let me in' creates an intrusive mode of address to audiences, imitating the 'shocking' themes used in the horror genre.
However the poster also subverts typical conventions of the vampire sub genre, as there are not clear genre paradigms constructed in the poster. This is noticeable in the lack of vampire iconography used in it's mise-en-scene, such as bats, capes, coffins, etc. Although the only semantic code that audiences would recognise would be the small droplets of blood around the mouth of the female character, as they would have come to understand how to decode this representation through the continuous repetition of media trends. Additionally, the choice in a young character creates a binary between the 'innocence' of children vs. the 'evil' of monsters such as vampires. This understanding of horror conventions creates meaning to audiences through being both familiar with conventions and reading new elements with in genre. This reflects Neale's theory surrounding genre being a construct of repetition and remix of conventions.
Section B: Understanding Media Industries and Audiences
3. (a) Briefly explain what is meant by diversification in media industries. [2]
Diversification is the way in which media companies expand into different forms of industry. For example, newspaper recently experiencing a fall in sales will diversify by constructing online platforms and mobile applications.
(b) Explain the impact of recent technological changes on the video games industry. Refer to Assassin's Creed III: Liberation to support your points. [8]
The videogame industry is a relatively new media form that has exponentially grown in the past four decades. Along with the rapid development of technology, the games industry is constantly changing. By looking at Assassin's Creed 3 Liberation, produced by Ubisoft in 2012, I can explore how the games industry has been impacted by technological changes.
The Assassin's Creed franchise has been a huge commercial and critical success that has construct a large fan base. When the Liberation addition was first released, the company was able to release the game on solely a new platform. This was called the PS Vita, which was the 8th generation of the videogaming industry, ultimately giving the game an large economic selling point. This largely impacted the videogaming industry as it constructed a new audience of an 'on the go' gamer, as it was a handheld device. And later on in 2014, Ubisoft then released the game on further platforms such as PS3 and Xbox 360; this is an example of digital convergence and synergy, allowing even more audiences to be available to the game, producing more profit for the company. However, the gaming industry has also been negatively impacted due the difficulty in regulating such a fast paced industry. For example, games could potentially be harmful by looking at Bandura's hypodermic needle theory, especially with young audiences. Yet games can easily be accessed by all audiences, as regulation is ineffective.
In Question 3(c), you will be rewarded for drawing together knowledge and understanding from across your full course of study, including different areas of the theoretical framework and media contexts.
(c) Explain how the producers of video games ensure their financial success. Refer to Assassin's Creed III: Liberation to support your points. [15]
Producers construct wide audiences to ensure financial success. They do this through attracting multiple target audiences in the marketing and distribution techniques. In particular, video games have recently been a hugely grossing mass market industry due to huge technological development and generally because it is a modern fast paced media platform. Assassins Creed Liberation 3 is an excellent example of how producers target multiple target audiences to ensure financial success.
In this edition of the game, producers chose to target a wider audience through using a female lead protagonist, additionally targeting people of ethnicity through representing this social group too. These are audiences that may not typically fall into the 'gamer' archetype, but will able to relate to them and consequently want to buy the product. As the franchise has never tried this before, it created unique selling point for the game.
On the other hand, the Assassins Creed franchise has a large following, and therefore each new game release will automatically have a pre-sold audience. Producers have targeted stereotypical fans, through using conventions familiar to this game type. As Richard Dyer explores, stereotypes can be a shortcut for producers, and also a reference point for audiences. For example, the official trailer uses multiple action codes, assassin narrative, and an adventurous, tense non-diegetic soundtrack. These are all techniques that producers are certain will attract a stereotypical mass audience, and therefore achieve financial success.
4. (a) Explain how advertisements target audiences. Refer to the WaterAid advertisement you have studied to support your points. [8]
The purpose of an advertisement is to attract a specific audience to sell a product to. Audiences are familiar with the conventions of charity adverts through the repetition of trends in the media. However the Wateraid advert, produced by Atomic London, targets an audience through subverting typical sympathy-craving conventions of the charity genre.
Throughout the advertisement, the narrative remains positive through both visual and audio codes, for example, high-key lighting, lighthearted facial expression and body language and the humble diegetic song of the teenage girls, in which they sing about 'sunshine on a rainy day'. This reinforces the binary between the rainy weather in Britain and the hot weather in Zambia. This constructs an audience through advertising the positive outcomes of their organisation, rather than using typical conventions of guilting audiences into donation. This targets contemporary audiences in a way that they are not familiar with, therefore having a unique selling point.
(b) Explain how historical contexts influence audience interpretations of media products. Refer to the Tide advertisement you have studied to support your points. [12]
Historical contexts of products consist of the the events and attitudes towards the text at that time. Therefore these contexts will have different audience reactions dependant on the time the product was made. I will be exploring how this is influenced through the 1950's print advert for Tide, produced by Proctor and Gamble, the leading cleaning product brand in America.
Diversification is the way in which media companies expand into different forms of industry. For example, newspaper recently experiencing a fall in sales will diversify by constructing online platforms and mobile applications.
(b) Explain the impact of recent technological changes on the video games industry. Refer to Assassin's Creed III: Liberation to support your points. [8]
The videogame industry is a relatively new media form that has exponentially grown in the past four decades. Along with the rapid development of technology, the games industry is constantly changing. By looking at Assassin's Creed 3 Liberation, produced by Ubisoft in 2012, I can explore how the games industry has been impacted by technological changes.
In Question 3(c), you will be rewarded for drawing together knowledge and understanding from across your full course of study, including different areas of the theoretical framework and media contexts.
(c) Explain how the producers of video games ensure their financial success. Refer to Assassin's Creed III: Liberation to support your points. [15]
Producers construct wide audiences to ensure financial success. They do this through attracting multiple target audiences in the marketing and distribution techniques. In particular, video games have recently been a hugely grossing mass market industry due to huge technological development and generally because it is a modern fast paced media platform. Assassins Creed Liberation 3 is an excellent example of how producers target multiple target audiences to ensure financial success.
4. (a) Explain how advertisements target audiences. Refer to the WaterAid advertisement you have studied to support your points. [8]
(b) Explain how historical contexts influence audience interpretations of media products. Refer to the Tide advertisement you have studied to support your points. [12]
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