You will be guided in the codes and conventions of DVD covers
Learning Objective:
To apply the conventions of DVD covers to a mock up DVD cover of the sequel to a film you are familiar with.
Key words:
Main title, main image, hierarchy, spine, cast, age certificate, blurb, synopsis, reviews, awards, running time, institutional logo, lettering, action line, handwritten.
Dvd covers that you produce as a part of your coursework will need to have the following elements included, they will need to be designed to appeal to the specific target audience that you have in mind:
Task 1: List the conventions of Dvd covers in your orange books.
Main title - written using a font that is suitable for the genre and the audience of that genre.
Main image - consider all the visual and technical codes when putting this into place. It should reflect the content of the Dvd.
Tagline – draws the audience’s attention sometimes by asking them a question.
Iconography – relevant to the genre or images of famous actors, or even places – because the audience may recognise them from other films they are familiar with.
Industry reviews – gives the film critical acclaim, often accompanied by stars out of five.
Sequel – audiences may have seen the first one and will find a sequel appealing.
Blurb or synopsis on the back of the DVD cover – wording is sensationalised mentioning actors' names and giving information about the narrative. Sometimes asking asks questions to the audience to create enigmas making them want to find out more.
Bonus features – the audience is getting inside information about the film, the actors, crew. Gives the text a personal feel.
Awards – gives the film recognition to the audience. Audiences want to watch successful films.
The production company – audiences recognise them from previous films and give them an indication of the style of the film.
Director – audiences might recognise the name from other films they have made.
Film classification – necessary organisational issue.
Screen grabs – gives the audience an insight into the film.
Task 2:
List the conventions evident on this annotated DVD cover (Wizards). Ignore the typos. Orange books.
Task 2: Take notes from this DVD cover presentation. Orange books.
Using the template provided, design a mock up of a DVD cover for the sequel to a film you are familiar with. Choose a genre that has iconography you are familiar with. Make notes on the back of the handout rather than annotating your design.
This is not an Art exam so just indicate any colours along with the connotations for that colour.
Learning objective: To identify codes and conventions of magazines and apply them to a mock up magazine of my own Key terms:
Genre specific lexis: Words that an audience would associate with a specific genre. 'Banging' tunes'. Hyperbole: Over exaggerated language that can make a text seem very good. 'I've told you a million times'. Imperatives: Words or phrases that contain a command or an order. 'Get your free gift NOW'. At this stage of coursework production, you need to consider each and every aspect of your artefact. You are strongly advised to take notes as you work. What tools are you using in photoshop? Why are you trying to achieve this effect? Everything you do must be to appeal to a target audience. Below is a revision page for Magazine cover creation. Task 1: Write the above key terms in your books.
Magazines also have lots of genres and sub genres. Music magazines are a sub genre but all magazines have codes and conventions that audiences expect to see.
When you create a magazine cover you should look to include the following and consider how these conventions will appeal to your target audience.
Masthead: In publishing refers to the name of a magazine or newspaper printed in large type at the top of the front page.
The masthead should also give a clue to the genre of the magazine.
Kerrang for instance is the name of a music magazine and it sounds like a guitar being strummed.
If the magazine is well known then the masthead may be obscured by the main image.
Sell line/tagline: is information on the cover of a magazine that tells the reader what extra they can get if they buy the magazine. Free gifts or competitions for example.
Cover lines: These usually run down the side and give the reader clues to what is inside the magazine. Their aim is to persuade the reader to buy. Cover lines always link to the genre.
Main image/central image: The main image of a music magazine is usually a picture of a band or artist who is currently popular.
Date, barcode, price: All magazines should include these. The price should reflect the category (a, b, c1 or c2, d, e). of the primary target audience.
A strip along the top of the page(header bar): Includes information about more minor articles inside the magazine.
Here is what an annotated magazine cover looks like with just the codes and conventions indicated:
Task 1:
Annotate the magazine below using the handout provided. Use the media terminology that you have been using here.
Task 2:
In your orange books plan the layout of your own music magazine.
This should include as many of the codes and conventions we have discussed as possible.
The genre of my magazine is________________________________
The main article of my magazine is__________________________
The age of the primary target audience for my magazine is_______________
The other articles in my magazine will be__________________________________
They can make the reader feel exclusive, part of a group.
In the Good Food magazine cover shown below, words are used that are only relevant to people familiar with the genre (food).
Task 2: Under the heading 'genre specific lexis - Good Food magazine'. Identify and list the words on the above magazine cover that are related to the genre of food.
Alliteration is a stylistic, literary device identified by the repeated sound of the first consonant in a series of multiple words, or the repetition of the same sounds of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables of a phrase.
Task 3:
Under the heading 'Alliteration': Use at least three words to describe your experience at De La Salle.
Ellipsis ask the reader to delve further into the magazine...
If the character on the main image is staring straight out at the audience then it is called a direct mode of address. In the cover lines, the magazine may 'speak' directly to the reader.
The layout and design can be formal or informal.
This will depend on the house style of the magazine.
Informal layout may include snapshots or paparazzi shots.
They might be laid out overlapping like some snapshots dropped onto a table.
heat magazine uses an informal layout and design.
Formal layout may include photos that have been set up and taken in a studio. This style will appeal to a more sophisticated or mature audience.
Colour: Magazines tend to have a house style which is used consistently.
This can be created from a limited palette, say red white and grey.
Font style and size: This is also related to the genre and can be sophisticated or cartoony, depending on the target audience.
Social media: Links to social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter are important and can prolong a reader's interest in the text. The URL is usually evident.
Print texts like magazines, CDs and film posters use the technical codes of framing, editing and lighting to transmit meaning. These texts are constructed using a range of techniques designed to appeal to an audience. Layout and design The way in which a print text is constructed is partly through the technical codes of the text. The use of colour, font style and text positioning all contribute to the overall style of the publication. Magazines have a house style that is always used and readers will recognise this and expect it to be consistent. Readers will recognise for example, the font style used for the masthead and the colour codes.
Camera Shots The choice of shot on a print text helps to communicate meaning. A screen shot from a film used on a poster suggests the narrative and genre of the film. A close up of a performer on a music industry website contributes to their star persona and will attract their fan base.
Lighting The way in which an image is lit helps to convey a mood. Moody lighting with high contrast adds drama. Bright, naturalistic light is more friendly.
Low key lighting
High key lighting
Use of Colour The colours chosen to be incorporated into print texts convey messages about the texts genre and often about the audience who will consume it. Pastel colours on a CD suggest a particular type of music. Print based adverts for fragrances convey messages quickly to their audience by using digitally applied colour washes. The colours on Rihanna's CD tell the audience to expect passionate content.
This print based ad is for a perfume. Although it is difficult to sell a smell visually, the ad does its best to let us know what to expect; feminine, light, fragrant.
Graphics Logos and graphical representations appear in many forms on print based texts. Some CD covers and websites, for example do not contain images of the band or artist but use more artistic illustrations or photos which represent the genre of the music. (See the Cage for Elephant website).
Post production techniques It is the case in media today that still images are manipulated and enhanced digitally for an effect. In advertising for example, eyelashes are extended and skin is made to loo flawless through the use of digital airbrushing. Models on the front covers of magazines are body brushed to give an unrealistic appearance of perfection.
Task 1: Answer the question: How do technical codes construct meanings in print text?
Learning objective: To familiarise with the creation of a print based artefact for MS3 submission.
Key terms:
Subvert
Replicate
Production Candidates are required to submit a production which should develop from and be informed by the candidate's research investigation. This production must be in a different form from the AS production. Audio-visual productions should be up to 4 minutes in length (depending on the nature of the production). Print-based productions (or their digital equivalent) should be a minimum of 3 pages. Digital media (other than audio-visual productions) and print-based productions must be individual. Audio-visual productions can be produced either individually or in groups (maximum 4). Group tasks must offer appropriate opportunities for each candidate to demonstrate an individual contribution.
Creating a print artefact.
The print production you create must reflect your research findings and must be produced individually.
Print texts can include DVD covers, film posters, CD covers, magazine covers and pages etc.
You must produce a minimum of 3 pages.
Tips for creating a successful print text:
You must demonstrate your ability to plan and construct a print media product. You must also demonstrate your technical and creative skills - your submission should look as professional as you can make it.
If you are working in a print medium you must choose a format that will demonstrate your research findings.
For example; the front covers of a television listings magazine would not be an appropriate text in which to illustrate your findings of narrative in crime drama. A DVD cover and posters would would be better and give you more opportunities to demonstrate the focus. This is particularly relevant where you are using a print medium to demonstrate the research findings of audio-visual texts.
Whatever print texts you choose to produce, you must use your own original photographs. You will not be given credit for photographs you have not taken yourself, even if you manipulate them digitally using Photoshop. Planning your photos and using a good quality camera (not your phone camera) will mean you have less post production to do. Consider settings for your photography and lighting. The imagery must give the audience clues to the genre.
For editing, use Adobe Photoshop software. This will give you much more professional results as it allows you to create layers and achieve a range of special effects which will gain marks for you.
Be aware of the codes and conventions of your chosen format and genre. For example, a DVD cover should incorporate the typical features of the text. Remember the small details, the design of the spine and the industry information on the back.
The back of a DVD cover is as complex in its layout and design and use of images as the front.
For the purposes of this unit, a DVD cover counts as two pages.
Importantly, use the texts analysed in your research investigation as a guide.
Do you intend to subvert or replicate your findings? How will you do this?
Task 1: Complete the handout provided which asks you to expand on your initial ideas.
Task 2: Draw a spider diagram based on the handout. This should help you to explore your ideas and incorporate the findings you made through primary and secondary research.
Use colour. Your Spider diagram should look like the one below:
Task 3: Complete the WJEC cover sheet (in your best handwriting!)
Alternatively, you can type the responses and e-mail to aealey@de-la-salle.co.uk
The doc can be found at studentshare>Media>A2_2016
To study Common, the BBCTV special with consideration given to representation of gender.
Are the representations stereotypical?
Key terms:
Mediation - This is the way in which a media text is constructed in order to represent the producer of the text's version of reality. This is constructed through selection, organisation and focus.
Window on the world - This is the idea that media texts, particularly those that present aspects of reality, are showing the audience the real world as it happens.
Understanding the concept of representation is essential at A2 level. You must be able to go beyond a simplistic discussion of stereotypes or positive and negative representations.
To analyse the impact of representation in media texts you must be aware of the context and the purpose of representation within the text. There are some key questions you must be able to consider:
How has the world represented in this media text been constructed?
What ideas and values are being communicated in the text? In this case by McGovern and the BBC.
Who is the target audience of the text? How may different audiences respond to the representations contained within the text? Who will accept and who will challenge? (Consider Stuart Hall here - Preferred, negotiated and oppositional readers).
What messages are contained within the text? How might these messages impact upon the audience? How might Common impact upon a teenage viewer?
Task 1: Watch Common and discuss the four questions above. Studentshare>Media>Year 13 A2
Representation as a media concept
The producers of a media text encode ideas and messages within the text through representations. The aim of the producers of the text is to communicate their ideology to the audience. Audiences then decode the messages and respond to them in different ways depending on their own life experiences. All media texts are constructed and all representations contained within texts have been constructed. This gives an illusion of reality which some audiences will accept as truth without challenging. Representations are constructed through visual and technical codes, audio codes, language and mode of address. The CONTEXT and purpose of the representation is important. The representation of young people in The Inbetweeners is constructed to make the audience laugh because it is a situation comedy. Stereotypes are constructions that are made up of over exaggerated and easily recognisable character traits. They are used to convey information rapidly as audiences will have ideas and expectations of how certain stereotypical characters should behave. Not all representations are negative. All media texts go through a process of mediation. They are not windows on the world. Through construction and selection the texts are interpreted for us and the representation of the issue, event or social group is presented in a particular way through this process.
Jimmy McGovern
Common is a rich text in terms of examples of representation. there are a range of representation areas for you to study and discuss. There are positive and negative examples of older people and young adults. These have been constructed through the use of visual and technical codes and depending on how the audience decodes the messages within the text, there will be a range of responses. As well as age, you should consider the representation of gender and class. Task 2: Watch Common and write down how the characters Johnjo O'Shea, Coleen O'Shea (Johnjo's mother) and Margaret Ward (the mother of the murdered boy) have been represented both positively and negatively. Argue if these characters are stereotypical or not and explore any underlying ideologies. Consider representation of age and gender as constructed through visual and technical codes. Remember to consider the context and the settings. How have you arrived at these conclusions? Bullet points. Orange books.
Learning objective:
To study Common, a 90 minute TV special with consideration given to narrative issues, structure, conventions and key codes.
Key terms:
Plot situation: Elements that are part of the narrative and that an audience will expect to see in a particular text.
Privileged spectator position: Where the camera places the audience in a superior position within the narrative. The audience can then anticipate what will follow.
Manipulation of time: The narrative shapes the text through time and are given snapshots of what happened in the past. Often indicated by a white or black screen or other transition. Suspend belief: here an audience may be aware that where they are positioned by the camera is impossible but they do not challenge it as it enhances their involvement in the story.
Narrative Techniques in Audio Visual texts
Manipulation of time: The narrative can move the audience around within a given time frame. For example, crime dramas often employ non linear narratives starting with the discovery of the crime then moving back in time to show how it came about.
Three strand narrative: This is the most common form of narrative structure whereby three different storylines are introduced at the beginning and then these narratives interweave throughout the film.
Flexi narrative: This is a more complex narrative structure that is consequently more challenging for an audience. Here the narrative is made up of a a series of interweaving storylines involving complicated scenarios and plot situations. there will often be narrative twists and enigmas until the final exposition.
Characters
TV crime dramas usually include certain character types:
The hero cop
Shocked suspect
The antagonist
The quirky detective
Bad tempered but brilliant rookie
Grumpy, world weary superior officers
Forensic scientists
Psychologists/helpers
Lawyers
Informants
Task 1:Watch the first 15 minutes of Common and identify any of these character types stating how you can recognise them through visual and technical codes.
This task will benefit you when you study Luther and Life on Mars.
Crime dramas include typical settings in the repertoire of elements. Common is set in Southport but this is never mentioned. Southport is a generic Northern English town.
The setting of a crime drama is just as important as the characters.
Connotations of class through regionality. Why is this?
Consider the type of character that would live there.
Crime rates for the area.
The types of crime that are known to be committed in that area.
The setting also contributes to the style of the programme along with the characters, camera moves, editing and the audio.
Crime dramas are set in the inner City or rural environments.
For inner City settings the following conventions are usually used:
Shaky, hand held camera to give a documentary feel.
Fast editing to add drama.
Use of colloquial language or slang.
Urgent, contemporary music.
Low key lighting and grey colours to reflect inner City life.
Task 3:
Discuss why the construction of the setting of Common would give the audience certain expectations - 1 paragraph, orange books.
The techniques below are used to position audiences
Flashbacks: These are used to give the audience the backstory and can serve to develop the character motivation within the storyline. Audiences are given clues when time and space are being manipulated through for example, a change of clothing, iconography or the style of filming.
Point of view shot: this helps involve the audience in the narrative as they view the action from the point of view of a particular character.
Audience positioning: This is where the camera or audio codes place the audience in a particular position. This may be as the murderer stalking the victim, or it can be emotionally where the music can cause the audience to feel tense or sad.
Apparently impossible positions: This is another type of audience positioning whereby the camera places the audience in an unusual position to view the action. For example viewing the operating table from the ceiling.
Audiences will suspend disbelief if their involvement in the narrative is enhanced.
Privileged spectator position: Here the audience is involved in the narrative as camera shows them what other characters can not see. This allows the audience to anticipate how the story will unfold.
Enigma code: These are evident in both audio-visual and print based texts. They are a way of restricting the narrative information given to
Action code: Something a character does allows the audience to anticipate how the narrative will develop. For example, writing and delivering a letter which contains important information.
Voice over: Can be used in certain media texts to fill in gaps in the narrative or to give clues to what an audience may expect from the storyline, used in film trailers.
Dialogue. A converstation between two characters, for example, can be a rapid way of filling in background information and establishing character motive within the narrative.
Task 4:
Watch Common and identify the mise en scene
Costume,
setting,
lighting,
acting,
props.
What do these elements tell us about the show?
What sort of places are the police stations and court rooms shown to be? How has this been done?
Common uses a combination of diegetic and non diegetic sound to position the audience.
Lighting is a very important convention for the genre.
Low key lighting has connotations of death, mystery, privacy. High key lighting is used to make the on screen events clear to the audience. It appears to make the criminals feel uncomfortable.
Task 5:
Watch Common, identify the types of sound and lighting used and state how these technical codes have been used to position the audience..
Common is a 2014 BBC One 90-minute made-for-television drama, written by Jimmy McGovern, directed by David Blair and starring Michelle Fairley, Nico Mirallegro and Michael Gambon. It seeks to question some of the issues and challenges raised by England's common purpose legal doctrine.
Plot summary
Jimmy McGovern's drama stars Nico Mirallegro as guileless 17 year old Johnjo O'Shea, who goes from innocent bystander to accessory to premeditated murder after giving a few friends a lift.
Background:
The drama focuses on England's controversial joint enterprise doctrine. It is set in North West England, and was filmed in Southport (although the town is never mentioned).First shown on 6 July 2014, the drama examines the issues surrounding a case in which the defendants were charged with murder involving joint enterprise or common purpose. McGovern was inspired by the real life case of 16-year-old Jordan Cunliffe, sentenced under this law for a minimum term of 12 years for the murder of Garry Newlove, despite Cunliffe not actively taking part in the attack. 'Common' trailer:
'Common' writer Jimmy McGovern:
Panorama documentary:
Task 1: Familiarise with Joint Enterprise.
Watch the three clips above then look at reaction to Jimmy McGovern's Common. You can examine comments on the you tube clips and critical reception as introduced below.
Write a paragraph on the different points of view about Joint Enterprise as highlighted by the drama.
Describe Joint Venture in a line or two.
Consider arguments for and against the law.
10 minutes - bullet points are fine. Orange books.
The Daily Telegraph gave it 4/5 stars, calling it "profoundly engaging", with Nico Mirallegro, "giving a fine performance of coiled vulnerability". According to The Guardian, "When Jimmy McGovern gets off his soapbox this is a brutal and devastating drama", "bleak, powerful drama thick with political intent, which occasionally robs it of its quality", and "the knockout performance belongs to Susan Lynch, who plays the victim's mother".
The Daily Mirror noted that "Common was unrelentingly depressing. It's about real tragedy, where no character you invest in wins". And "McGovern's a genius wordsmith, an engaging social commentator who deftly avoids being throat-ramming with his message, but he also understands people – as sure as he can paint the most evil potential of mankind, he equally draws out the good."
The Daily Mail was more critical in its review, "the BBC spent licence fee money on commissioning a 90-minute drama railing against what lawyers describe as a 'powerful' and useful piece of legislation designed to stop criminals getting away with it by blaming each other." They also noted that the law had been used to good effect in the murder of Stephen Lawrence case as well as that of Malakai McKenzie.
GENRE
Common includes codes and conventions relating to TV crime drama such as angry policemen, shocked suspect, interview rooms, police trying to find the criminal, close up camera shots on reaction, serious music, low key lighting and generally, law and order versus crime.
The title sequence is typical of the crime/drama genre in that it sets the scene, highlights the characters, gives pace and sets up audience expectations.
Task 2:
Watch the first 15 minutes of Common, identify the following and how the narrative has been conveyed through the use of the following technical codes, who do we feel sympathy with? How is this achieved?
Shot types
Editing style
Lighting
Music
Sound effects
Task: (Homework)
What are the genre conventions of Television Crime Drama?
