WHAT DOES MUSIC MEAN TO ME ?

Music has always been an important aspect of my life and even more so in recent years as I have expanded my music taste and discovered a love for genres that I never initially found appealing. Music has the power to change or enhance a particular mood an individual may be feeling, I personally feel as if music can also be inspirational in terms of creativity, for me this down to the combination of subject matter, lyrical flow and the instrumental beat involved. Having grown up in an era where the uprise of continuous sampled pop was prominent, I decided to delve into much of the music my Dad was listening to growing up, this knowledge combined with music often heard at the skatepark environment I immersed myself in left me with artists in genres of hip hop, rap, punk and rock. My taste in music quickly broadening and developing as festival culture allowed me to appreciate the sound of drum and bass and house music on a first hand basis, my recognition of many artists I hadn't yet heard of also catalysed by their appearances at various festivals. Even though I often rotate the music I listen to everyday both old school and modern hip hop seem to be where its at for me personally , the lyrical flow accompanied by a jazzy beat being a sound that I love. 

AMY - FILM ANALYSIS

'Amy' is a 2015 biographical documentary based on singer Amy Winehouse, directed by  Asif Kapadia the film gives as an insight into the world renowned musicians life, allowing the audience to gain a broader knowledge on her entire life told though a linear narrative structure from the start of her life to her unfortunate passing in 2011. Director Asif Kapadia uses an expansive collection of found footage that many audience members would never of seen, allowing her life to be portrayed using only found footage of her throughout her life, interviews with friends and family also being used through out the film in attempt to shed light on the truth behind Amy's strong passion for music and the problems she faced in her unwilling rise to fame. I personally think the film constructed Amy's life in a truthful manner using found footage, this footage being a clear visual indication of the emotions she had to attempt to deal with throughout various stages is her career as a musician. Due to her openness surrounding her battle with drugs often featured in her song this came as no surprise while watching the film, however the medias reaction to her various illness's came as a surprise to me personally, and quite frankly left me disgusted in how many respected celebrities blatantly mocked an insecure young women who was trying to overcome various problems surrounding alcohol and drugs. Alongside her portrayal in the media industry it was clear she had very limited privacy due to paparazzi constantly following and invading her space usually in attempt to expose her current physicality which was consistently mocked regardless of her being bulimic from a young age. As well as the films expository aspects creating the desired response among the audience, the film was also extremely effective in displaying Amy's musical talent as she successfully brought a different genre into the charts as a jazz singer, the clever use of her music through out the film displaying her extraordinary talent as well as enhancing the story itself. 

CW DEVELOPMENT - INITIAL IDEA

In order to provide a clear visual indication for my intentions surrounding my media CW i decided to create the start of a double page spread and front page, using photographs taken previously at an event where a music video was in the process of being made. I manipulated these photographs in photoshop attempting to recreate the vibrant atmosphere felt on location at the shoot as well as reflecting the music itself, these photographs being perfectly eligible for my CW due to them being taken in the production of a UK music video, and my subject being a black male which was ultimate focus of my research investigation. After experimenting with initial layer blending tools and simple typography alterations I shall advance into constructing an interview which will be displayed on the large double page spread. In order to produce the best visual piece I can i shall carry out extensive research into the layout of many effective graphic design magazines , experimenting with shapes,colour,image and type in order to hopefully create a visually exciting outcome which possesses a relative point linking back to my chosen topic in my research investigation. 

WEEKLY NEWS

This week I read an article on the BBC website which informed me on how a man who was a long term member of a dance club suddenly received a banning for his wheelchair supposedly damaging the precious dance floor. The 54 year old man named Fred Walden was outraged when he was sharply removed from the 'jive addiction' event last October, this article was rather saddening due to jive dancing being one of Freds only motivations in life after becoming a paraplegic in 1984. This is a clear example of unfair opportunities for disabled people as Fred has since proved the specialist wheelchair has no impact on the dance floor material used. I personally think BBC effectively delivered the message of this unfair treatment in this article, possibly creating a provoking impact on the audience as they may also be aware of a disabled individual who hasn't been able to partake in a particular club or event.  

Weekly News

I read a BBC NEWS article this week stating how president elect Trump had said that UKIP leader Nigel Farage would be a good British ambassador to the US.  This statement immediately coming as no surprise to me due to the similarities in character between the two individuals, both having been criticised for their open rasicm displayed throughout their careers, however the two individuals clearly popular among a particular target audience as they both have been successful in gaining votes and Trump even becoming the American president. The rise of these two individuals being a clear connotation of how two people who both possess clear racialy motivated schemes can end up in a position of power, this down to clever campaigning method where a so called 'uneducated' audience are targeted through various media sources. 

SCHEDULING

Television Scheduling is the order of when each individual programme will be broadcast on various television channels, broadcasters decide when each television programme should be aired according to its popularity and when it will reach its full potential in terms of attracting its target audience. These factors all taken into consideration as the more viewers gained by each broadcaster means the more money made, various methods are put in place by broadcasters in order to ensure they attract the widest audience possible continuously throughout the day, adaptations to attract various audiences throughout the day are evident due to many factors including; occupation,age,gender and class. 

Some of these techniques are used throughout the television industry in order to effectively raise popularity for new programmes. Hammocking being a method used in order to do exactly this, a new or unpopular show is scheduled in between two well established popular shows with the hope to 'inherit' the audience from the two shows either side who may be watching passively and therefore not be willing to change channel. Offensive and defensive scheduling is also a key technique used by major broadcasters such as BBC and ITV, offensive scheduling is where a confident broadcaster may air their programme at the same time as another popular show on a rival channel with the intention to inherit the rivals audience. Defensive scheduling being the complete opposite to this as the broadcaster may acknowledge the unbeatable viewership statistics and therefore air a less popular programme that may attract a particularly niche audience, although this audience is much smaller a loyal viewer base means a consistant flow of viewers watches the programme each week/day. Zoning is a technique where programmes of a specific genre are broadcast one after the other with assumption the viewers will keep watching and not switch to a different channel, this technique clearly successful due to some programmes having their own individual channel where the programme is continuously aired, proving die hard fans are willing to continuously watch repeats over and over again. The technique of stripping is used by broadcasters to develop an audience who are familiar with the pattern of scheduling on their channel, allowing a loyal fan base to be built up who may return each day as they know their desired programme will without doubt be aired at that time, BBC news being a prime example of this as a reliable audience is attracted daily to consume the news they release without fail.  

MUSIC VID MOODBOARD

In order to visualise elements I intend to include in my A2 coursework which will take the form of a music video, I decided to go to various locations displayed below and carry out a photoshoot. In this photoshoot I paid close attention to the grimey harsh nature surrounding many of the environments captured in my specific examples mentioned in my research investigation, in order to replicate this particular atmosphere found in these music videos I focussed on taking a range of photographs from various dynamic perspectives in order to attempt to capture this mood myself. I believe my photographs are successful in projecting my desired mood and will continue to be effective as I carry out my shoot for my music video, the only factor I will have to take into consideration is my artist who I have not yet had a practice shoot with. I will particularly look at the angles used in many music videos surrounding my chosen genres in order to gain an understanding of how the mood is enhanced by this somewhat intimidating upshot that seems to be extremely popular as it automatically places the audience in a state of domination as they look up to the performing artist.

Weekly News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37821867

In weeks news which I gathered from BBC I read about how the UK plan to increase national cyber defence grid. The news article stating that the government intend to invest 1.9 billion pounds in automatic defence systems in order to prevent mass cyber attacks in the future, this security possibly being questioned and improved due to many recent events surrounding the hacking of many individuals personal details and accounts. The vulnerability of many peoples personal information made clear by these extensive efforts by the government to protect information from hackers, this article also a clear reminder of the level of trust we have in computers, and whether this trust should be questioned as ever advancing technology seems to be no challenge for many notorious hacking organisations, who have proved hacking complex systems like 'the pentagon' is very much possible. 

Weekly News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37687364

In this weeks news I read that a man had been arrested on suspicion of rape following an alleged attack at the houses of parliament, the metropolitan police have not named the suspect but stressed he was not at MP. I personally thought this article was a clear reminder of the continuous flow of crime through out high ranking people such as politicians, much of which is not disclosed to the public due to media outlets attempting to keep the publics perspective the same and project a positive representation. The information also held due to the public being supposed to be able to trust these high ranking politicians even though many scandals usually surrounding large amounts of money have been exposed in recent years. Finally I think it projects a very negative representation on parliament that this despicable crime happened in their grounds as it would be thought this would be a location in which security was at its highest. 

Weekly News

SOURCE:http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/trump-support-muslim-american-republicans-161010183714497.html

In this weeks news i decided to gather my information from a different source from the usual, consequently this source ended up being Qatar based broadcaster: Al Jazeera, I decided to differ my source to the more frequently trusted UK based BBC in the hope to gain a different perspective on one of the most current events worldwide, the US election. I was surprised to find an article on the website stating 'Trump keeps support of Muslim-American Republics',  this surprising me due to my knowledge of Trump being that he is an out right racist/sexist, my opinions being formed by the BBC and various social medias as well as word of mouth, possibly exemplifying how someones opinion can be constructed by the various media that surrounds them in day to day life. My personal opinion which is determined by UK media outlets being very different to someone who is continuously surrounded by US media outlets who have been and currently are portraying and representing Donald Trump in an extremely positive light, allowing peoples opinions to be formed and changed by bias propaganda all over America and therefore resulting is it becoming ever more likely that Trump will win the election and become US president. 

Weekly News

SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37615637

In this weeks news I read 'Australian opposition MPs said they will block prime ministers plans to hold a national vote on legalising same sex marriage. Immediately this came as no surprise to me as I know from experience many people in Australia hold very strong opinions on people of particular race or sex, basically anyone that isn't white or straight which could be viewed as extremely hypocritical due to Island in which they live on belonging to the Aboriginal people before Britain invaded and populated the island with people of white skin colour. I personally think this news story is a current reminder of how many people including high ranking MPs are stuck in their ways and hold twisted opinions about various cultures,races and religions, the current election in America also being a perfect example of how the dominant ideology can rise to power regardless of holding strong opinions on a particular group of people, like Trumps opinions on Muslim people. 

The Great British Bake Off - Case Study Analysis

'The Great British Bake Off' is a reality t.v show which revolves around a baking competition that attempts to find the most talented ammeter baker in Britain. The show is broadcast on BBC 1, Wednesdays at 20.00, and is currently presented by Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood and Mel and Sue who supposedly bring a comedic element to the show. The show is extremely successful as it draws in on average 10 million viewers per episode which is extremely impressive considering the decline in reality t.v in the modern day due to the up rise in series on outlets such as Netflix and Amazon Prime where the majority of t.v is consumed. However 'GBBO' seems to be the exception to this trend as it draws in a reliable audience who are also very active on social media. The show features people of different ethnicity's and classes in order to portray an equal positive representation on the bakers regardless of their backgrounds as well as to target and captivate a larger audience, relatable individuals on screen being effective in broadening the target audience as well as allowing audience members to become interested in each characters life on the whole. 

Weekly News #16

SOURCE: BBC NEWS - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35818409

In this weeks news I read about how tech giants 'Sony' will be releasing a virtual reality headset for their worldwide console, the 'PlayStation'. The headsets price has been released at £282 (399$) which is $200 cheaper than 'Facebook's Oculus Rift and $400 less than the HTC Vive , all rival products that are expected to be released around the same time. This article is a clear reminder of the ever advancing technology in the modern world, and the rivalry that rises up between the various companies as similar products are released in the hope that each individual companies product is most successful after being distributed between the current worldwide audience who are becoming ever more immersed in the video games, as technology advances,  subsequently making the various games more real for video gamers allowing them to completely escape reality as they enter a different world. Research has shown that around 53 million people will own their most recent console, the 'PlayStation 4' when their newest product is released, providing this innovative way of playing games on 'PlayStation' with a massive audience which means the product is almost certain to be a massive success when released predicted to make around 1.6 million by 2017. 

National & Regional Identity - Reality Television

I will be exploring how reality t.v programmes like 'Geordie Shore','The only way Is Essex' and 'Made in Chelsea' represent the specific region displayed in the title in both positive and negative ways. Regional dialect,accents and specific activities the various groups may partake in are usually all evident in this particular genre of television, possibly giving the passive audience the impression that these activities are the normality for the people situated in these areas. These television programmes also often play on stereotypes in order to engage the audience possibly for the intention of entertainment or to make the experience relatable for people who recognise the particular slang used or activities/locations that are ongoing and constantly shown through out the show. These stereotypes usually resulting in the characters featured in these shows being rather archetypal as they are put in place in order to inform the audience of an element about the chosen region often resulting in characters that only one intention and consequently have a very shallow depth of character. One key example of this is how 'Scotty T's' only intentions through out the 'Geordie Shore' series is to go out and 'pull birds', this archetypal character possibly being relatable to the viewer or recognisable in the viewers group of friends, resulting in an entertaining experience due to 'Scotty T's' actions and personality possibly being funny for viewers maybe due to him being relatable in some way, or again humorous for viewers unable to relate to the programme due to his stupidity displayed through out the programme. 

The Untouchables - Film Analysis

'The Untouchables' is a 2011 biographical comedy drama directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, the film explores themes of; class, humanity, disability, insecurities, wealth, love, humour, and friendship as we see the lives of two completely different people collide resulting in an possibly unexpected positive outcome for both characters. Driss (Omar Sy), a young black man living on a poverty stricken estate, and Philipe (Francois Cluzet) , an elderly white disabled millionaire come into contact after Driss unwillingly attends a job interview in attempt to gain a signature towards claiming his benefits, consequently meeting Philipe and soon after being given a job as his personal handler. The film was a huge success worldwide earning itself the title of second highest selling French film of all time, gaining an astounding $426.6 million at the box office with just a $10.8 million budget, this success possibly aided by distributers (The Weinstein Company) who were key in providing the film with the ever important American audience. The film possessed and cleverly played against many stereotypes in the duration of the film, allowing the characters to immediately become recognisable and have a level of characterisation and depth to them. I personally think the major theme displayed through out the film was humanity, I believe this due to the characters evidently being very different in class (and many other aspects) , and both characters living two extremely different lives, yet they are still able to show affection and care for one another, overcoming the barrier that may be seen by many people in the modern world between these two very different people.  

This film will be very useful as a case study for our media exam surrounding representation as there are many examples of both positive and negative representations of gender,age,disability,race and class, throughout the film. I personally think the representation of disability was positive in this particular film, our protagonist Philipe is consequently paralysed below the neck after a hand gliding accident leaving him wheelchair bound and constantly needing help with literally everything in his every day life. However even though Philipe is the victim of a devastating incident leaving him unable to live a completely normal life due to his mobility , he continues to demonstrate his determination in many forms through out the film as it is clear he is set on living a life as enjoyable as it can possibly be, his love and passion for art and hand gliding is displayed in the film proving the clear determination he possess as his disability is not able to stop him from doing what he loves. 

Weekly News #15

SOURCE: BBC NEWS - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35696238

In this weeks news I discovered an article with a headline stating: 'Doctors urge schools to ban tackling in rugby', this article immediately informing me in the first sentence that more than 70 doctors and academics say injuries from the 'high-impact collision sport' can leave lifelong consequences for many children in severe cases. This article made it obvious of the many injuries you may sustain during a child's rugby game (ligamentous tears,dislocated shoulders,fractures and concussion), all which could lead to short or long term after effects after the injury is sustained, some of these being memory loss, diminished verbal abilities and stunt of growth. All of these injuries and after effects making the sport of rugby for children at first come across as a ridiculous idea due to the health of many children being put at risk in order to play a contact sport. Gaining a different perspective on the matter from p.e teacher Jonny Cross was also interesting as he stated that the contact sport of rugby helped build character in the children and gave many students a well needed challenge, boosting their confidence individually and academically, also informing the reporter that the students are taught the correct postures and techniques in order to protect themselves and potentially avoid serious injury in matches. Overall this article was very interesting and thought provoking due to the obvious topic of injuries being sustained  in rugby games possibly being made more serious after being informed of the severe consequences it may have on the current generations children. I also do believe the contact sport is an outlet for many children and does provide them with a confidence boost, and if played regularly the sport also has the positive effects of keeping you in good shape due to the determination and energy needed to play a rugby game at any standard. Finally I agree that the situation should be taken 'extremely seriously' by the RFU (Rugby Football Union) and researched further after being informed of the serious health impacts the nation wide sport of rugby can have on many children. 

Weekly News #14

SOURCE:BBC UK NEWS- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-35635932 

In this weeks news I discovered an article stating how a female referee had been 'verbally abused' after sending someone off while 'refereeing a mens football game', the female referee spoke out saying "He didn't like the decision, so he started hurling abuse at me about my sexuality." I personally thought this article was clear evidence of the on going problem surrounding sexism in the playing and involvement in the nation wide sport of football, due to football largely being considered as a 'mens game'. In sating this there have been many recent cases of women's football becoming increasingly more popular nation wide. One key example of this is how massive sports video game company (EA Sports) have included a game mode in which you can play as women in their most recent release of the most popular football game worldwide 'Fifa '. Even though the problem of sexism in football is still evident in the modern day due to many football fanatics in England focusing on well established clubs who play in the 'Barclays Premier League', I do believe the situation is improving as women's football is becoming increasingly more popular due to being aired on t.v more and more. Global companies like 'EA Sports' also providing awareness of the women's football as they bring the skill that many female footballers possess to the publics attention through extremely popular video games, like 'Fifa 16'. This concluding in a positive representation of women's football as they are credited for the skill they show in game on equal terms with the more popular 'mens football'. 

Report

PRE PRODUCTION

In order to create a poster and dvd cover displaying the conventions of a thriller I decided to look at a variety of professional posters and dvd covers following my intended Genre before starting production. In doing this I gained inspiration and ideas in how i could display the story I had in mind in order to fit the thriller conventions. The main visual codes that immediately struck me were the use of the colour red in all posters, also the dark environment usually surrounding the protagonist creates a mysterious ambiguous feeling for the audience, resulting in thought provoking posters concluding in the audience wandering what the featured person could be thinking of or running from, this is evident in my main inspiration 'Little Red Riding Hood' (2011). 

This poster was the main inspiration I used in my production due to my intended story at the time also being about a teenager running through the woods away from former gang members intending to harm him, I thought the surrounding trees were very effective in this poster as the spiky branches could signify the danger the protagonist (little red riding hood) is under, these trees also create a dark intimidating effect resulting in us (the audience) thinking about the danger the featured charter may be facing. Next the eye catching  central image of the character dressed in red really stood out to me, I thought this was very effective in leading the viewer into the poster again making us think about the safety of her due to us noticing she is running due to the clever composition of the shot in between the two trees. I thought the size of the trees also caused an intimidating effect on the protagonist possibly reflecting vulnerability, this is emphasised by her dramatic facial expression. 

Shutter Island (2010) also provided me with inspiration before starting production and making my poster and dvd cover. One of the main visual codes that immediately stood out to me was the bold red coloured headline, I thought the roughness of the red font could possibly signify danger the may be featured in the film, or even blood that may be spilt through out the thriller. The facial expression captured of protagonist Leonardo DiCaprio was also a factor i liked about the poster, I thought the low level lighting on his face caused me to think about the possible personally the character might possess, as the facial expression could be seen as fear or anger, leaving the audience thought provoked fitting the thriller genre. 



After taking these two posters as my main inspiration in production i proceeded to sketch a rough idea for a possible composition for my poster, including red drips to signify the danger and blood spilt in the film itself. Like in 'Little Red Riding Hood' I placed my protagonist central image running 'Into the woods' literally, i thought this was fitting due to my intended film being named this but also the real photo shoot would capture the intimidating dark environment overlooking my protagonist, capturing the intended feeling of mystery and danger which I hope will effectively follow the thriller conventions. 

Next I read a number of screenplays including thrillers such as; 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Gone Girl', both theses scripts followed the key conventions of most thrillers placing ordinary people (shown by environment e.g in 'Gone Girl' ,the first scene features a stereotypical American house) in extraordinary situations ultimately providing the film with the 'thrilling' aspect for the audience . This also allowed me an insight into how the screenplays of renowned professions like David Fincher (Directer of 'Gone Girl') and Quentin Tarantino (director of 'Pulp Fiction') format there screenplays . I proceeded to write a 9 page script using the format i gathered from both professional scripts, resulting in a story in which a first ambiguous teenager named Darren (17) is hunted by his former gang and chased from the local estate 'Into The Woods', bearing in mind my thriller poster and dvd cover had an audience of teenagers I created a teenager living on an estate in order for the character to be relatable to a teenage audience. An extract of my screenplay can be seen under the Pulp Fiction screenplay above, mine clearly displaying the format and description needed for a professional screenplay. 

PRODUCTION

After writing my script and becoming familiar with my story, I proceeded to take a range of photos of a teenage male who fit the description of my character perfectly. I took a range of shots due to having the intentions of using images on the front back and inside of my DVD cover, and also due to wanting to produce a double exposure on my poster overlapping images in order to create a thought provoking composition. 


I attempted to capture fear in this particular shot as my character checks behind himself during the chase scene in my film, inserting this picture into both my poster and DVD cover will hopefully show the danger Darren (my protagonist  faces as he his hunted down by his former gang. I also thought including clothing brands (e.g: adidas, north face) commonly worn by many teenagers will add to the relatable story.In this shot I captured my protagonist behind bars, symbolising how he feels personally,  trapped as he is unable to escape the gang despite his willingness to change due to him deciding to opt out in order to pursue a career as a long distance runner.

I will use this shot for my main image in both my poster and DVD cover, I think I captured my intended composition as it is clear Darren is entering some kind of woodland due to the trees visible in the photo. His clothing also following the stereotypical thought many people may possess of teenagers as his jeans are below his waist and his hood over his head, this immediately becoming relatable to many teenagers due to them possibly dressing this way themselves. I also thought this image was effective in being ambiguous as we are not sure why the featured figure is entering the woods, un aware that really he is out intended to practice cross country running in which we know him to be good at, before he is spotted and hunted down by the gang he recently opted out of. 

Weekly News #13

SOURCE: BBC UK NEWS - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-35325475

In this weeks news I read an article discussing how t.v presenter and actor Adam Pearson (a man who suffers from neurofibromatosis causing his face to be severely disfigured) felt when he was offered to join a famous 'freak show' in America, immediately i thought this was exploitation as it seemed at first they simply wanted to use Adam to benefit from him as many people may be interested in watching a documentary surrounding his extremely rare condition. After reading further i discovered the host of the show was her self disabled and described the group she had accumulated as the 'freak family' ,which I personally thought may come across as quite an offensive name for a group of people , one group member explained that the group had given a place in society as it allowed him to tell his own story where as before he felt like he didn't have a voice. This article which came across to me as at first as the entertainment business (american t.v) exploiting Adam Pearson due to his rare condition, due to him possibly interesting people as it educated them on a bizarre condition very few people suffer from , was not at first as it seemed. Many of the actors starring in the '999 Eyes freak show' felt as if the so called freak show gave them a place in society they may not have had before, as they are allowed to freely express there emotions in telling there own personal story while feeling like they have a place in the modern society, as people begin to understand the various unfortunate conditions they suffer from, and appreciate them for who they are as they communicate with people through this particular television programme. 

Weekly News #12

SOURCE: BBC WORLD NEWS - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-35289536

In this weeks news i read 'Mumbai identifies 'no selfie' zones' after a women has drowned in the sea after attempting to take a selfie, police in the city have identified 15 places where selfie's should not be taken due to danger of death, places include the sea facing promenade. The article discussed how a women in moscow survived after accidentally shooting her self in the head while posing with a gun in a selfie early last year. In my opinion I think it is bizarre how someone could possibly think it to be good idea to take a picture of themselves in a position where they may be injured or even killed . I personally think this article emphasises on the point of how absorbed people are in social media sites where 'selfies' are predominately found, as it is evident from the deaths suffered over the past few years ( were selfies have become a normality ) that some people are willing to risk their lives in order to take a picture that will interest or grab other peoples attention on social media.