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.