Using Conventions from Real Media Texts

Mediation - Encoding and Decoding, Open/Closed Text.

-Preferred meaning (Hall, 1980)
-Closed reading (Eco, 1981)

Macro Analysis

Pre-production: Ideology and Discourse (discussion or debate): Mediation of Ideas, Representation and Debates/Agenda
-what the meanings/messages were.

Production and Post Production: Form and Style: Postmodernism - Bricolage and Intertextuality, Medium and Genre, Narrative
-how the meanings/messages were communicated.

Micro Elements

What choices did you make in terms of the following in order to communicate your meaning to audience (mode of address and persuasion)?

• Mise en scene
• Camerawork
• Editing
• Sound

I created a narrative from pre to post production and through my products to allow the audience to easily identify and recognise my artist. By reinforcing my artist through the products told the audience that 'this is her' and acted as a way of persuasion.
In terms of mise en scene, her outfits were carefully picked, as well as her hair and makeup to reach and target her audience and make her an aspirational artist.
In terms of location and setting I created a link of my artist between the music video and ancillary products. As for camera work and editing, applying the two together enabled me to create fast, quick shots that varied from close ups, medium shots and long shots that were either hand held or on a tripod. The effect of combining these two encourages the audience to watch the video again to ensure they actually saw each shot, which is of course, increasing the viewing rate. Additionally the vast majority of close ups that include direct eye contact, engage the audience and create that level of connection between the two. Evidently the editing would correspond with the sound i.e. music; therefore the quick fast shots increased and decreased with the tempo and speed of the music and also the mood of that part of the song. For example at the beginning the facial expressions were more serious and confident and as the song began to build up the expressions became happy and therefore the mood/meaning changed.

Macro: Meanings and Messages across AS and A2 coursework

What was the purpose of your texts at AS and A2?

As I used the same artist for AS and A2, their purpose was similiar, however in A2 the purpose became a lot more detailed as the project was more intense and in depth. For example I had to ensure the artist served the purpose of reaching the target audience through a wider media outlet i.e. music video.

In AS I wanted the ensure my magazine came across as Hip Hop, and that it presented my artist successfully and persuaded the reader to look inside. I feel that the audience would've realised what genre the magazine was as I had interpreted the common colours, conventions and layouts of Hip Hop magazines into mine. This makes the genre more obvious as this is the social view or stereptype of the way Hip Hop magazines are. As well as this the masthead, the artist name and all the features on my front cover, I felt effectively came across as a professional magazine.
 In A2 I developed my artist and had to make this clear through the video and ancillary products. I took advantage on the ancillary products to bring across elements from AS; however changed them appropriatly to suit my developed genre. In terms of the video I again ensured that elements from AS were brought across for example the fashionable, confident artist, however developed this in terms of song choice and setting.

Because of the genre change in A2, it meant that my target audience was now a lot broader than AS; however I used this to create a narrative of an established artist with a larger fanbase. I think the video is quite clear in meaning, however to present an even clearer narrative I ensured that the audience would be able to make links between each of the products I made. In terms of Roland Barthes I feel overall, my representation seemed 'natural' and 'common sense'.

What were you trying to communicate to the audience? What was the theme? What was the discourse (point of view/agenda debated) in your texts?

• AS - A Hip Hop artist that had the stereotypical attitude, music and 'background story' but also a fashion icon to engage a wider audience. Someone whose admired and aspired to which differs her from 'stereotypical' hip hop artists.
• A2 - An established artist with a wider range of music and fan base. Dance theme.
• Discourse - An artist started off, gaining a fanbase, widering publicity through media and becoming esablished.

Who was your target audience and what was the main mode of address?

• AS - hip hop fans, female/teenage fans. Make her come across as a strong women who is admired.
• A2 - wider fan base (dance genre). Present her as established and recognisable.

How did you pastiche or parody any other media texts? (this includes bricolage and intertextuality).

I took into account the hip hop genre and what style of music is successful in that genre. I then took into account where the gap was and this is where I got the idea of using an artist that doesn't 'look' like a typical hip hop artist. Considering Pastiche, I did copy some elements and conventions from products that I looked at as part of research to ensure I kept a running theme from my research and planning. However I then adapted and added elements to it to suit a person that I already knew....Eve.

I brought in her actual personality traits and interpreted them into the genre to create the overall artist. In AS I took into account society, and how the genre I had chosen is usually presented and this helped me create the background story (i.e. the interview in AS). In some ways the reader would decode these features as they appear familiar to them.

In A2, the intensity of the research increased therefore my reliance on real media products was a lot more so that I was able to create as close to a proffesional piece as I could.

In relation to the above, how can you be more specific in terms of generic conventions of your medium?

Stereotypical elements:

• AS - Colour scheme, poses of photos, layout of the magazine.
• A2 - Photos, shots in videos, effects in videos e.g. a mix of fast and slow editing.

In relation to the above, can you be more specific in terms of narrative theory of your medium?

My whole project from AS to A2 followed a narrative and a story of my artist Eve T. I feel my text has a closed meaning as it does aim at a specific audience, follows a narrative and has a link between each of the products. In some ways it could be an open meaning as I've developed the artist instead of sticking to a 'stereotypical' view and therefore if the audience, for example, didn't read the interview or article about her, then they may not understand who she is as a person or her style of music. Therefore if they watch the video, it may come across as having many meanings that they are trying to understand due to them not knowing the 'background' knowledge. To overcome this I made clear links with Eve to her products and added promotional elements such as her website to encourage the audience to research into her.

What are they generic conventions of the media text you created? Which real texts did you research and adopt the same conventions as? Can you apply any of the editing theories to your work at AS/2?