Self Assesment

Attainment:B
Effort:2
Indicative: A
Homework(H)

I gave myself a B because I think that I am working hard, but with more effort and giving in more homework I will be able to push myself to an A which will allow me to produce better work.

Targets
Always try to give homework on time and not forgetting to post on blog.
Being active and concentrated, and researching in depth through case studies.

Case Study Essay: Audience 'Consumers VS Producers'

"Audiences are no longer just consumers of texts, but producers too"
To what extent is this true of the media products in your case study?

You will need to carry out further detailed research on your case study texts so that you can provide a number of specific examples across all 3 platforms

The statement above ‘audiences are no longer just consumers of texts, but producers too’ is somewhat true which will be discussed using my three primary texts which are all in the genre of music. The artists include JLS, Pixie Lott and Jay Sean and how they all operate on the three platforms: E-Media, Print and Broadcast. These texts all appeal to a variety of audiences and use the three platforms to interact and promote each other. In my opinion, this statement is true mostly in the music business as the audiences control the future and success of a music artist and how the consumers produce the artist as a whole.

Firstly, JLS who are a new boy band in the music industry originated from the broadcast reality TV show X Factor which is possibly the biggest and most watched show in the UK. The consumers of this text played a big part in how successful they could become by voting every week to try and keep them in the competition. This eventually led them to finishing 2^nd place and securing a record deal with Epic Records. Through this example, the consumers were the clear producers to ‘producing’ the future success of this band. Through the success of this band, a recent special show on ITV2 was broadcasted on the interaction with their fans and exclusive performances. In this sense, the band were independent and in control of how their show was produced compared to the consumers, therefore the statement can be disagreed with in this example.

Moving onto E-media which is more and more accessible through the younger generation, more music artists use this platform to interact with their fans. On JLS’ website, audiences are able to create an account and post their opinions and videos on their website in response to any activity JLS upload on the website. This website wouldn’t be successful without the consumers posting comments because these comments make the website more interactive, so in some respect you could say that they are partially a secondary producer of the website.

To disagree with the statement above, JLS has produced two books, a recent one named ‘Our Story so Far’ where all the information was independently written and produced by themselves. Of course within the book, the mention of fans would be present to achieve their success but ultimately, JLS as the band were the main producers of this book, and to my knowledge it was quite successful.

The next music artist, Pixie Lott, is a new female singer songwriter in the music business. She started at the age of 18 and has been very successful in competing with top artists in the British music industry. You could disagree with this statement above because through the platform of E-Media she produces her own line of fashion in which sells online, mostly on her website. As she is the main ‘producer’ of the new innovative fashion ranger, she is ultimately the main producer, where then her fans, the consumers then buy those items. This completely disagrees with the statement above.

Secondly, recently her song ‘Broken Arrow’ is now part of a new film trailer called ‘Beastly’. This shows that her music has entered other platforms which are known as synergy. This is relevant for her target audiences which could be females ages 16 to 25 alongside male mostly teenagers as they can experience a new way of keeping in touch with the artist. As the song was so successful due to the downloading by her target audience, it allowed the song to be synergised. In this respect, the interaction between the song and fans enabled the song to be produced in another platform hence concluding that the consumers were the main producers for the continuing success of the song. 

The third artist has been around in the music business for several years and went against all dominant ideologies. Jay Sean an Indian artist who came from an ethnic minority produced himself with the support of his fans, but mostly his hard work to achieve the status he has today. He is recognised in many European countries and the USA where he currently has a record deal with ‘Cash Money Records’. In my opinion, due to this hard work, dedication and successful music produced he has been a key producer of his music with the help and support of his fans, the consumers therefore the statement above can be disagreed with.

Secondly, Jay Sean operates on many social networking sites such as Face book and Twitter where he has a lot of audience interaction. His target audience is possibly females ages 16- 25 which is where most of them use such sites as a means of connecting with people and following various music artists. From my knowledge there is a lot of popularity on his profile pages, this allows the content to be user generated as the appearance as a whole is merely created by the consumers. From this you can suggest that Jay Sean relies on the interest of his consumers to create his popular profile pages, hence making the consumers the main producers.

In conclusion, I believe that ultimately, music artists cannot become successful without the input and interest through their websites and social networking which therefore makes them the producers of the media. However, you could also conclude, that the primary initial idea comes from the music artists themselves where then the consumers ‘consume’ the material, post opinions and videos as a means of feedback for the artist. From this perspective the consumers consume the media to enhance the production of the music artist. Both consumers and producers aret he main audience all tied into one.

Textual Analysis - 'Baby Drives Car' Hyundai

Media Forms:
Which advertising techniques being used?

The Hyundai advert is represented in a different humorous way with the use of two little, blue eyes, blonde white skinned children who act grown up by driving the car confidently. This was evident through the facial expressions and posture for example when the kid waves to an old man out the window. The child seems confident and comfortable which can represent what you would expect when you buy this car. 

Another aspect for the audience which they could experience is shock tactics because a young child is sneaking out of the house and taking the car for a ride. In reality that would be very dangerous however the use of humour alongside the shocks creates a ‘feel good’ factor in the way other aspects contribute towards it. For example, the fun and adventurous music enables the advert to be happy, innocent and simple relating again to what the car portrays.   

The use of the main protagonist as male and the woman narrator and singer creates an appeal of the advert to genders, male and females but in my opinion the primary audience is male. More importantly, the use of setting for example the beach, open wide roads and town centres reflects the flexibility of where and how easily the car can drive which is a positive characteristic to advertise to the audience.   

Representation:
How is gender represented in this advertisement?

In this advert the male seems to be dominant character throughout for example, driving the car and taking charge, being ‘flirty’ with the girl that he picks up on the road and last showing off with his surfing skills. All these are examples of dominant stereotypes in the advert which can reflect the type of audience this car appeals to.

The female seems to be a dominant ideology of all women for example, being feminine, flirting with guys and being soft and calm. This is most evident when the boy picks her up in the car and each other giving looks and laughing.

Both genders interact with each other and this could be classified as a sex appeal tactic which is implicit and makes the advert more memorable. It also brings a friendly and soft environment as well as fun which allows the audiences to feel at ease and draw them more into potentially what the car can bring you if you by this car. In both uses of gender, a man who buys this car can impress women and feel confident. On the other hand if a woman was a passenger in this car, they could experience joy and a chance to relax on any type of journey.

Institution:
What is communicated about the Hyundai brand and the experience it offers?

Hyundai is potentially a well known reliable brand through the previous cars that have been made.  The connoted message through this advert which is evident is the fact the kids represent fun, comfort and new experiences. This car also represents safety for any road as it has been shown through the city, country roads and near the beach which reflects the flexibility and capability of what the car can achieve.

Also, another aspect which you could take from the children driving it, is that any driver with any type of experience, old or new will be able to easily adjust to the simple settings and features of the car making the ride overall enjoyable.

Lastly, the slogan at the end’ young generation’ could connote that the car is new, fresh and modern for any age or more specifically to the upcoming generation like 18 year olds. Also you could suggest that the slogan represents the band to have forward thinking and are potentially futuristic but still offering simplicity.

Audience:
Who is target audience and how does the advert attempt to persuade this audience to buy the product?

This advert is mostly appealing to the young male generation of 21 to 35 because of the way it is portrayed but more importantly Hyundai’s slogan which is ‘the next generation’. From this you could connote that the car is within a new generation or a new generation of itself. Either way, the new modern looking car would appeal to a more young male audience.

Looking at socio economic groups, this would also be more applicable for the ABC1 target audience due to Hyundai as a brand and its reputation.  From the advert i realised that they didn’t mention the price, but instead glamorised and expressed the key characteristics of the car. From this you could gather it would be slightly pricey and didn’t want to distract their audience from taking that on board. Hence a more expensive price would appeal to a higher working class as they are more likely to afford it. 

Lastly, looking at psychographics you could interpret that this car would aim to explorers as they like to take on board new experiences with lots of energy, generally they appeal to more of the younger audiences. Also aspirers could potentially be a target audiences for Hyundai as it offers them to create a new and improved status in the car as it is flexible to any surroundings the may visit. Lastly relating to the higher working class, succeeders would also be interested because it allows them to be confident and take on board a new opportunity.

Case Study Essay: Audience

Audiences are becoming increasingly powerful in shaping the media output. With reference to your case study, how far is this true?

·          

• Provide a brief outline of your case study

• Evaluate the roles of audiences in the creation of media products from your case study

• Support your answer with reference to a range of examples from the three media platforms

Firstly, my case study is based on research on the genre of music, specifically, British pop artists. The three that I have chosen are, JLS, Pixie Lott and. For each of these I have researched how they operate on all platforms; print, e-media and broadcast. Each are very different in the way they approach their target audiences as they appeal would be different according the gender, age and ethnicity of their mainstream target audience.

To begin with, JLS who are a recently new boy band have become very successful with the amount of awards such as Mobo and Brit Awards. They have certainly appealed to mainly female audiences from 8years to 25 years of age which is a big scale. Initially they auditioned for X factor which is potentially the biggest reality TV shows in the country. Through this broadcasting they were able to appeal to millions of viewers. X factor is a prime example of UGC, where the audience votes, according to these votes, eliminations occur which shape up the show as a whole.  This represents the power of the audience which enabled JLS to have a successful career. Audience power in this case generated a massive positive future for the band JLS.

Secondly, analysing JLS as an independent band, the way the audience is enhancing the success of the band is by buying their products such as action figures, books, iPhone App, songs, and posters. In an involuntary way, by the audience participating in the consumption of all products, they enable the band to have greater income, developing their success and producing more creative songs and albums as a way of repaying them with entertainment. In my opinion, ideally the audience are the creators of success for any artist.

Lastly, JLS’ majority audience view is through E-media for example, their own website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. All are very interactive for their fans for example rating, commenting, make videos and becoming a member on their website. This creates a huge wide spread of interacting with the band. All the comments are reviewed which can provide an adequate opinion for the band in order to release the song through broadcasting. In this case, the audience have ‘supplementary’ power to the way their songs is released through the media which doesn’t necessarily mean they are shaping the media.

My second text focuses on a solo British artist named Pixie Lott. Again, she is young and new to the music business which creates a sense of greater interactions by the audience as they want to see how successful and whether she brings good entertainment to them. The beginnings of her career allow the audience to somewhat judge and make opinions about her music.  

As Pixie Lott is a new artist in the last two years, the audience are the biggest judges as they create opinions through her website, YouTube and Facebook groups. As an artist your ‘fans’ create a positive image for you therefore an audience through concerts and other events, allows the artist to feel confident about their success. 

Through my research I found that Pixie Lott was a guest judge in the sixth series of X Factor when Danni Minogue left. Not only did this bring big publicity for an X Factor audience, it also promoted the success of Pixie Lott as an artist of herself and the gratification of escapism that she brings with her music. Her target audience of females aged 14-25 can acknowledge this and use their ‘power’ to develop her future in music. 

As a music artist, the invasion of privacy through print such a magazines become a negative effect on the power of audiences. As audiences watch more television and read more, they start to develop their own views which may be false creating a negative image for an artist. This is known as the cultivation theory where too much information being received by audiences can affect the opinions created for Pixie Lott. From my knowledge, there hasn’t been any recent ‘shock’ story on Pixie Lott which is a positive aspect for her and audiences.

My third artist is Jay Sean also a male singer songwriter who has been in the music business for 17 years now. He has been and upcoming artist with songs featuring big American artists. He attracts the audience in several countries other than Britain such as America, Europe and Japan. This is a great positive to his career but also to the amount of interest being taken from around the world by a variety of audiences. More power through the media is generated with a large audience of females aged 12-25 which are populated in different countries. Jay Sean sometimes brings a sense of escapism because his songs are always meaningful therefore allow a greater audience to relate to it, increasing the interest creating more power in the way he produces his future songs to keep the interest.

Lastly, an important point that has developed in the media is the increasing amount of minority backgrounds succeeding in both the media and music industry. Jay Sean is an example of an ethnic minority where he has become successful in enabling the media to shape around new talent from a different background. He has allowed the media to broaden their horizons when researching and interviewing such artists. In this way, Jay Sean has developed the power of the media to publicise more than the norm.

In conclusion, through these three artists they all have different ways in they way the address the media and how the media enforces them to create more music with the use of their fans and different audiences. Yes the media is becoming powerful however with music artists, it is their decision to how they produce music but also considering the vast amount of opinions from their audiences.

Audience and Instituion

JLS

Audience

·         Audience Activity and Interaction

o   Log in to their website and comment on news and videos

o   Follow on Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube on their own pages. Can receive hourly updates, exclusive video diaries and competition updates

o   Able to watch their concerts for example in o2 where they address to a large audience of 20,000 people.

·         UGC

o   ITV2: This is JLS – Part of their show contained examples of undercover JLS members surprising their fans nearby to where they live. As it was incorporated into their show it became their overall narrative into the performances around it.

o   X Factor – people voting in, increased popularity for their band

·         Gratifications

o   Mostly for entertainment values, music they buy from JLS, are around them all the time, becomes a part of how the audiences entertain themselves.

Institution

·         Changes in Technoolgy

o   Use of Apps on iPod, Websites

TV Formats and Top Gear

Presenters and Presentation Style

1.       The 3 presenters are Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James may who are all middle aged men.  Through the BBC, they would offer their target audience with entertainment with car information which is a key value for the BBC through the TV license everyone pays.

2.       Typical items or features include, car comparisons, track races, analysis of various cars and competitions such as testing the best mode of transport to a specific place. The audience attraction could be that they invite well known celebrities to do a lap on the track and create a ranking with other celebrities.

Strengths of each platform  -

a.       Broadcast – offers a variety of different segments within the hour which an audience can enjoy. They also produced a Australia version within the company ‘Freehand’ which brought them an overall increase in the amount of viewers and interest into other platforms

b.      Print – Produced a magazine in the UK and Australia with ACP publishing. This was successful as it drives more sales and income within the BBC and the programme itself. It also complemented the online version which then became a primary dual strategy.

c.       E-media brings a lot of interest to those who like searching information on the go for example on their iPods. It creates a different aspect for audiences such as interactivity with the show and presenters.

5.       The platforms work together the fact that a variety of audiences can enjoy different ways of keeping involved with Top Gear throughout the week rather than for just an hour a week. They all promote each other in different ways which helps the success and future for the show as a whole.

6.       As there is a variety of entertainment over the 3 platforms, the audience benefit from this as they are able to gain a greater interest and follow the TV show and be ‘knowledgeable’ about when the shows are. Also subliminally, they create opinions and therefore share with others which is an example of secondary viral information. This can drastically increase the popularity for the show. The audience benefit from the pleasure they receive from watching and sharing with others around them.   

7.       The producer benefits a lot from the audience taking interest over the 3 platforms. As e-media, broadcast and print all promote each other, that developing interest is always increasing which means that the producer realises the benefits in itself such that the ‘viewer count’ on the broadcast is potentially increasing each week. It also proves to the BBC how an informational programme can be successful and be ‘regular’ in the future. The producer can feel privileged and motivated to create more ideas to keep the success going.

Top Gear Article: Post Modern or Past it?

·         Masthead – the masthead font is simple yet effective due to some letters being coloured within it. It is written all in upper case which allows it to stand out amongst any other writing which then also allows the reader to gather the key topic and information of the article and whether they would take interest into it or not. You could connote that the filled in letters suggest a real in depth article without any ’holes’ or mistaken or missing information in there. It can create a sense of truthfulness from the initial reading.

·         Typography – the main typography within the article is mostly san serif which can be co notated as modern. As this programme reflects up to date information about cars therefore being modern, reflects the style of writing used. The writing style can be considered as subtle however from a reader’s perspective; it attracts them to indulge into the reading if it looks more appealing to them.

·         Camera Angle – the main image uses a long shot as we can see a full length image and pose of the 2 presenters alongside the background behind them. In my opinion this image is very effective as it allows the readers to acknowledge the full picture and appearance of the article and the show.

·         Central Image – analysing the actual image tells us about the ‘emotion’ of what the programme involves. The 3 presenters are posed to be looking confident, knowledgeable and friendly. In my opinion the image is quite inviting and interactive even though it’s still which reflects the main success and aim to why it was taken in such a way. It primarily draws in the audience to understand what the article and show our about.

·         Layout and Design – Lastly, the overall layout of the article is very simple, masthead followed by an image then three small columns of writing. Sometimes writing less creates a greater interest for the readers as it is ’short and sweet’. Less writing is more appealing but at the same time, it can offer just as much information needed. The 3 columns also separate the amount of writing making it look less for the readers. The simple layout can always interest the most readers.