Media Studies OCR Exam Blog - Kate Ovington

HOW FAR ARE THE VIEWPOINTS AND IDEOLOGIES COMMUNICATED BY THE MEDIA LANGUAGE USED IN ADVERTS? REFER TO SOURCE B TO SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER. Advertising is very much a gateway between brands and consumers in order to express the ideologies  and  viewpoints of the  brand to target a specific demographic.  In this case, Armani has used codes and conventions typical to male- targeted  fragrance  advertising norms in order to attract and appeal to the male gaze of  its   heterosexual  ABC1 male target audience.   The feature image of the print advert indicates a focus on the male  protagonist , protecting his woman from the world with her in his arms. The  audience, being the same  demographic  as the model, can almost envision  themselves  being him in an idealistic world , wanting to be able to  constantly  have a beautiful woman in their arms and look  classically  handsome with no effort. This...

KEY IDEAS: // Semiology is the study of signs. Signs consist of a signifier (word, image, sound, etc.) and it's meaning - the signified. // The denotation of a sign is its literal meaning. // Denotations signify connotations - the associations of the denotation. // Denotations and connotations are organised into myths - the ideological meaning. These make ideology seem natural. (E.g. Bulldog = Myth of Britishness)

'THE DIFFERENCES IN THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF LONG FORM TELEVISION DRAMAS REFLECT THE DIFFERENT VALUES, ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS OF THE AUDIENCES THAT CONSUME THEM.' HOW FAR DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT? The contrasting nature of codes and conventions within the LFTVD genre very much stems from the need to reflect the different values, attitudes and beliefs of the consumer in order to engage and target individuals personally, regardless of whether the show is for a global mass audience or niche national one.  Netflix, a large international media company, has to extend the codes and conventions in order to reflect audiences on a global scale, making sure consumers can connect with the product regardless of geography. Whereas, smaller PSBs like DR only need to appeal to it's niche nordic audience so codes and conventions will differ. Where Netflix has a need to appeal to a global audience range in order to increase it's market share, DR is projecting to a niche audien...

DOMINANT IDEOLOGIES IN THE KILLING: // Opening Scene - typically female victim wearing very little clothing. // Sarah Lund in a male pyjama top but still quite revealing. // Clearly male-dominated workforce. // Sarah Lund appears to 'put up' with a lot of sexual innuendos and banter at work. // Both candidates for the mayoral position are men, one of which is having an affair with his female assistant, presenting her as only an object for sex while he is clearly still hung up on his wife. // It is the father that goes out to search for Nana and not the mother, who stays to take care of the children. This puts the father in a position of power while on the phone ot the mother at the crime scene, because he is in the action and can see what's going on, whereas she is helpless at home. DOMINANT IDEOLOGIES CHALLENGED IN THE KILLING: // Sarah Lund walks through the rain and doesn't seem to care about her appearance. // She demonstrates both typically male and female characte...

  REPRESENTATION OF PLACE: // The question is, are small towns like Hawkins really safe? It's an argument of relativism, a place is 'safe' only when compared to another that is 'unsafe'. The perceivement of small town America to be quaint and unassuming stems from the assumption that Americans from one place are inherently kinder and better people than those who live elsewhere. // We are tempted by the simple-minded notion of small town goodness, them pull back the curtains on it's cruel practices and our naiveite in being surprised by them.  // The Duffer brothers are very self-aware about making a show in the present about a time in the past that many people still remember. // Racial and sexual stereotyping is avoided and Eleven is a present-day creation constructed by a present-day understanding of what young women are capable of. // Stranger Things unintentionally works off of the fear of what may be amassing just outside of the town limits of what we consid...

EQUILIBRIUM THEORY APPLICATION: The video tells the story of an inspector visiting a village, appearing a pastoral idyll, only to reveal the darkness that lies under the surface. The status quo, or what Todorov would term 'equilibrium', is established through a colourful mise-en-scene with close-ups of flowers, multi-coloured houses, trees and people. This is almost a visual of the Inspector's expectations of what he is coming to visit. The disruption, or initiating incident is revealed through  parallel  imagery, unfolding only once the Inspector actually arrives. The man once painting a postbox (British symbolism) is now painting a red X on a 'traitor's' door. The flowers on the pole are revealed to actually be on a noose. these, once close-up shots are now long/mid-shots, revealing darkness through the inspector's perspective. As the narrative builds towards the climax, more sinister elements are revealed through the use of changing time. The morning ...

THE JOB THAT MUSIC VIDEOS DO - THEIR PURPOSE: //Describe the star image or brand constructed for the artist. Include relevant info about the artist and their genre. //How does this video engage and entertain it's audience? //Does it explore big ideas and comment on society? //Who is it's core audience and how does it target them? //What elements of this video would encourage an audience to share and like it? THE METHODS - THE WAY THEY USE CODES + CONVENTIONS: //What is distinctive about the performance?   -1- Describe the camera angles, shots + movement used   -2- Describe the editing - changes in pace, cuts, transitions   -3- describe the MES - setting, costume, lighting etc. //How are close ups and other elements used to build the star image throughout the video? //How is MES used throughout the video to create style, branding and representation of people, places and ideas? //How do the music and lyrics work with the visuals - how does the...