LESSON 122415: COURSEWORK BRIEFS

By now you have had time to select which brief it is you are going to spend the next 6 months developing.  

The briefs and the AQA guidance for these are on the MEST2 tab of this blog.

We now need you to indicate which brief and to start the research for your products.

A suggestion is that we first look at logos - how do media institutions logos represent who they are and their ideology

The logo must be:
[1] graphically interesting
[2] convey an image of the company's work [music; film etc]
[3] convey a sense of what the company are about - modern; quirky; etc

LESSON 122215: ADVERT AS ARTIFACT

We looked in lesson 23 at some basic ideas of representation - how adverts were a litmus test of prevailing zeitgeist of a society. We analysed a series of adverts from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s and tried to understand how each represented changes in those societies [marketing coke as a product associated with friendship rather than its qualities as a beverage; TWA as freedom rather than a plane ride; frozen food as guilt-free solution for busy mothers etc]

Now we need to put some of these into practice.  We have developed sufficient tools to analyse a text in terms of its construction [media forms; mise-en-scene; anchorage; polysemics], its contextual factors and now its social representations and ideologies - its zeitgeist.

The controversial product above is an advert for Dolce and Gabbana's recent campaign that aroused hostilities from groups who saw it as typical of media products that seek to confront audiences with images designed to shock and create an image for the brand of being edgy and challenging. D&G frequently utilise the idea of selling the sizzle not the sausage - the idea of the idealised fantasy lifestyle not the clothes.

The advert for Kraft salsa also is indicative of a sex sells approach to advertising that we have touched on already and might be said to be a useful example of Norman Douglas's observation of the ideals of a society being apparent in its advertising.

LESSON 122215:PRESENTING THE CAMPAIGN 2

Today we had the last of the images/campaign presentations. You were all amazing! Most of you had a clear sense of purpose and function and audience understanding was really evident.

the images of the campaign is hard to judge - Dylan was in with a shout for the daring and sense of composition - but the overall campaign of Eduards was special in a very special year. The image of the girl in the street is a text book example of the subtle power of photoshop especially when attached to a wonderful composition.

your grades will be on your blog in the next few days and then in your folders.

LESSON 122115: PRESENTING THE CAMPAIGN 1

This lesson we start the reporting back on your fashion shoots

We are looking at a number of criteria in assessing your project

[1] technical competence - focus; use of photoshop; filters

[2] fulfilling brief

[3] content

[4] aesthetic considerations

We are also looking at the quality of the presentations - your analysis of your campaign and how you have attempted to meet the brief

below are some of the ideas that you found to be interesting and we look forward to hearing from all of you your response to your own work and the input of others and how you respond to the campaigns of the rest of the group.

The standard this year is very high!

LESSON 122015: FINISHING POST

Well done to everyone - we're at submission day and i've seen some amazing work. You all appear to have listened really closely to the instructions as to the brief and also to the support sessions designed to draw out your best work.

Here is an image from Jordan's campaign. Great use of logo here [the use of punning is a well established device. the technical skill is high with some superb manipulation of the curves and saturation controls in PS. above all else it's also a cracking image to work on!

Examiners would be impressed with the construction of the audience - modern, urban, cool, fashionable, strong - particularly the aura of independent thinking evident in this image of the model.

lesson 121915: FINAL COUNTDOWN

We're almost at the end - just the last few adjustments and then you ought to be ready to show your work. 

Remember that the presentation counts towards the overall assessment grade

Here is another image from a campaign by Marcellino. Strong sense of brand here - great shot, really crisp and some excellent use of composition in the rule of thirds. Remember that you can 'edit in the frame' as well as in the post-production to give yourself a much better chance of realising the final aim.

Contact him at his blog to let him know your thoughts about his work.

LESSON 121815: NEARLY THERE

We're proceeding towards the conclusion of the project.

Many of you have used the workshop facility in T8 and i've seen some very interesting ideas - this year's presentations show much promise and I'm looking forward to what you have to show and how you will discuss your ideas.

Eduards was the first to post to  blog and the idea  shows the power of photo-shop and the impact of image manipulation which he has accomplished to a good standard. There is a clear sense of branding going on here and there is no doubt as to target market and I am certain he will have something to say about the choice of mages for his campaign. The choice of brand name is reflected in the image [urban; modern; female; edgy] and there is a clear sense of audience and use of rule of thirds.  What do you think? Comment on his blog by following the link on the homepage of this blog.

LESSON 121715: PHOTO SHOOT 3

By now you're all out creating the basic images for your campaign. I've seen some early proofs and there are some interesting ideas being developed and some very thoughtful approaches to the overall concept of the campaign.

Workshops available in T8 on the Macs [at least the ones that are logging on]

LESSON 121615: PRACTICAL SHOOT

This is all about photo-shop and the basic elements of that programme.  

Having created a product in the lesson you have some idea as to what this software is capable of.

I'll publish a guide soon but if you need assistance drop into T8 for a workshop session

LESSON 121515: PHOTO SHOOT PRACTICALS

This lesson we begin the sequence of sessions [L15-20] where you will be constructing an advertising campaign with the aim of creating a brand identity for your product - a new fashion label. The brief outlines all of the requirements and the schedule of working and as well as the hard copy to assist you in your planning is also located on the practical tasks tab of the blog.
In this lesson you will be taken over the issues and approaches and given some guidance and instruction as to how the brief is best met.
We will be looking at some previous ideas and student work as well as ideas from the fashion industry.
As ever, if you require inspiration, last year's work is available to view in the gallery tab of this blog.

LESSON 121415: BRANDING IDENTITIES

Over the next few sessions you are going to be creating a brand identity for a product.  you will do so by imagining an audience and then developing a means of communicating an identity for a product that the audience will find attractive or compelling. In essence you will be looking at applying the AIDS model discussed in class in previous lessons.

You will be creating awareness, interest and desire and you will have complete freedom as to which method you choose to construct this amongst your target audience.

to do so successfully you will have to think about the 'sizzle' effect for your product / brand. By looking at a range of examples from companies that have been successful in doing so we might find some starting points

Once you have the project brief we will be looking at how one company in the same market as your brief has been instrumental in creating new ideas in advertising that others have subsequently followed.

These CONVENTIONS are a good place to start.

LESSON 121315: ARE YOU LOOKING AT THIS?

AN IMAGE IS MADE UP OF 3 VITAL ELEMENTS:

POSITION

TECHNOLOGY

CONTENT

By examining these elements and the way in which they interact it is possible to find out how the meaning in an image has been constructed into it. Generally, by adopting this approach, you will find that there is more meaning in the image than you first thought.

POSITION: Places the viewer in a particular position relative to the objects in the image. You need to be aware as to [1] why we are placed in the particular position and [2] the impact this has upon our understanding [‘reading’] of the image as a whole.

TECHNOLOGY: We need to consider elements of lighting, use of photoshop, cropping etc

CONTENT: The objects in the image and the relationship between them. In looking at the elements of denotation and connotation we explore how inter-linking of objects creates a complex meaning for audiences.

In the PowerPoint IMAGE ANALYSIS a number of images are offered that allow students to explore the idea of each element in turn before exploring the interplay of these in the images for the DKNY advert and the DIESEL campaign.

The DKNY product attempts to link the brand’s identity to the idea of the fast-paced lifestyle of New York. It manipulates iconic images of yellow taxis, traffic police, skyscrapers by adding motion blur and a challenging image of a young woman dressed in red squatting on the pavement. It emphasises independence and an attitude to life designed to appeal to the target audience. it offers the aspirational [looks; life; life-style; attitude] as much as it does any sense of the actual style of the dress or shoes. The male counterpart product offers a similar take on lifestyle and the brand’s identity.

We call this attempt to link product and celebrity or product and ideology or cause borrowed identity.

;ESSON 121215: EVOLUTION OF SEMIOTICS

Saussure's lack of interest in the social context of meaning-creation meant an important area of study was neglected and to some extent Pierce’s notion of the interpretant went some way towards completing this gap.  Meaning is produced as the result of interaction between the reader and the text.

Barthes believed that there was a further level of signification.  The interaction of the object and the interpretant takes place in a context and that social context has a direct impact upon the meaning.

 

BARTHES : A literary theorist whose work moved him into areas of language, meaning and then semiotics.  His key idea is that the making of meaning requires not only the sign [Saussare] and the interpretant [Pierce] it also needs an awareness of the social context of the ‘reading’.

 

Much of Barthes writing developed theories of the impact of the culture in which a text was created as significant to its construction but also its reception by audiences which added layers beyond the influence of the writer or the creator of the media product.

 

His work lies beyond modern media ideas of the para-text.

The PowerPoint Evolution of Semiotics explores these theories by using a range of images and media products to explore the concept of how desire is seen in society and how it has been expressed by different cultures, expressing the contemporary view of those audiences.

 

LESSON 121115: REACHING THE AUDIENCE

Objective [1] To deepen understanding of how semiotics works
Objective [2] To apply theoretical knowledge covered to the idea of conventions
Objective [3] To consider deeper implications for how media products work on audiences - the unconventional impulse

con·ven·tion·al adj. : following accepted customs and proprieties; represented in simplified or symbolic form; in accord with or being a tradition or practice accepted from the past; "a conventional church wedding with the bride in traditional white" conforming with accepted standards; "a conventional view of the world" 

Conventions are accepted ways of doing something - shaking hands when we meet someone is an accepted convention.

Media producers utilize conventions in their products to enable a speedy communication of ideas and understanding.

Advertisers value conventions as - like anchorage of polysemic images - they direct audiences to a preferred reading of the media product.

The PowerPoint will take you through a variety of approaches to demonstrate the conventions and then the adverts that exploit the unconventional to make a point.

Some adverts are unconventional as they seek to stand out, to be memorable and to create a sense of uniqueness for their product or to make their brand seem 'edgy' or 'cool'.

We will be exploring this through adverts for beer and the way in which the tobacco industry have marketed their brands over the decades as they attempt to find innovative ways around legislation and changing public attitudes

LESSON 121015: I STILL DON'T GET WHAT YOU MEAN

Objective [1] To deepen understanding of how semiotics works
Objective [2] To apply theoretical knowledge covered 
Objective [3] To consider deeper implications for how media products work on audiences

Review: In lesson 9 we explored the idea of the multiple layers of meaning that images can have for audiences and the consequences of this for advertisers who are really only interested in their target market having one shared and predictable reading of their products.
This is polysemics and is countered by the attempt of advertisers to construct anchorage of images

This time we’re going to explore how this operates in print adverts – but of course all of these lessons are applicable to emedia and broadcast products

Coca-Cola adverts:
How are these adverts anchored to create audience understanding of what Coca-Cola sees as it’s USP

LESSON 120815: I DON'T GET WHAT YOU MEAN

OBJECTIVE [1] To introduce the idea of polysemics

OBJECTIVE [2] To attempt analysis of polysemic images

OBJECTIVE [3] To see how advertisers use this idea in their campaigns

As you will already have seen, visual and aural images have denotative content and connotative meanings.

Denotative  [the physical form; what can be seen/heard and agreed]

Connotative [Abstract; Speculative; Subjective]

Readings [understanding of meaning] of images involve interaction between the reader and the text and this always takes place in a social context.  This means that each reader of an image will ‘see’ it and ‘understand’ it in their own personal way shaped by their own unique personal experiences [see notes on Denotation and Connotation]

POLYSEMY

The fact that media texts, in particular visual images, have a number of potential meanings is described by the term polysemy.  They are said to be Polysemic [potentially open to many interpretations].

CASE STUDY: BRAND BECKHAM [POWERPOINT: POLYSEMICS]

The success of Beckham as a brand has been the polysemic nature of his image.  Beckham is a football hero; a captain of his country; an example of the drive to succeed.

He is also  attractive and desirable to women;  a family man;  wholesome;  talented;  enviable;  married to an attractive successful woman;  a globe-trotter;  admired;  envied by other men;  a fashion icon;  cool; fashionable.

Each of these ‘readings’ of Beckham make him attractive to different advertisers to endorse certain products.

The trick is which facet of Beckham do you need to emphasise?

Analyse the poster for Addidas for the World Cup ; Cometh the Hour

How is Beckham 'used' - which aspects do we see of him?

LESSON 120715: THE SCIENCE OF SEMIOLOGY

OBJECTIVE [1] To review understanding of signification

OBJECTIVE [2] To introduce the language of semiotics

OBJECTIVE [3] To introduce the key theorists
 

 

To truly understand the ‘success’ of a text we need to analyse ‘how’ texts  create meaning

To do this we need to first be clear as to what a sign actually is and how it ‘works’ in itself and then how it works with other signs to create sophisticated layers of meaning

objective [1]

In studying the media we will be concerned with:

[1] how signs work [physical composition and understanding]; 

[2] how signs operate in a social context - how meaning is created and how audiences understand signs; 

[3] the impact of  that meaning

A sign is made up of the signifier and what is signified

 

 Objective [2]

In a modern, complex society signs often work together to create a wider, more layered meaning.  It is the complexity of this process that will be the focus of much of our study of the media
Our own language is a good starting place.  Words are simply 'signs' - markings, shapes that we have agreed to give a meaning to and one that we commonly share.  After all, what makes a 'c' a 'c' is nothing other than agreement.  The PowerPoint in the lesson ought to help make this clearer. It is in other contexts simply a half-drawn circle.

As such, different cultures have ascribed [given] different shapes a similar meaning to our own [CAT in English is CHIEN in French - a different sign for the same creature].

We also ought to begin to think about how a shared understanding does not equate to a shared meaning.  We all know what a cat is and what the sign cat represents when we read it but the meaning is shaded by personal experiences and preferences etc.

Review of the learning:

Signs have a meaning  ascribed to them by the culture that created them

Signs have an understanding that is individual to us arising from the shared understanding

Signs have no meaning.  The ‘audience’ gives them meaning

Objective [3]

We now need to explore the theoretical ideas underpinning our study.  The PowerPoint Semiotics takes you through the key ideas of Saussure and Pierce and finally arrives at Roland Barthes

Presentation of broadcast clips : Q/A

LESSON 120615: SIGNS AND SIGNIFIERS

objective [1] To begin a closer exploration of how signs construct meaning

objective [2] To embark on gathering an initial understanding of what semiotics entails

objective [3] To apply understanding to a media product

Contextual Background:

As a species, homosapien man has always been a meaning maker seeking to make sense of the world around him and to communicate this to others.

Such a desire is the foundation that lies behind the creation of a sign system, which might be better termed a meaning system. Such systems are the basis of each culture. The increasing sophistication of such sign systems both mirrors and expands human understanding.

From the cave paintings of 15,000,000 BC to the current smart phone, the connection is our desire to create and share meaning.

It is from this that the area of study known as SEMIOTICS has developed.

SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS POWERPOINT – REFER TO INITIAL SLIDES HERE

Consider the images on the slide - the wooden cross, the crucifix, the religious painting, the cemetery, the tattoo

What does each image represent - what do we see? What do we understand?

In what ways do these images offer different interpretations of similar icons?

If we have shared 'understandings' but take different 'meanings' what does this tell us about semiotics [the use and impact of signs].

Look at the slides of images of 'Family'

What idea of family do you recognize? Do these meet your own ideas of your family? Is your family like the idealised version of adverts?

How is such an understanding used in our society in media products? [[family values?]

Watch the advert for KFC

Write a short response in your exercise books [about 5-10 sentences]

How is 'family' interpreted here?

Why?

What is the purpose of the advert? [apart from selling chicken]

the advert is entitled 'One Big Family' What are KFC saying about their products and their relationship with their consumers? [why not call it one big community' or 'friends'?]

MEDIA COURSEWORK BRIEFS DOWNLOAD PAGE

Below is the link for you to view the briefs for 2016


A LEVEL BRIEFS FOR 2016

[1] choose one of the three briefs

[2] START ONE OF THE THREE RESEARCH TASKS






http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/media-studies/a-level/media-studies-2570/updates/mest2-2016-coursework-briefs

LESSON 1205: ANYBODY WATCHING THIS?

OBJECTIVES

1. To develop awareness of the key concepts
2. To practice application of conceptual elements
3. To understand how these might be applied to wider range of products

This is the lesson where we move into the vital work on audience.  Pretty much all we do in the next few terms is focused on audience issues.  we need to consider some very fundamental questions and the following give the students an idea of the areas we need to get into.  For the products given [the 2 Bond posters are a good place to start] we need to ask them:

• To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience?
• What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text?
• What assumptions about the audience are implicit in the text’s scheduling or positioning?
• In what conditions is the audience likely to receive the text? Does this impact upon the formal characteristics of the text?
• What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?

LESSON 120415: KEY CONCEPTS

The objective of the lesson is to ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson in which you will present the two minute clips to the rest of the group [a reminder here that the clips ought to be uploaded to blogs for ease of access in the lesson and to enable staff to assess the work later]

Objective [1] To understand media texts we need to apply a series of criteria that we call The Key Concepts

We must begin any study of the media with the key concepts – these are the basic tools of the media students knowledge and understanding as to how texts work with audiences.

If you are able to ‘DE-CONSTRUCT’ media texts you will find that your own texts will work better and will be much more effective in putting across your ideas to audiences.

We’ll begin by looking at an image from the Michael Caine gangster film ‘GET CARTER’ to see how the key concepts can be applied to understand the purpose of showing Carter in this way – the location, the costume, the construction of the shot and what this might tell us about the audience it was intended for [grades E-C]

We will also see how it contributes towards understanding the institution that created it and the audience’s own understanding of themselves. [grades A/B/C]

We'll be working from the PowerPoint The Key Concepts for the rest of the lesson so be certain to access this if you miss today's lesson.

Remember – without understanding the theory your own work will be much less effective and your final examination performance will be poor 

Media Representations

Media Language

Media Audiences

Media Institutions

Media Values and Ideology

Task : In what ways [Q/A] does the image from Get Carter utilise these to create a reading and an audience?

[2] Representations: 

We'll next look at some further images that require some de-construction to fully understand them and whose meanings tell us something about the ideologies that underpin them [and our society].

Next we'll look at a video clip that tells us something about media forms as well as carrying some ideological messages that that the product [orange phones] wanted to be associated with in audience minds.