War of the worlds - Radio show

The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio show aired on October 30, 1938. It was a Halloween special that was made up primarily of made up news reports. They reported how there was an alien invasion happening through out the world.

The show however was interpritated as real by some listeners, it caused 'moral panic.' Some listeners across America and Canada began to flee their homes, calling the police and claiming that they could smell poisinous gases or seeing flashing lights.

Studies later suggested that the 'moral panic' wasn't as wide spread as the Media had made out, and that although some of the population genually believed it, a larger amount did not.

The aftermath included people trying to sue the radio show, inwhich only one man was successful after the claim that he used money for that was to buy new shoes to escape the aliens.

Male Gaze

Laura Mulvey's theory of the 'male gaze'

*Shots linger on women, at this point you are seeing the camera through a young, heterosexual males eyes
*Men watch women
*Women watch men watching women

This theory suggests how we see the camera through a males perspective. The camera is set up so men watch women and women watch men, watching women. This theory is quite old now but can still be used in recent forms of Media.

Does this mean women are sexually objectified through the Media?

Which gender is more dominant in the Media industry?

Can the 'Female Gaze' be used in the same way?

These are all possible practice essay questions I can use to test myself

SMART Targets

Introduction
*I will focus on how companies target and define their target audiences

Primary Research
*I will investigate what aspects of an advert appeals to each specific audience

Secondary research
*I will find how to define the target audeince focusing on NRS, family life cycle etc

This needs to be in by the 8th December 2011

Case Study: Researching Mobile Phone Technologies

Case Study: Researching Mobile Phone Technologies

Approach to questions:

·         A short definition of each

·         Consider the history (How far the product has come)

·         All key concepts to be spelt/ used correctly

Wikipedia

·         Useful for definitions

·         Constantly updated information

·         Starts with specific facts

·         Ends with general information

Company websites

·         Vodaphone and O2 are the biggest local phone services

·         Simple to remember websites: www.-------.com

·         These websites have similar layouts: Displaying deals and offers to persuade the visitor to sign up. Additional information is then displayed in subtitled sections and headings

·         Use persuasive words and elements, such as Vodaphone operates to ’27 countries, across five continents’

·         Phone companies are independent. O2 starting as part of BT, a privatised company

Ofcom

·         Contains information on regulations of telecommunications etc

·         It is now know as the Uk’s ‘super regulator’ as it looks after media and telephone services

·         Company websites will always promote their new services/ offers

Reviewing your work

·         Stopping your research at regular intervals helps to review what you have just written while it is still fresh in your mind

Observations from the Media in 2005

·         ‘Texting’ is most popular for teens

·         It sets up connectivity to Africa for small businesses

·         A new argument occurred when the question of a ‘digital divide’ between the rich and poor was raised, but a wireless mobile structure is cheap and means all area, no matter your income can access a mobile phone network

·          In rural areas, mobile phone growth in larger than in cities due to the need to be connected, rather than a luxury possession as it is to us

·         After the ‘teen’s texting’ report, more luxuries were added to a mobile phone, such as picture messaging, music and internet.

·          Among teens who text, boys outnumber girls 3:1 –This can challenge stereotyping (Girls text more than boys)

·         After texting, taking photographs is most popular, but not picture messaging

Harry Brown Film Analysis: Actors.

Harry Brown is a 2009 British action drama film directed by Daniel Barber and starring Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jack O'Connell, and Liam Cunningham. The film also features actor and artist Ben Drew (Plan B) who, with Chase & Status, is also responsible for the film's theme music track "End Credits."

Daniel Barber: Director – Is a British director. He first directed commercials including Adidas, Sony, BBC and Orange. He was nominated for an Academy award for his film ‘The Tonto Woman’. His most recent film is Harry Brown.

Sir Michael Caine: Harry Brown- He is a famous British actor. He has won two awards for best supporting actor. He has more recently appeared in films such as; Miss Congeniality, Last Orders, The Dark Knight and Harry Brown.

Emily Mortimer: DI Alice Frampton- She is an English actress who originally preformed on stage, but has since appeared in television and films; Elizabeth, The Pink Panther, Shutter Island and Harry Brown.

Jock O’Connell: Marky- He is a British actor who attended Performing Arts School. He has appeared in television dramas/ films such as; Waterloo Road, This Is England, Harry Brown, and his most famous role as ‘Cook’ in Skins, the E4 teen drama.

David Bradley: Leonard Attwood- He is an English actor who has been in many films and television dramas such as; Sweeney Todd, Hot Fuzz, Harry Brown and more famously Harry Potter.

Benjamin Drew (Plan B): Noel Winters- Plan B is a famous singer/ songwriter who is also known for his previous roles in films such as Adulthood, 4.3.2.1 and Harry Brown, which he and Chase&Status together made the films theme tune ‘End Credits’.

An example of how youths are represented in the Media, both negative and positive.

An example of how youths are represented in the Media, both negative and positive.

Riot yobs filmed
attacking cop cars

HOODED youths launch a frenzied attack on a police car during the height of the riots that engulfed Britain last month.   
Shocking new footage shows the mob smashing in the windows of a patrol vehicle with café tables and chairs.
The thugs, who tried to hide their identities by wrapping scarves around their faces, wreaked havoc in Woolwich, South London, on August 8.
Moments later, footage shot nearby showed a youth hurling a brick at the windscreen of an unmarked police car.

Booze puts 1,300 kids in hospital

MORE than 1,300 youngsters ended up in hospital in Scotland's largest city due to booze and drug binges, shock new figures reveal.

A total of 1,319 youths — some under 12 — were rushed to A&E in Glasgow in three years after getting dangerously intoxicated.


Notting Hill Carnival knifeman
Street attack mars celebrations

Cops today revealed they had arrested a 16-year-old boy today following the stabbing.
The lad was held in west London this morning on suspicion of assault and is being held in custody.

 Three youths were arrested nearby on suspicion of GBH.

By 8pm there had been 132 arrests – bringing the total for yesterday and Sunday to 21

Britain honours its teen heroes
New awards celebrates the achievements of the UK's young people

Britain's teenagers are to get a boost from a government plan to end misconceptions of young people as knife-wielding hoodies interested only in underage sex and drinking.
"There's a real cross-government offensive. We're trying to come together to get a positive message about teenagers out there," said Tim Loughton, the children's minister. "The last government was unintentionally complicit in giving a damaging impression of youth culture."

The Government is tapping into a growing sense that the way the nation views its young people needs to change. Next Sunday in London the first BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards will be held, to celebrate the achievements of British teenagers who make a difference to their communities, have overcome difficulties in an inspirational way, or display entrepreneurial talent.

In the past 10 years, the rate of under-18s getting pregnant has fallen by 13.3 per cent; youth reoffending rates fell last year; and a recent study has found that in 2009 the number of teenage killings dropped by 30 per cent.


Callum Fairhurst, 13, Soham, Cambridgeshire
Teen Hero Award nominee
After his elder brother died of cancer, Callum used Twitter to arrange a 1,000-mile cycle ride, which raised £11,500 for the charity Clic Sargent. "Not many people see the good side of what teenagers do, and I've seen so many young people doing amazing things. At first I wanted to raise money for Clic Sargent, but now I raise money for Help for Heroes too, as they do great things."

Harry Brown Review

Megan Hume

Media Work: Harry Brown

At the beginning I felt an overwhelmed sad feeling, a very old man, struggling to breathe, stuck in a old-fashioned house (possibly still living in an earlier time period), scared of his surroundings. It appears that he has the same routine everyday, which is represented by using close-ups while he is doing certain daily tasks e.g. putting his socks on, shoes on, eating, and getting his coat on. The close-ups ensure the audience focuses on that rather than in a longer shot where the viewer maybe inclined to look elsewhere, whereas in a close-up shot the audience must focus on exactly what the director wants them to. This is what confused me at first, turned in to one of my favourite parts of the film. The detail put in to lead the audience away from the storyline, like the shooting at the beginning, you expect it to link back and so you are not expecting what really happens. The only small clues you get is the fact that he has been in the Marines. 

Something which I wondered about is why the representation of women is so little and weak. The woman inspector started off as a stronger character but as the film went on, I believe she grew to be insignificant. The only other women we view are ones that are involved in sexual activity. This shows that yet again it is a film targeted at men. I understand it holds many things that appeal to a male audience. There is one film I believe challenges that stereotype, Kidulthood. It is not as violent as Harry Brown, and the drug use isn’t as harsh, but I think that taking female characters and making at least one of them strong (Alisha from Kidulthood), I think a film can automatically be appealing to women if there is a female lead character, so I don’t really understand why Daniel Barber put a women in, as a main character, just to make her so weak.

After thinking about the film more I got a certain message from it. First of all films will often have a hidden moral to it. Whereas in Harry Brown the gang members may get punished for what they did, but then Harry who is actually killing these people gets away with it in the end. Which is taken from the theory of there being a hero, but to be realistic he should have been taken to prison. And the reason you actually feel glad inside when he does get away with it is actually because even though he is committing murder there are little things that in some way justify it. To begin with the guy who was going to mug him seems irrelevant, like he had it coming. Also the director had chosen to show you earlier how the boy he first kills had been involved in killing Len.

The second people Harry kills is unexpected but he says certain things like “ you should have taken her to the hospital” which makes you think, yeah he did give them a chance and she was going to die, like this justifies what he is doing, which is crazy that you somewhat agree at the time.

Another technique the director uses to justify what Harry is doing is how the three people that he actually quite brutal murders in the tunnel were the ones who killed Len. Combining the scenes where Harry sits and cries after he finds out Len is dead and the phone video of the kids killing him, part of you feels that they really deserved what they got, and that Harry had no other choice.

Over all my feelings towards this film is that I believe it is somewhat ironic. Whether it is intended this way or it’s just my take on it. The way Harry is perceived in the beginning scenes, as a frail, old man to him then defeating and murdering them just seems a little funny. How the gang members are made out to be this terrible thing but then really this old man with a breathing problem goes

Megan Hume

around killing them all. But from this theory I have developed another one, how the director is showing just how unimportant these ‘kids’ actually are. How an old man, even though he has been in the marines, hasn’t needed to use strength to beat them, but clearly his brain. I think it shows to the audience how easy it is to let something get out of hand and scare you, when really they are just a couple of kids shouting around. And the point is that they rule the area, and even though they can create some harm, it is really showing how today people are using mindless crime and a quote from the film which Harry says “back then it was necessary now they are just killing for the fun” (or something similar to that).