Reality Mission Shows (RMS's)

Examples of Reality Mission Shows:

DIY SOS - example used above

Undercover Boss

Extreme Home Makeover

Grand Designs

Secret Millionaire

Cake Boss

60 Minute Makeover 
Don't Tell The Bride
Mad About the House
Storage hunters             

Format- What is it?

The Reality mission show genre is one that is quite close to a documentary however reaches a conclusion usually within one programme. They are normally released in series however each episode will follow the stories of different people, yet there may be reoccurring people such as the presenters - or in my examples case, the builders and interior designers. These types of shows are usually aired around tea time in the midweek and they are aired about once a week. They are also shown in their masses on channels such as W (previously known as watch) and other repeats channels such as Dave. This I believe is due to the fact there is no real tory to follow over the series and is easy to just watch one episode and get an idea of what is actually going on. The basic format to these types of show is in the beginning a problem or task is set, and then throughout the episode we watch as the events unfold that lead to the conclusion. Then at the end there is usually around a ten minute slot showing all that was achieved throughout the 'mission'. 

Appeals- Who watches it?

I believe that reality mission shows appeal to the mainstreamer in society as they are often shown in a series, and this offers them routine in when they watch this. An example of a reality mission show that is well established is Grand Designs. This programme - hosted by designer Kevin McCloud - has been shown from 1999 and has been a regular show on channel 4 ever since. This means that the show is well established and can become integrated into a routine which is something the mainstreamer would look for in their entertainment.

Target audience 

RMS's are usually aimed towards an audience of around 30-50 however over the past decade more and more of these style programs have made their way onto more alternative  channels such as BBC 3 and even CBBC. Shows like dont tell the brid are broadening the type of audience that may want to watch this style of TV show and the age range is now probably between 13-50 however they would cover a wide range of subject matter.

Opening sequence

Setting

Real life locations.

Technical Codes

Characters and representations

Narrative 

HRH Prince Harry of Wales

Prince Harry has been at the centre of media attention throughout his life. From the moment he was born and through his troubled teens and the death of his mother, the media have kept track of what he is doing. 

Text 1: Paragraph from the princes trust website-
'The majority of The Prince's charitable activity focusses on supporting disadvantaged young people, promoting the welfare of those who are serving or who have served in the Armed Forces and sustainable conservation issues. Prince Harry co-founded the charity Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in memory of their mothers (Sentebale means ‘Forget me not’) to support orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho. Alongside his brother and sister-in-law, he is also Patron of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.' 

The images on the website (and the one above) all show Harry involved in some sort of charity work from the princes trust. all of the articles, biography and pictures show harry in a positive light. He is seen to be down to earth despite his extremely high status and doesn't appear to take himself too seriously. This makes him seem in some way relatable even though he has so much power. The fact he is involved in so much charity work reinforces how he is down to earth and that he actually cares. In the picture above e is seen hugging an elephant and is a clear depiction of all the ideologies that are being put across on the website. 

The encoders of this website - probably a highly royalist team of press - have presented harry to be  highly charitable and successful person, using images and anecdotes of his most courageous and impressive achievements. The image above shows him in what appears to be just normal - and slightly dirty - clothing that appear to juxtapose his status. Nothing in the picture could possibly tell you that this is a member of the royal family unless you knew who it was that was in it. Harry's body language in the image is so unapologetically casual it seems impossible that the image was staged and so enforces the ideology that Harry is down to earth. The paragraph about his charity work also shows this as he is involved in a range of selfless acts, in particular his work with Sentebale as he is able to relate to the people that he is helping and by sharing his past leaves himself vulnerable almost as he is bringing up times in his past of which were traumatic.

The website audience would be expected to respond in the preferred reading and see harry as down to earth and someone who uses his power for the good of others. They would be expected to overlook and not think about the troublesome stories that have arose about Harry in the past and focus entirely on what work he is doing now. They would understand that Harry is a man of extremely high status and be expected to look to him with respect but also as someone alike to them. 

In the society we live we are used to seeing people in power, using it and there money for selfish reasons and not caring about the needs of others, and making themselves out to be different to 'normal people'. This website portrays harry in a completely different light to that and this makes audience want to like
 him as he is something different but can also be seen as someone relatable.

Text 2: News article BBC News (13/Jan/2005)

The article I am looking at on speigle.de is reporting about a scandal in 2005 'just two weeks before holocaust memorial day' where Prince Harry decided to wear a swastika 

Posters Research

Graphically designed image 
Simple but effective message 
Able to get the message quickly without too much thought - good for a billboard

This advert is a graphically designed image that depicts  person screaming. I really like typography used in this as it as a more natural and free feel which reflects perfectly the motion of screaming and "letting t all out".
I think that the lack of colour (except from inside the mouth) is connoting to the fact that the person is not 'letting it all out' and being non expressive. The fact that there is colour inside the mouth I think is linking to the fact again that the person needs to express themselves and is containing all of their emotion and feeling inside of them.

I believe that the typography used in this advert is very powerful in the word help as it  

National Geographic Analysis

National geographic is  a monthly magazine that has been in publication since 1888. The masthead of this magazine covers around 20% of the top section of the cover. It is obscured by the main image of Pluto. The fact that the magazine is confident to cover their title shows that they are sure of their brand and think themselves well known enough to not show all of the text. The words 'national geographic' themselves have connotations of science and discovery, and tells audiences that the magazine is factual and require a certain level of intelligence to read.

The main image of this magazine is the CGI picture of Pluto and surrounding space. The image takes up 100% of the image space on the magazine. The way the dwarf planet has been positioned makes the masthead appear on the horizon of the planet. This connotes to new horizons being reached in the scientific community. 

The magazine uses a Yellow border around the cover as this is iconography for the brand and shows consistently around every issue. This shows that the magazine is well established and part of a bigger brand 

Mockingjay Part II

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS

This film can be considered to cover both the Action Adventure and Sci-Fi genre. From the trailer I can make a range of binary observations based on the micro-elements as well as the plot of the film. 

Camera Tracking establishing shot on damn, showing a bleak and lifeless landscape, this could be referencing the limited life in the post appocalyptic panem but also as this damn is the source of the capitols power it could be a symbol of the extreme vasness of power the rebels are up against. The wideshot of Katniss on snow traps her in the frame - trapped in the cold world - trapped in snows power. Literally put closer to Katniss so we empithize ore with her. Low angle on her to signify her importance and influence in the story. Wide showing the togetherness (see dialogue) MCU on Prim while Katniss says "nothing good is safe while he is alive" could be foreshaddowing the death of Prim. 
Editing 
Slow and controlled in the begining but builds to a more frantic pace of cuts and disolves as the trailor continues.
Sound  
Non- diegetic: rhythmic drumming, the drums of war, orchestral, starts slow and then builds up creating tention and intensifying, sudden silences emphisize the dialogue, the iconic whistle of the mocking jay at the end is iconography of the franchise and is also  within the film a symbol of hope and the rebellion of the districts. 
Diegetic Dialogue: "The game is coming to its end" - Snow, when he says this he is not only elluding to the fact that this is the final installment of the story but also threatening Katniss as to her life coming to an end as to snow her life (and the rest of the district citezens lives) are just a game. Repetition of the word "together" is sugesting the ideology that together we are stronger and also tells us of hew thr districts have joined forces in this war against the capitol. The word "death" is also repeated a lot in this trailor and is basically the foundation of what the hunger games stands on. The ideology that some lives are more important than others are strong themes throughout the franchise; when peter says "they mean something" it changes this idea and shows that all the lives lost matter. "Welcome to the 76th hunger games" connotes to how they are still in the game and are being played still by snow, "Our lives were never ours" is another quote that re-enforces this ideology.
Diegetic SFX
Explosions and weaponary add realism to the situations on screen.
Lighting
Warmer lighting in scenes that dont show any aspect of war but mainly harsh cold lighting in shots showing the war and the capitol. 
Characters 
Katniss = Rebellion
Snow = Evil and capitol
Peta = reason
Coin = war
Prim = Innocence and Care
Gail = Soldier
Mise en Scene 
Rose - snow and his power over katniss also unnatural and a mask
The colour white, juxtaposition, peace causes the violence
Peace keeper uniforms also white and they cause the violence mask over faces no identity 
setting - the capitol is sci-fi style futuristcly built shows that this had all the wealth
Good wears dark and evil wears white - juxtaposing the norm
Rebels costume shows how weak and poor they are in comparison to the capitol

Lines of appeal Homework

This advert uses humour to make its message more memorable and to shock audience members. They have created an advert in which you think you know the outcome and you are proved completely wrong by the end. I think that is aimed at students as they would appeal most to this kind of humour and the brand pot noodle itself is stereo typically associated with these kinds of people. I also think that it is aimed at the mainstream because pot noodle is a well established brand and this appeals to the mainstreamers need for security. 



A slogan for a product that I have recently seen advertised is 'JUST DO IT.' for Nike. This slogan is powerful because it is an imperative sentence and is telling the audience what to do. Nikes use of the full stop is important because it makes the statement feel more final and makes it seem that what they are saying is the only option. Another thing is that people using nike products are more than likely to be performing some sort of physical activity, so by encouraging them to just do it is telling them to go for it at their best ability.

This NHS advert uses shock tactics by showing a gruesome image of damaged blood coming out of the end of a cigarette this juxtaposition is shocking for audiences and so they will take notice of the advert and take into account what they are saying. It also makes viewers stop and think about the effects smoking has on their body so will hopefully make they quit fulfilling what the NHS hope to achieve. The fact they chose to look at blood and not the external effects of smoking will be hocking for audience as this is an effect that they will not see from looking in the mirror and make them worry what is happening inside them. The word toxins used in the advert is a powerful word as it connotes to death, and poison. When the NHS chose to use the phrase every time, this is another hock tactic it state that even if you have one cigarette then you are still in danger of the toxins they produce.

The foster advert stereotypes the typical Australian by situating the two actors in a beach hut and giving them stereotypically Australian lines such as 'g'day'. The avert also puts them in a care free environment which see them relaxing playing card and drinking. The advert gives the impression that every Australian is like this.
Also this advert stereotypes men to speak about unintelligent issues and possibly suggests them to be stupid and ignorant, suggesting they only peak about sports.



The Vodaphone advert that shows Yoda is an intertextual link to starwars.

Media Diary Week Six

Guilty pleasures

My guilty pleasure is possibly the most overplayed christmas film ITV2 has in its armoury of rom coms. The film I am refering to of course is Love actually. This extremely British film is frowned upon by many as 'sopy' and on an IMDB review was called 'a load of tripe', despite all this I can't help but love it. 

I think this is definitely aimed at the mainstreamers of society and I usually find romantic comedies such as this boring and predictable. I think I definitely take the prefared reading of this text and just accept and enjoy everything that is going on onscreen. I feel like overthinking anything in this film would ruin the simplistic charm that it has. I think te text apeals to me as it is hoplessly easy to watch and has many relatably british traits. 

Meda Diary Week Five

The Big Bang Theory

I am mid way through watching every episode of evey season of TBBT and I am hooked (partly thanks to how easy it is to stream shows and waste time on the internet). The big bang theory offers a form of escape as you are taken into the world of Sheldon and his friends and can completely forget about the world around you. Also because it is a comedy you can enjoy it and laugh without much thought, whereas a show like Sherlock for example would require full attention for you to keep up with the story and be entertained. 

Over the series' I have grown to know each of the characters personalities. They each steriotype different individuals that could definitely be compared with people we know in our lives. Also the situations that the characters are put in are also relatable for audiences and we can make connections between the characters lives and our own. 

When the show starts there is a # on screen inviting you to join in the conversation online. This allows audience members to interact with eachother and share there views on the show. Also TBBT is perfect to watch with your friends so you can discuss with people face to face as the show is playing.

Finally the show makes a lot of references to things going on in the world, refering to big news stories and shares specialist information with audiences about classically nerdy and sciency things. 

The Mockingjay Part One

I decided to rewatch the penultimate Hunger Games film this week in anticipation of the final installment which is hitting cinemas on the 19th. This film offers escape in the way that Panem is completely different to the world we live in today. Its set in a war ridden post appocolyptic setting that would allow any audience member to escape from events in the real world. Its entertaining as it is filled with action and suspence keeping you hooked to the screen. We can identify with personalities of characters in the film and so relate with them and compare them to people we know. Being a film not much talk or media usage will go on at the same time as the film but afterwards many questions and comments are made by speaking to who you watched the film with or other people on twitter or facebook. 

Even though the film doesnt have anything factual in it we do get a lot of specialist information and lore about the world and the things in it. Such as the districts and the roles each one plays and the history of the Hunger Games itself.

Media Diary - Week Four

The text that changed my life. 

This is quite a big statement to put on a single media text, but I believe the text that chaned my life actually changed the world. The text I am talking about is Facebook. More than one billion people have accounts on this website and that number is set to grow as counties and people become more developed in the technology they have available to them. 

For me personally I have used this website almost daily since I made my account back in 2009 and it has completely changed my consumption habits of the media. I have however changed how I use this site though, (thankfully) I no longer spam all the people on my friends list with Farmville invitations or any of the 'which one are you' group tagging pictures. I also used to post regularly on mine and others walls which I definitely dont do any more. I am still haunted by my completely pointless posts with facebooks new 'on this day' feature. 

I now really use facebook soley for instant messaging friends and group chats, and to look at some of the weird and wonderful news stories that travel across my newsfeed. However I do still use it everyday and therefore it has become integrated into my daily routine, so this is why I believe it has changed my life.

Media Diary Week 3

The Big Bang Theory Audience Classification

The audience for the big bang theory are in the D and E classes of society. I believe this because the audience members are mostly young adults that are most likely to be students or unemployed.

Males are probably more likely to watch this than females and are probably between the ages of 15 and 25. They will be students so live away from home and are gaining a university level of education. Audience members are probably sceptical christians and support the labor of the green parties. They are English or American English and but the majority of viewers are from USA. 

Audience members are either mainstream or explorers as I think this show is good for a wide range of people. 

Viewers will be in the Groupies and possibly Drop out groups of audience. This is because it is enjoyed by a range of people so would be used to be accepted in a group and also you can understand each show separately so you don't need to be a regular viewer. 

Media Diary - Week 2

Imgur.com
27/09/2015 23:21
I found this website via friends using it and I have gradually become a regular user ever since. 
The site really has no specific genre as you can literally find anything on it from cute cat photos to current political events from around the world. Imgur describes itself as the Internet's visual storytelling community. People visit Imgur every day to explore, share and discuss the best visual stories the Internet has to offer. 
The purpose of imgur is to share personal experiences, oppinions, news stories and creations with people around the world. Its contents is diverse and can allow people to keep up to date with events, share opinions and also educate.
Imgur was founded in 2009 by Alan Schaaf in his Ohio University dorm room as a simple, no-limits platform to share images online. The imgur team are now responsible for producing and developing the site, but the contents is very much produced by imgur users or 'imgurians'
The target audience of the text could be a range of people. I think it is mainly for the explorers in society as it is ever changing and is a lot less mainstream than sites like Facebook and Twitter. I think the age range of the site is between 15 and 35 but is suitable still for anyone older. The 'rebels' would also enjoy the site as they can voice their views and either upvote or downvote each post letting them be in controll of how viral the post becomes. The most viral post would be good fo the 'trendies' as they will be able to keep ontop of the latest internet and global events so they can appear current among their peers. 
I really enjoy using the site as it allows me to discover new things and see the opinions people have of my photos and artwork. It can make me both laugh and cry and also can be inspiring. I love the diversity it has and you really dont know whats going to happen when you press the right arrow. I do think that the app could be better designed on the android devices howver as gifs can't be uploaded and it takes a while for them to load, especially if they are HD. I also liked that there used to be a points graph showing the number of downvotes compared with upvotes each post had recieved. Imgur chose to remove it however because it influenced people too much on how they chose to vote. 
People could react to this text in thinking that it is boring because unlike facebook and twitter you dont personally know the people that have shared things. They may also not like the fact you have quite little controll over what you look at without searching for specific things. 

Mumford and Sons: Wilder Mind Review

Mumford and Sons
4th May 2015
Indie rock, Alternative rock, Indie pop
Island Records

★★★★

The hugely anticipated third album by Mumford and Sons was released earlier this year. And after a three year wait from fans  after their second 'Babel' they were not 
disaponted. The band that rose to fame in 2009 playing banjos have in this album turned them in for electric guitars. The lines between folk and rock have gradually become more blared over the years and Mumford are a brilliant example of a band that is taking advantage of the fertile ground in between. 
As a fan this album was definitely a grower for me, as initially it was quite a shock to hear the sudden transition from the classic folk quartet in the first two albums, to this new electronic sound that I would usually associate with coldplay if it wasn't for Marcus Mumfords rich vocals. 
Wilder Mind contains all the exceptional songwriting we have learned to expect from Mumford but with a darker, more sharper edge. This is definitely the biggest croud pleaser the band have produced yet. They have a variation from slower songs to the more intense songs such as 'The Wolf'. The new album also contains songs with the classic Mumford build up like 'Ditmas' that start off with a slow and almost eerie intro and build to an intense sing along anthem.
Despite the less 'Mumford' feel to this album it is definitely worth giving it a listen.

Photographic Composition

I chose this photo because it is a good example of the rule of thirds. You can clearly see how the image was composed with the bottom third being water the middle being clear sky and foliage and the top section being clouds and tree branches. The image is again broken up from left to right with the lightning strikes and the tree breaking the sections apart.

Test

This is a test.