Television Genre: Documentary

Documentaries usually run within a series between 4-8 weeks, depending on the length of the series of the documentary. Sometimes a documentary can be filled into a 1-2hour slot just as a one off, such as Blackfish and The September Issue. Depending on the nature of the channel, documentaries can run through the day, however more mainstream documentaries play around after 8pm and into the watershed (past 9pm) if the content is explicit or taboo.  the whole purpose is the inform the audience on a certain topic area, such as birds, or the ongoing presidential campaign.

Documentaries can differ immensely due to the vast amount of content of the documentary. Documentaries focus on on particular topic, for example they could discuss the way of life of wild animals in Africa or the hidden side of fashion. They identify with the audience and their likes. Catfish the original documentary say it brake traditional roles of how a television show is filmed, as we POV shots from the host himself. in mainstream documentaries the usually do sit down interviews with people who were there of the topic, giving it a homely feel to the audience as they base it in familiar everyday settings. Each documentaries aims to give the facts, but make interpretation and uncover new facts about the topic.


Louis Theroux documentaries are made within a series, played weekly when they do run and broadcasted after the watershed (after 9pm in the UK) due to the explicit nature of the documentaries. Throughout each documentary, Louis is introduced into the lives of people on the topic area he is studying. He indulges himself each documentary on many topics such as life in prison, interviewing prisoners or he could indulge himself in extreme right wing racist families all so he can attempt to understand their lifestyle and views. In documentaries we are introduced to the topic area at the start of the show, either through the title of that possible on of documentary like The September Issue, or we could have a high profile researcher like David Attenborough or Louis Theroux and then the topic for that specific documentary.

Representation of Amanda Bynes

Here in the article we see Bynes in a paparazzi shot merged together with a shot of her parents. It shows her being represented as important and highly talked about if paparazzi are wanting to take her picture. However she is clearly trying to be 'disguised' or hidden due to her large dominating sunglasses.

The encoders of the text are trying to show amanda as

Magazine Cover Analysis - OK! Magazine

The masthead uses the word "OK!" which is a simple colloquial term used in everyday life, suggesting that the magazine is friendly and approachable, almost as if its talking to a friend. The word "OK" is an accepting linguistic, just accept and move on, making the audience passive to everything they read, even if the magazine lying. The use of punctuation, the exclamation mark, used on the end of the word adds emphasises to what the word actually is saying, making the word being presented in a more happy, positive way. Furthermore, it shows the title like it is shouting at its audience.

The main image denotes Kate Middleton on the cover. The magazine was published around the time she just gave birth to her first child, making it her obvious for being on the cover and being the central protagonist on many different media outlets of the time. The picture is a close up, paparazzi shot of Kate, she is filling the majority of the cover, proving that the majority/main story is going to be about her. The anchorage around her is mainly depicting stories about her and the people she surrounds herself with.

3) The anchorage around the magazine is very cluttered and compiled on top of one another. This suggests that the magazine is extremely busy with celebrity gossip that it wants to get out. Moreover images/anchorage on the left of the cover relate with the main image of the Duchess of Cambridge. They are the main story lines along with -sub-story lines that she
4)
5) The target audience for the magazine will be targeted towards Mainstreamer women. It has popular celebrities that are household names that people will relate to, they're unfamiliar to the audience.

Genre Essay

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Witchin the trailer, a large variety of long wide shots from a high angle are used to establish the abnormal setting the trailer takes place in. Many setting are shown through the trailer but it is clear that this is no reality. From the original Alice in Wonderland novels, we know that this fantasy land is  "down the rabbit hole."

Dark props in the trailer are used within a dark environment as we see Alice looking into a mirror. the mood is very somber along side a negative mellow atmosphere. The dark props we see mixed in with the dark lighting are portraying the mood of the actual room, every little thing within this trailer has life, emphizing the fantasy genre. The colour blue connotes has being as being very spiritual and calming, however within the shot it provides the audience with a juxtaposition has the room is highly negative. It is challenging conventions which is what a fantasy film should do.

Another shot is shown where the environment is more lighter joined with lighter props such a bright flowers and extremely green gress. These setting around is a visual signifier as its showing the atmosphere of the rabbit hole, it's portraying an extremely dillusional happy fantasy land.

There is a close up shot of the Mad Hatter, this shot was chosen for two reasons, one - to show the emotion of the character which relates to the environment around him, very negative however still with a hint of innocence inside him, and two - to exceplify the characters features. The fire around him coordinate with the colour of his hair and eyebrows, the redness matches withy each other. The colour of Hatter's eyes are green, they're the only different colour within the shot, even though they are so small within the shot, they dominate the screen as they are so different and the colour is emphized, they connote as being very natural but again this provides a juxtaposition is emeralds green eyes are not natural at all, along with this world, providing a juxtaposition which is apparent throughout thr trailer. His facial expression is innocent yet the environment around him instant as its isolated which is ironic.

The fantasy genre is a away for directors and writers to get what is inside their imaginations outside and to be shown on the big screen. Seeing everyday objects being used in such an abnormal way is apparent through the trailer, for instance a door is placed within the middle of the sky.

https://youtu.be/anvGUW-vsLE

Passive and Active Audiences: Homework Questions

1. The Hypodermic Injection theory is associated with the effects debate. The theory states that if a constant message is being shown through the media, e.g refugees fleeing their home countries seeking asylum, the audience's behaviour will be infulenced and will stimulate them to do something. The audience receives an "injection", either good or bad, from the media and they will act on it. So with the recent news on refugees people are protesting saying refugees are welcome to the countries they're fleeing to, others are saying they should stay in their home countries. Furthermore another theory associated with the effects debate is the Innoculation/Desensitisation theory. This theory's says that if a constant message of violence is shown to the audience through long term exposure, they will become immune to this sort of behaviour. When violence is presented through films such as Kick-Ass and drug abuse is shown through The Wolf of Wall Street, the audience will not be shocked by this behaviour as they will show no emotion towards it.

2. An active audience member needs guidance when choosing an opinion on a media text. They seek help and opinions when making a decision on their opinions. They seek the help of other audience members who are called Opinion Leaders. These Opinion Leaders could be an audience members parents or reviews on a media text. They look for other opinions however they aren't always going to be same as their Opinion Leaders. 

A passive audience member will go to their Opinion Leaders seeking what they think of a certain media text and agreeing with them to fit in. They will happily use somebody else's opinion instead of their own to deconstruct a media text instead of giving their own response. 

3. Personally for me I don't think violence shown through television does make a person violent because I've been exposed to violence through many media texts from an early ages yet now at the age of 16 I've never committed a violent act once. When the London riots were documented it never made me want to go out and riot and cause chaos on the streets. A person has their own free will to do what they want, a media text presenting violence doesn't tell their audience to go out and cause havock, a human. makes that decision all on their own.

4. Yes I do think active theories are more acceptable than passive because as the Cultervation Model shows that the audience have a choice to do what they want with their media choice. It presents humans as individuals and can do what they want with media texts and their consumptions of them. However people only watch shows they like otherwise they wouldn't be consumed at all. Peoples likes and dislikes can be individual however people will be sharing some of the same likes/dislikes. So this then places people's likes and dislikes into categories so it doesn't represent people as individuals but as being part of a group.

5. Keeping up with the Kardashians is a show a enjoy a lot. I use this as a form of escapism as when watching this show I escape reality and watch this glamorous lifestyle unfold in front of me. I immerse myself into the drama that is presented on the reality show. For personal identity, I stupidly see myself as this person who wears amazing clothes and loves all things superficial that is shown on the show, I have everything I need right now in life just like these women do. Social Interaction is used as the show is constantly tweeted about on Twitter and I interact with other fans and the stars themselves on the Internet. Also with my peer group as we all enjoy the show and we discuss out favourite episodes and favourite people on the show,

6. The advert I watched was H&M - Close the Loop (https://youtu.be/s4xnyr2mCuI). The preferred reading of the advert would be that fashion is important has the whole advert has been created by a fashion company. Also be yourself in the clothes you wear and be an individual as the advert goes into to list and present many style types and all different people being shown in the clothes they were. Furthermore that recycling clothes should be done as at the end the advert that is the message shown, this also has an implied meaning that saving the planet is also important.
A opposite reading of this advert could possibly be that why care about what you're wearing, clothes are just clothes. Also that why try and save the environment/planet because it's already damaged and will continue to get damaged so what's the point in trying to rescue it. A cynical opposite reading could be that we are only on this planet for a few years don't waste your time saving it and focus on yourself, it won't die out In your lifetime so don't worry about it. 

Media Diary Week 4

The September Issue 
I had always been a lover of documentaries, especially when it came to animals; sharks, elephants, polar bears you name it but thats how my fear of crocodiles came to life. However my main love has and always will be fashion, and when two of my loves crossed paths, The September Issue was born. 

I've always wondered what it would be like to be apart of a magazine, to see all the details and the different roles that go into bringing a magazine to life. When watching this documentary it definitely turned a light on in my head that hasn't been switched off yet by my indecisiveness. I've always struggled with the question "What do you want to do for the rest of you're life?"  and my response was always the same, "I don't know." But, after watching this documentary it had impact that will affect my future career. It was after this that I finally decided I wanted to be editor for a fashion magazine. 

I've always fancied the idea of having this life like Betty Suarez where I become an assistant to the editor in chief of a fashion magazine to then become an editor of that magazine and I would love the rest of my life and be happily ever after. However I'm Betty's case she moves to another country and becomes the editor in chief of a magazine she wanted to write for but for my case I'm going to leave elements of that out.

I hate to rhyme this but, fashion has always been my passion. I was always told when I was younger that "The fashion industry is just impossible to get in to" and it was shut down there and then. However getting older I've realised that I can't be impossible if people are in it and it's gave me determination the actually follow through with my decision and be the person I wanted to be. 

Media Diary Week 2

Recently I've been watching a short fashion series on YouTube called "Future of Fashion with Alexa Chung." The latest episode I watched was titled  "How Do You Become A Fashion Designer". I came across this series when I did my usual browse through Vogue's YouTube channel to only find the trailer for the series and every Tuesday since I've caught in with what Alexa's mission has been for that episode. The soul purpose of this series is investigate the most frequently asked questions about how to break into the fashion industry.

Vogue have produced this text to an audience of Aspires, mainly a demographic of young fashion students who are struggling to find their way into the fashion world. the Aspirer loves all things superficial and one of the most superficial things in this world is fashion. It can range from high-street to high-end. Mainly this documentary focuses on high-end with designers such as Balmain and Alexander McQueen.

As I have a love for fashion and documentaries, combing the two makes my reaction ten times better, There is always something to take away from each documentary consumed and I feel so much as been taken out that I will hopefully benefit from later in life. I've always heard the phrase "fashion is an impossible thing to get into" however the documentary is out to prove this statement wrong, it is a real eye opener for young aspiring fashion lovers to achieve a goal that has always been said to be "unrealistic." From the moment this series began, I instantly fell in love. People may consume this purely to fill time, like I was in the beginning, but now I use to just to extend my love further and further for fashion and just to hear Alexa Chung's monotone voice, there's something about it that has a calming and humbling aspect to it. (P.S I highly recommend her book, such an amazing read.)

If somebody had a different reaction to me they would still see this in a positive light but look at it from a different perspective. They could have different reasons to be watching it. If viewed negatively all I would ask is, why were you on British Vogue's YouTube channel anyway?

High By The Beach - Lana Del Rey

High By The Beach is the latest song from Lana's upcoming album "Hooneymoon" which is out on September 18th. Her previous album "Ultraviolence" came out January of 2014 which did not disappoint any Lana fans including myself. One can only hope that this next album is beyond better than her last, hoping for new sounds not yet heard by the talented singer, and this song gives us all the hope we need.

This song represents itself to be highly relaxing straight from pressing play. The chorus of the song depicts Lana as very dissatisfied for something causing this sadness that she desperately craves to be taken away. The Florida Kilos singer delivers a very urban and grungy vibe to the consumer as the beat of the song posses a relaxing rhythm into the listener. With this song, Del Rey really portrays the title of her new album, Hooneymoon, in this song which has connotations of love, sex and being free.

Personally I hope this song is just the first sip of this talented tea Lana Del Rey kindly serves us with. It is such an insight of what is yet to come. It's has Team Lana (aka Lana's fan base) on the edge of their seats highly anticipating her new album. Lana herself describes this album,to Billboard, as, "very different from the last one and similar to the first two." (Lana Del Rey and Born to Die)

Overall, High By The Beach is easily a true artistic masterpiece by Lana Del Rey. This song takes definite priority in my "morning jams" playlist as it is at such a high standard. I absolutely adore this song and will be a repeat for weeks to come. I give this song a generous 5/5 as I do have little comprassion to give this to until midnight on September 18th.

Photo Composition

This is a good example of 'rule of thirds' because the top layer shows the sky with colours of blue, the middle layer shows somebody skydiving down with the ground they will land on and the bottom layer shows a dull, dark ground. The middle layer is the most effective as it shows the person skydiving within the points of interests, it also has a big pop of colours such as blue and yellow so it draws attention straight to the consumer.

Test

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