Age Representation

When looking at the different representations of age, the common stereotype of 'cute' is both seen in the television drama series of Coronation Street with the character, Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) and in Eastenders, Tiffany Butcher (Masie Smith) The common stereotype of cute is usually portrayed with young children, witnessing them as innocent before they hit the adolescent stage of which then the media gives them a bad representation.






When looking at victims of horrendous crimes, these are usually seen to be females due to the more dominant strength of the male gender. This has been seen in the television soap, Coronation Street (top left) where the female character was a victim of rape. Story lines like these are included within television dramas, aimed to relate to news headlines and also possibly help victims of such crimes. In opposition, the image below from the television drama of Hollyoaks, contrasts against this usual stereotype but instead headlines another. In this case, the victim of this horrendous crime is male although, this stereotypes hooded youths and gang members.






In the young children's series drama, 'Tracy Beaker', the main character shows the age representation of 'Little devils'.  Here, a young girl that the audience would automatically assume to be cute, turns the tables by causing mischief and turning out to be instead, a 'litltle devil'. The media represents childhood in this way to show that not all children are stereotyped in one, single way.

how has a media conglomerate used synergy successfully?

In the film industry, how has one media conglomerate used synergy successfully?

The media conglomerate 'The Walt Disney Company', successfully used synergy to produce the franchise of films  'Pirates Of The Caribbean'. This include the following;

The Curse Of The Black Pearl:

Elizabeth Swann, the daughter of Governor Swann is kidnapped by a group of pirates led by Captain Barbossa and taken aboard their ship, The Black Pearl, Will Turner, the young man who loves Elizabeth despite the fact that she is promised to another, sets out to rescue her. But he can't do it alone, so he enlists the help of swashbuckling ship captain Jack Sparrow. Together the two chase after The Black Pearl, but they soon discover that the captain and crew aren't your average pirates. Cursed to remain between the living and the dead, Barbossa and his men look like skeletons when basked in the moonlight. When it is revealed that the only thing that can break the curse is Elizabeth's blood, Jack and Will are faced with a race against time and a battle against the undead to save the Governor's daughter. The worldwide box office returns totaled: $654, 264, 015

Dead Man's Chest:
Captain Jack Sparrowreturns to the screen for another round of supernatural adventures on the high seas in this spirited sequel to the 2003 Disney hit. As Will and Elizabeth prepare to exchange vows at the altar, their wedding plans hit rough waters with the arrival of sea-bound scallywag Jack Sparrow. It seems that Sparrow owes a substantial blood debt to half-octopus sea captain Davy Jones, and that the only way for the flamboyant sea rover to elude the wrath of his otherworldly pursuer is to seek the aid of mysterious and powerful voodoo priestess Tia Dalma, whose ability to resurrect the dead and gaze into the future may provide just the advantage needed to avoid a waterlogged fate in the locker of his legendary nemesis. This sequeln encountered the highest box office returns hitting the sum of $1, 066, 179, 725 worldwide.

At Worlds End:
Captain Jack Sparrow is hopelessly trapped in Davy Jones' locker after a harrowing encounter with the dreaded Kracken, and now Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must align themselves with the nefarious Captain Barbossa if they hold out any hope of saving their old friend from a fate worse than death. The East India Trading Company and its fearsome leader, Lord Cutler Beckett, have taken control of the ghostly Flying Dutchman and its captain, Davy Jones, and now the baleful Admiral Norrington has taken the helm in a relentless bid to destroy every pirate ship in his path and bring the Age of Piracy to a violent close. Meanwhile, Will, Elizabeth, and Captain Barbossa navigate treacherous waters and face bitter betrayal as they set sail to gather the only army that can stand up to Beckett -- The Nine Lords of the Brethren Court. But Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the lords, and as long as he's stuck in Davy Jones' locker, Beckett and his nefarious armada are sure to emerge victorious. There's still hope, however, if the heroic team that includes Tia Dalma, Pintel, and Ragetti can reach exotic Singapore and convince vulpine pirate Sao Feng to provide them with charts and a ship. But even the powerful Brethren Court may need a bit of help from volatile sea goddess Calypso in order to weather the coming storm. With the entire future of the pirate way at stake, everyone will be forced to choose sides while drifting precariously to the edge of the earth for one final, spectacular battle. The third chapter, managed to return $963,420,425 to the box office worldwide.

On Stranger Tides:
In the most recent of sequels, flamboyant seafarer Jack Sparrow lands himself in a bit of a bind after being lured onto Blackbeard's ship by enigmatic siren Angelica, and forced to seek out the Fountain of Youth. Trapped on the Queen Anne's Revenge with the most nefarious pirate in history, Captain Jack reflects on his past with the elusive Angelica while embarking on his wildest adventure to date. With shambling zombies on deck and gorgeous mermaids beckoning sailors into the icy waters below, this time Jack Sparrow has his work cut out for him. This again, successfully received high box office retuns worldwide, to the sum of    $1, 043, 871, 802


Games:
This media franchise has realised the related game; Lego Pirates Of The Caribbean, avaliable on Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, PS3, PSP and Wii. This allows the audience to experience all the memorable scenes from the first four films. In addition, with the key characters the audience can encounter action adventure gameplay, engaging in puzzles from their favourite scenes. Not only this but, the game also lets you interact with others, making it socailly benefical. Personally, if it wasn't for the franchise film, I don't think this game would be so benefical because the creators are marketing this to the fan based audience of Pirates of the Caribbean and therefore, trying to extend their profit margains in the industry.

Attractions:
In 1967, Walt Disney World opened the attraction of Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom in New Orleans Square. This included building an elaborate western river expedition costing the $8 million to create. Since then, the attraction has inspired the film and now, the movies have inspired the atrraction, having being rebuilt in 2006. Now, the magic kingdom theme park includes a 14 foot drop waterfall ride, including famous scenes from the film and its own Pirate of the caribbean town.

Soundtracks:
Each film in the frachise to partes of the Caribbean has its own soundtrack. This are mainly composed either by; Hans Zimmer or Klaus Badelt. These soundtracks also contain additional music by Lorne Balfe. Tom Gire, Nick Glennie- Smith, Henry Jackman, Atli Örvarsson, John Sponsler and Geoff Zanelli. The soundtrack can be purchased on Amazon, itunes and sites such as cduniverse. The soundtrack is owned by The Walt Disney Company, a big-six conglomerate.

Toys:
The film franchise has also inspired a variety of toys and physical products. Some of these include, Revenge ships, basic figures as well as Lego minitures and scenes, such as The Mill and Whitecap Bay from scenes within the film.

Crowd Funding:The Future of the Industry?

How might crowd funding affect the 'big six'? 
The Big Six, comprising of Sony, Time Warner, The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, General Electric, News Corporation and Viacom control 84% of the domestic film market. Some big Hollywood names like Bill Johnson, Charlie Kaufman and David Fincher have used crowd funding to raise money for their films, recognising that it's not only about gaining financially, it's about the small-time investors being people who are going to watch the films. Crowd funding may affect the big six by opening up new opportunities for smaller institutions. This will allow collaborations with larger studios and production companies meaning that these new improved collaborated companies may establish success in the consumer market, reducing the percentage of control within the market of the Big Six.

Do you think this method of film financing will allow creativity to flourish or will it reduce the overall quality of film making as an art form? 
Film financing creates low budgets for films along with the affordability of technology. Although, low budget costs mean that the saturation of quality of the film is saturated and therefore reduces the overall quality of the film as an art form. Though, film financing may allow creativity to flourish due to smaller independent companies having the opportunity to release their films to a wider audience, allowing them to be dominant and recognisable in the film industry. 

 For example, the Bond franchise is notable for its lucrative product placements deals (a form of audiovisual commercial communication including a reference to a certain product), bringing in millions of dollars. Lexus, Bulgari and American Express reportedly paid a combined $20 million for product placement. 

How can a crowd funded film appeal to global and local audiences? 
A crowd funded film can appeal to global and local audiences by making the opening credits the crowd. This involves the audience, by funding, allowing your face to be pictured upon a square to the opening credits of a film. This does not limit any person, appearing within any country and any nation. In addition, anyone around the world can feel free to join in. It also provides a blog of the production process in a journal form so that the audience can track how their donation is being spent and how the filming is going.

An example of a crowd funded film:
From the Indiegogo website, an example of a crowd funded film is 'Joan'. This film had a donation target of $500 although, this film has exceeded this target by 201% hitting a donation sum of $1,005.
A break down of the budget is as followed:

• Props and decorations
• Rented gallery space
• Food/transportation for the cast
• Equipment rental

The audience is kept encouraged to donate by offering gifts to contributors. The more you donate, the better the gift, inspiring the audience to contribute a larger sum.

Perks include:

• $25 - DVD package (a DVD with a signed letter from the director)
• $50 - Poster/DVD (a DVD with a signed letter from the director, as well as a small poster for the film, signed)

Working Title Trip to London

Working Title Films is a British film company based in London. The company was originally founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. The company usually produces 5 - 7 films over the time period of a year. On our class trip to London we had the opportunity to speak to a variety of different department role members, explaining their own input in Working Title.

Firstly, we received a speech from the Action intern team. Action intern is a salaried year long scheme in which 3 individuals are chosen to comprise the aspects of development, production and runners room. The development intern, Charlotte, has the job of seeing an idea or process through until the first draft of the script is completed. Currently, she is managing 70 projects at one individual time helping with both creative and commercial aspects of film. After this is completed, the scripts will be past to the production executive where the budget will be set and a search will begin for the availability of cast and location. The production intern, Tilly, has the job of 'building an office'. She organises the preparation. This includes the distribution of scripts and effectively bringing all the departments together through linguistics. Finally, Tristen has the participation of assistant director. The AD works on set with the cast, being the efficiency aid of the team. Here, the voice communicates what is happening, noting especially the importance of time on the entire process. The overall job of the runners is to help across the entire building through every separate department.

Our trip to Working Title Film as specific to the film Anna Karenina. The majority of this film was set in a theatre. This idea was thought up by the director, Joe Wright. Initially, the film was going to be made in Russia, engaging the authenticity of the original book. Although, difficulties occurred due to the expense of this. Also with Russia acting as a 'third world' when considering the film industry and many of these locations have been used previously. Here, the realisation was dull and therefore, Joe Wright used his theatrical background to influence the idea of setting the film within a theatre 48 hours later. Although the majority was set in the theatre, one scene was shot in Russia just off the mainland of St. Petersburg on Kizhi island. Though, this encountered technical difficulties for the crew and cast due to the extreme temperatures. Camera lens froze and performance issues occurred due to freezing body parts of the cast.

Anna Karenina was only a short term development, taking only 8 weeks for the first draft of the script. This idea came from the original book although, this was copyrighted due to the author having been dead for 70 years. The book of Anna Karenina was an economical large text and so, the best scenes had to be selected to represent a love story due to the adaptation being focused on love. The director for this film was Tom Stoppard, when finally being reached through his manager Anthony Jones. The shooting for this film took 12 weeks and cost $36.7 million.

The person behind production puts together the initial schedules and budget. The expected budget for a film is usually £750,000 - £1,000,000 a week. Period films are always more expensive than contemporary films, costing £3000 per shot for visual effects. Although, when shooting for Anna Karenina, a dior shocking was placed over the lens. Currently, a crash in the visual effects world has been witnessed. This has noticed a famine in overheads and companies such as Fox and Universal have been funded to carry on. This has resulted in down scaling and unemployment, moving many houses to  Montreal due to their 45% tax break. A script board is later put together using the software application Movie Magic. This allows the number of shooting weeks to be established.

When looking at the position of Film Development, this is where the break through ideas are seen. This are usually gathered from reading magazines and books. This team meet with the directors and cast the film after 10-12 drafts of the script. The team, later puts together the first cut and assembles the first screening of the film. The first screening for Les Misérables was 4.5 hours long.

Finally, we spoke to the head of Working title about three dimensional filming. 3D uses 48 screens per second in comparison to the ordinary 24 screens per second. Though 3D extends the usual home experience, the increased number of frames per second drives up the cost of production. Therefore, when considering whether to produce a film in 3D this has to be determined by the budget value. In the eyes of bosses in Working Title, 3D convergenes are seen to be a waste of time.

Notes

• 'Lock picture' is when the screening witnesses no more changes
• Films used to be held on 3.5mm projectors until 3-4 years ago. These used to cost £2000 to deliver and were liable to damage.
• Films now, are held on a 500GB server and cost only £30 to deliver also being much more secure.
• The scale of film is fixed to the scale of audience
• A larger film allows a larger scale of interupptions

Media Synergy

A great deal can be learnt by Contemporary marketers and brand managers from the media synergy strategies developed by Hollywood studio executives, where in various media products are constructed to promote one another. Theme park rides, soundtracks, novel tie-ins and videogames are all profitable convergent media forms.

Since the success of Star Wars (1977), Hollywood has focused more attention on developing greenlighting, marketing mega franchise films. Mark Crispin Miller (1990) is one of the first academics to analyse Hollywood's move from vertical integration (where 2 companies of the same industry but different stages of production come together) to horizontal integration (where a company develops by buying up competitors in the market) and films that are positioned across multiple media platforms for their core value along with "sequelizability" and ability to be cross-promoted with other media texts. Constant media synergy is where everything within a franchise promotes everything else. 

In Hollywood, any film title that is itself a sequel, or a title that has one or more sequels that follow is known as a Franchise film. Therefore, sequels are seen to be the core that contribute to film franchise. David Bordwell, noticed that sequels began to account for over 25% of the domestic box office in 2003. He refers to the sequel generated revenue only and therefore couldn't factor in the revenue generated by would become the first title in a franchise later. In 2003, the top ten performing films included Bruce Almighty, later sequencing Evan Almighty and also Cheaper by the Dozen sequencing Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
Sequels are also known to drive revenues beyond the raw box office. The raw box office revenue is regarded as the single best predictor of all follow-on ancillary revenue by media industry scholars. The 6 media conglomerates market (The Walt Disney Company,Time Warner,Sony,Viacom,Comcast and News Corporation) and distribute virtually all blockbuster products. Though, recently this have become reliant on the increasing extent on sequelized fare. With the increasing diversity on media conglomerates, sequelized block-busters compromise the nucleus that is surrounded by the large media conglomerates Andex-brands such as; Coke and Nike. 
In roughly three decades since Jaws - the block buster tipping point, there have been well over 100 new Hollywood film franchises, with some low performing sequelised film franchises such as Shiloh and some dominating film franchises such as Star Wars.

The 4-S Hollywood Megafranchise model consists of 4 sections these being; Synergy, Spectacle, Sequelization and Story. Megafranchise such as star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Shrek, Lord of the Rings, Spider Man, and Pirates of the Caribbean generally deploy these four elements to establish their success. In terms of media synergy, all of the above have theme park rides, videogames and soundtracks, these conglomerates can therefore, no be underestimated. However, the 4 S's won't ensure success by themselves. The economic logic that dominates Hollywood is a specific type which is found in music and fashion.

Hollyoaks sequence

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hollyoaks/4od#3486163
2:17 - 4:35

Camera
When looking at the camera shots and angles within these two opposing storylines, it is seem that these differentiate replicating the mood of the each scene. Within the sequence that I have chosen, the more serious aspect is seen first followed by the bridge into the lighter aspect.
In chronological order, a close up shot is first used to show the emotions upon the less dominant males face. This shows the character is scared or worried, establishing the overall status of each figure. Next a long, wide shot is used to establish the setting, also seeing the characters from a full length perceptive. This therefore enables the audience to assume the characteristics of the characters from aesthetic features such as the way they dress. Following, a low angled shot in used so that the audience are able to see perspective from the hooded figures point of view. With the camera looking up, this suggests that the standing character holds a higher stance in hierarchy over the perching man. A mid shot is then used when the hooded character is against the wall. This allows the audience to see the character from head, down to shoulders. These two shots are after, simultaneously switched, showing alternate perspectives from the two characters during their transactional talk. Over the shoulder shots are also seen during this period, allowing the audience to witness opposing points of views from each character. These camera angles are all taken from a close up so that the the audience are able to create connections with both figures due to the personalised sense of the shot. Finally the camera zooms into the facially free man, establishing the deep thoughts of which the character is seen to be containing.
In the bridge to the next scene, a long, wide shot is again used to establish the scene. Both mid shots and low angled shots then follow simultaneously likewise to that in the first scene, during transactional talk between the two characters. Another long shot is then used to introduce a third character. Mid shots are then used for the remainder of the scene, capturing each character from head to shoulders.

Editing
When looking at the editing in the sequence, only jump cuts are used. These are mainly seen during the alternate speaking of the characters and used also as the bridge from one scene to another. The speed of these vary, having the paste of these increase within the first scene as the conversation becomes more tense, representing the increasing rate of heartbeat.

Sound
The sound used within this sequence is all diegetic, meaning that it is all natural. In the first scene, the diegetic sound is that of the outside environment. Sound heard includes that of wind, birds, barking dogs and the rustling of each characters clothing. The lack of background sound adds to the intensity of the conversational subject matter. The dialogue of this, surrounds the subject of murder. This therefore, observes a serious tone throughout the conversational period. In contrast to this after the bridge, the diegetic sound is that of people talking. This is due to the environment being heavily socialised based. The lighter materialised dialogue witnesses the subject matter of friends and engagements. This material is mixed with the more serious subject matter, appearing at the start of the sequence so that the audience are easily able to relate to the conversational ritual.

Mise en Scene
Finally. when looking at the technical element of the Mise en Scene, this changes between the two scenes. In the first half, the location is set outside in a bleak looking back alley. This immediately strikes me to replicate the rough appearance of the perched man. In addition, the two male characters are the only form of life within the frame. Apart from these, the location is quiet, replicating the secret or hidden aspect within the dialogue. Considering the composition of the scene, the characters are usually pictured in the middle third of the frame, ensuring that they are the dominant focus. If this is not apparent then, the figure is usually placed just off centre to the middle third. This is used to show equality in the balance of the scene. The use of colour is also seen to be quite bleak. This would suggest the depressive tone of the dialogue. Instantly, after bridging into the next scene, the Mise en Scene appears completely different. The prompt difference is that the scene is busy. This suggests a more social and friendly atmosphere in comparison to the previous. The composition of the opening scene arranges both of the female characters just off centre to either side of the middle third. This is an effective technique because this draws the eye of the audience to the entire frame. The colours in this section are also bright and warm suggesting vibrant moods.

Media Ownership questions

What is horizontal and vertical integration in the media industry and can you provide an example?
Horizontal integration: Where an organisation develops by buying up competitors in the same section of the market. This allows media corporations to reach a wider audience.  
For example The Walt Disney Company owns film studios, theme parks, Disney Stores
s and televisions networks, such as ABC.  
Vertical integration: This is where an institution has shares or owns each part of the production and distribution process. This allows media organisations to make profit at every stage in the production chain. 
For example, The Warner Bros Entertainment calls itself a fully integrated broad based entertainment company which owns film studios and the means to distribute the films as well as some of the cinemas in which they are shown. Warner Bros in itself is part of an even bigger conglomerate called Time Warner which is a huge media conglomerate institution which uses horizontal Integration to consolidate its power and profits. 
  
What does Melody (1978) believe happens to the 'media market'?
According to William Melody, the greatest threat to freedom of expression is the possibility that private entrepreneurs will always tend to monopolise the marketplace of ideas in the name of economic efficiency and private profit. For entrepreneurs to monopolise this means that only ideas of entrepreneurs will appear in the marketplace. This impacts some institutions with problems upon entering the market place.

What does Neuman (1991) believe happens to media content? Why is this a problem for the audience?
Neuman believes that the result is that of which most people hear and see in the mass media is remarkably uniform in content and world-view. The media content becomes standardized  and therefore meaning that the same content is boring for the audience.

What does Sterling think about the level of research?
Sterling observes, 'surprisingly little research has been done - only marginally more than we could draw on two decades ago. Too much is assumed or anecdotal, merely suggesting results from ownership changes'. This suggests Sterling thinks too much is being assumed in contrast to the lack of research being done.

What does the media reproduce according to Gomery (2000)?
According to Gomery, the media reproduce reliable information, knowledge, ideology and propaganda in contemporary Capitalist societies. This establishes general everyday values, reproducing class inequalities and therefore, using media in a way that does not benefit certain individuals.

The media industry and corporate power form a powerful cartel. What does it do to local cultures (Meier)?
The powerful cartel encourages the spread of certain values (like individualism, egoism and shareholder value). The public sphere is displaced with commercial infotainment, reality shows and trivialised news programmes due to the strong incentives. Local cultures and communities are eroding and a conservative 'common sense' view of the world is strengthening.

How have media corporations influenced the law? What impact does this have on new businesses entering the market?
Media conglomerates have gained economic strength, which increased their position in society in order for them to become powerful institutions with a great political power. Large media giants have achieved success in writing media laws and regulations to favour the interests of their corporations rather than the interests of the general public (Bagdikian 2000).

What issue does convergence pose for media ownership?
Numerous cross-media ownership rules have been relaxed or disposed with a rise of laissez-faire ideology in European and US parliaments, governments and regulatory bodies. This means that ownership worsens, making it harder for small companies to reach wider audiences.

What does the FCC believe about programme diversity?
FCC (Federal Communications Commission) believes the programme diversity was neccessary to maximise public service. This means that the greater the number of independent broadcasters, the greater the chances for achieving the desired diversity. Rules were adopted that restrict common ownership of broadcast stations and broadcast stations in combination with other media forms.

Media Ownership

What are the problems with 'big media' according to Free Press?

Free Press claims that government officials and corporations have made "corrupt media policy behind closed doors". They state that this has led to "corporate control" over our media, which can only be changed if the public are allowed a say when media policies are made. They have 4 goals to achieve internet freedom:
- to work for "true net Neutrality"
- strong protection for phone users
- public use of public airwaves
- universal access to high-speed internet
Therefore, they have identified these things as problems and are aiming to combat them to ensure freedom for all. Not only this but, they claim that it's easy for broadcast companies to use more free airspace while doing less to serve the public with the aid of lobbyists therefore, not fulfilling the programming needs of the community even though the broadcasters make billions in profit and use the broadcasting airwaves for free.

Summarising 'Is British Film dead?' :

The UK Film Council boasted about the amazing success of British films although, none of these allegedly successful films were British; instead they were made by foreign studios. 
What is Hollywood Accountancy?
This is where Roosevelt launched a propaganda campaign to encourage the American people to call for a war, after he couldn't get the Congress to support him in helping Britain in WW2. Studio moguls agreed to produce anti-German films in return for financial control exemptions.
Some say work is provided for UK film-makers because foreign film distributors assign productions to the UK. Conversely, it has been stated by John Peters that American films are produced here because the British are more obedient and it's 30% cheaper.
Today the Hollywood Six being; Sony, Time Warner, The Walt Disney Company, Comcast/ General Electric, News Corporation and Viacom control 84% of our domestic market; with this and the fact that the French company Pathé controls around 12%, the UK industry is left with about 4% market share. A national film industry doesn't exist until it has at least 20% of its home market therefore, meaning that it's not a national industry in the UK. When JK Rowling was approached to sell the rights to her Harry Potter books she wanted them to go to a British studio but there wasn't one so she sold them to Warner Bros. So they weren't even made by a British studio despite what the UK Film Council says about it's success.
People say that Britain cannot afford to produce such movies like Harry Potter however, this is not the case because banks are investing billions everyday into different things.
There is a law that if a foreign production company wants an American star they must pay a tariff. This is the star's price multiplied by 3. This is formally known as the Working Title rate because Working Title was the first to pay this tariff, giving it the title. 

Anna Karenina

In chronological order as the film starts.

There is digetic sound in the background of a moving crowd. This comes in quietly and as the film progresses this sound gets louder. The scene opens to a theatre stage, this being a wide angled shot. At this point the lighting is at low key as the music changes to a non-digetic sound. The music is that of something you would find recognisable in a French culture. The first approach of character is upon a man sitting in a chair, with a barber circling him. The camera shoots a close up of two touching knives, having the digetic sound of their scrapping over the faded non-digetic sound. Next the camera pans around the seated male figure, and proposes a close up shot of the males disposed facial hair.
Next, the scene changes. A mid shot is taken of children lining up, before approaching the elder character.
During another change of scene, an extreme close up captures a ring upon a wedding finger, this represents the importance of ownership of the female character. As the female stands upon a podium in the middle third of the scene, the camera arcs around the lady. A close up of the letter the female is holding is captured, emphasizing unknown importance to the audience. In one particular scene, the set is incredibly busy with vast movements and a lot of content, such as dancers and moving sets.
When the female character is seen to be with the two young boys, a low angle shot in used as the women stands up to her full capacity of body. Zooming into the scene, emphasis is put onto the toy train, used as a representative to children. A tracking shot is also used, along with a close up of the train, showing significance to the later storyline. Later on, an over the shoulder shot is used within the conversation of the mother and son, acting as a point of view from both characters. Finally, the locket is seen to be shot close up, relating the closeness of the pictures inside the locket the the women herself.
Shadowing in the scenes could relate to the secrets within the storyline. The story is also dominated in the masculine form, set in a wealthy upper class family showing affluence.

Audiences and Institutions

1) Do you agree with Stuart's point regarding self-determination of audiences?
Stuart's point is that it has grown increasingly clear that audiences are in fact capable of high degree self-determination in the nature of he responses that they have made to the products offered to them. When considering this from my own point of view, I would agree with Stuart's point due to myself having my own self-determination when contemplating films. From the BFI website it is clear that the audience sometimes go and see films depending on their social economic background, known as either being in the AB or DE social grading category. This therefore shows that individuals are able to self-determine in the nature of their response to a film, categorising themselves as either wealthy or not so. Also, with thanks to sites such as Rotten Tomatoes or social networking sites such as Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, these audiences are able to post their own personal views of films online showing that they are able to self-determine an interpretation of a film.

2) Hall's idea about audience positioning identifies three ways that audiences can respond to texts.
Preferred: A preferred or dominant reading is where the audience interprets the text "as closely to the way in which the producer of the text is presented". In my 'Les Miserables' case study this can be seen on the website. Upon of which, the movie is not just advertised but instead the Les Miserables broadway. This allows the audience to view the film as the producers wanted by selling Les Mis through multiple media aspects.
Negotiated: A negotiated reading is when the audience goes through some type of negotiation with themselves to allow them to accepted the way in which the text is presented. This is seen in my own case stude of the film 'SkyFall' due to the audience possibly disagreeing with the violent themes present but enabling themselves to adjust their views, allowing them to get the most out of their viewing.
Oppositional: An oppositional or resistant reading is where the reader of the text finds themselves in conflict with the text itself due to their beliefs or experiences. Personally, amongst my case studies I dont think an oppositional reading can be seen. An example of this although, might be within a soap opera where a women may be having an affair with a man. This is adultery and therefore will conflict with individuals views on the subject.

3) Audiences can respond to texts in a variety of ways. Gender, situated culture and cultural experiences can all affect how we consume a text. 
a) How can your gender affect how you respond to a text?
Essentially, the fact that I am a female can alter how I respond to a text rapidly. Tradition and stereotypes mean that women are often perceived as being more emotive towards certain themes and topics such as death and narratives involving children and being in favours to genres such a romance. When considering these stereotypes, females may be more emotive towards a film rather than a male who is experiencing the same film at the same time and place. Conversely, it can also mean that a film that is gender biased towards males (where females are irrelevantly sexualised), would evoke a more annoyed, jealous and angry response from women because they feel that women should fit into the stereotypical mould that society has built for them.
b) Why would  you choose to go to a cinema (situated culture) as opposed to watching a film at home?
A cinema can offer an experience to a viewer such as an event or a trip out. This is appealing to many audience members because it means they are able to get out of their house and do something different rather than witnessing a film from their own home entertainment system. It has been said that the atmosphere in an auditorium full of people who are experiencing the same emotions during a film, is enough to make people choose to go to a cinema. Despite an advance in technology meaning that people are able to get the 'cinema feel' at home with surround sound and wide screen TVs, the event-feeling isn't felt because they know that they're in their own home. What's more, it can often be cheaper for an individual or group of people to view a film in the cinema than pay for all the DVD equipment and DVDs at home, especially that of Blue Ray discs.

c) Can you think of a text where you gained 'cultural knowledge' which shaped your expectations? Was that part of the reason why you chose and enjoyed that text?
One text that I gained 'cultural knowledge' from is 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas'. This allowed me to witness the culture in Nazi Germany during WWII and allowed me to perceive the country as it were like at the time. 

4) How do converged websites apply to Gauntlett's idea of a 'pick and mix' audience?
A 'pick and mix' audience is where the audiences use the text by ignoring some aspects and choosing the aspects that suit them at the time. Each time the audience play or search on the internet they might 'pick and mix' a different menu which is aided by the flexibility of the various formats to do this.

5) To what extent do you believe in the effects model and the uses and gratifications model?
The uses and gratifications model assumes an active audience and emphasises what the audience does with media texts as opposed to what the media does to the audience. Blumler and Katz disagreed with the earlier theories which placed the audience as a passive, easily influenced mass - this is why this theory suggests individuals and social groups use the texts in different ways (no longer making them a passive receiver).
Personally, I believe this model is correct to an extent. It is clear that different groups and individuals will respond to media texts in differing ways due to their set or individual beliefs and ideals. However, I do believe that the majority of the audience are easily influenced because advancing distribution and promotion techniques allow the film to be instantly publicised to the world through the use of converging media. Similarly, in the film itself it is easier to influence the audience due to aspects such as the cultural, gender, age (etc.) references.

6) McQuail believes audiences use texts for 4 different reasons. Can you identify these features in the marketing materials from your case studies?
Entertainment and diversion : as a form of escape from the pressures of everyday life. An example of this from the marketing materials in my case study of 'SkyFall' would be the games section on the website. It would enable the audience to download the game through PlayStation, Xbox and PC opening the opportunity up to a wide range of audiences. Being based on the film, this allows the audience to put themselves as a character within the movie to relieve tension and escape from the pressures of everyday life.
Personal Relationships: identification with characters and being able to discuss media texts with others. My case study of 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2' would be an example of this. The characters art section of the website allows the audience to identify themselves with the characters through visuals and information about each individual character.
Personal Identity: the ability to compare your life with that of characters and situations presented in media texts. Again, I believe this would link to the case study on 'SkyFall' because the audience members are able to place themselves in the shoes of relevant characters through playing the game.
Information/Education: to find out and learn what is going on in the world. I think my case study of 'Les Miserables' presents this because the film informs the audience of the culture background throughout the period of the French Revolution, the time in which this film is set. This gives the audience hirostoric knowledge, educating individuals.

7) What is audience fragmentation? How has it changed the composition of audiences and the texts that are available to them? Has the internet influenced this in any way?
Audience fragmentation is the term used to describe the ways in which people engage with media and it shows how the idea of audience in the digital era is changing. The ways that convergence, user-created content and social networking have transformed the audience. The composition of the audience is the demographic (age, gender, education level, ect) characteristics and geographic location of the audience members. So audience fragmentation has changed the composition of audiences by allowing all sorts of people to engage with media through convergence, user-created content and social networking. This is all due to the development of technology and the advance in social networking usage. It has changed the texts that are available to the audience because they are able to view a lot more films digitally (through satellite TV, online streaming and downloads) Hence why texts are more readily available nowadays than they used to be. The internet has influenced this by producing rolling entertainment and gossip sites that 'break up' the potential audience group.

8) What is 'push' and 'pull' media? How has the internet shaped audience behaviour in relation to 'pull' media?
'Push' media is where producers push films at the audience, who then receive and consume them passively. Oppositely, 'pull' media is where the audience decide what they want to do with the media and access it in ways that suit them. In relation to 'pull' media, the internet has shaped the audience behaviour massively. When big companies like Google and News Corporation purchased DIY media institutions, the sites became more 'corporate' and illegally posted material was removed from sites like Youtube and MySpace. So, illegally downloaded and pirated films have been largely removed from the internet which has shaped the audience to a better behaviour in terms of not breaking the copyright laws.

Audience Construction

When looking at cinema audiences within the UK, there is an established trend of cinema goers. When looking at age, the majority of cinema goers are in the age range of 15-24. Though, from the year of 1997 to 2008, the percentage of younger cinema goers decreased to the expense of an increasing older audience.


Additionally, when considering the most popular gender recorded going to the cinema this is seen to be dependent on the film being shown. For example when looking at both genders, there was a high percentage of female cinema goers when the film 'Bridesmaids' was showing within the industry. This was contrasted with only a small proportion of males visiting the cinema.  This would be so, due to weddings appealing more to the female audience and also the casting of the film being mainly female actresses.  In opposition to this, there was seen to be a high attendance male audience when the film 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' was released. Again, this is due to the genre and subject of the film being both action packed and based upon cars, something generally associated with the male sex.


Again, the social group of the most popular cinema goers depends on the social class of the film. A more sophisticated film such as 'The King's Speech' saw a high percentage of the social group falling into the AB category whereas, only a small audience of these were seen viewing, 'Johnny English Reborn' when a high DE audience were present. This is due to the genre of the film being less formal, being more on a comical level.



How have the audience been constructed for three films? 

Firstly, I will be analysing the audience for the film, 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2'. This film was recently released in sequel in November 2012.  Typically, I would assume this film to appeal to a young teenage audience. The main reason for my assumption is due to the casting of the film. The main cast are seen to be young actors and actresses, fitting the storyline of a teenage girl falling in love with a vampire.
When considering gender preferences, I would think females to be the majority of the audience. Firstly, this is due to the perspective of the film being shown from a females point of view. Additionally this film contains areas of the romance genre. Romance is generally associated with the female audience due to the assumption that the male sex do not show emotions. Finally, my assumption is evidential due to the actor, Robert Pattinson being seen as a teenage girl 'heart throbe', increasing the female, teenage audience.
The NRS social grade of the film is hard to distinguish. Though, I would say this film would appeal to both AB and DE social class grouping. My reason for this choice is due to the advertising material of this film. When looking at two dimensional advertising materials such as posters, these are seen to be of high quality being professionally photographed showing quality. This would suggest a replication of quality within the film and therefore appealing to the AB social class. In opposition to this, the majority of the posters are seen to show exposed figures, with the male sex being projected topless to reel in the female target audience although, this may be seen too unsophisticated for the upper social grouping but instead appealing more to the DE audience.
Finally, when considering the characteristics and values of the audience, I believe that the audience are interested in symbolism and possibly mythological creatures. I believe their is a lot of symbolism in this film with the wolves representing companionship and leadership, in contrast to vampires representing life after death. With the audience believing in mythological creatures this would mean that the audience are interested in the fantasy genre. With the fantasy genre this means that the audience are imaginative, connecting and intervening with super natural events.

For my second film choice I will be analysing 'Les Miserables'.  This film was recently released last month on 11th January 2013. Firstly, when considering the age category seen to be viewing this film, I would depict the main age group to be that of an older audience, ranging from middle aged to the 'baby boom' audience. My reasoning for this is due to the film being released on the 25th anniversary concert of Les Miserables. This would almost immediately rule out the young to teenage audience due to issues in relating to the context of the film. Whereas, to an older audience, the film could be considered as part of a sequel to what they have already seen. This therefore, may influence the audience to experience a 'classic' in a different media platform.
The predominant gender audience, I feel would be female. This is because the film falls into the musical genre, specifically encompassing that of opera. Relating back to historic times, opera was popular within the female audience, from then constructing films such as 'The Sound Of Music' and 'Moulin Rouge' to particularly target the female audience. Not only this but, a sub genre to this film is romance. Romance is generally associated with females due to it implicating the desires of which women hold and hope.
I would assume the NRS social grading of this film to apply to the AB audience. My assumption is held because firstly, the film is highly historically based, being set in the time period of the French Revolution. This would mean that the audience would have to be fairly educated, allowing them to understand the context within the film. Also, if you were to look at the advertising material this is seen to be professionally constructed, capturing the emotional aspects behind the film. From looking at the two dimensional advertising, you can retrieve the sophisticated manner of the film due to the bold serif font and the simple but effective phrases such as 'I am the law'. This is a powerful statement, suggesting this film is something audiences must follow by.
Finally, the audience carry certain characteristics and values. I think the audience must fall into the value of working class citizens due to their potentially high AB social class. I would think the characteristics of this audience would be individuals who are interested in the theatre relating to the musical genre of the film. They maybe also be interested in culture due to my assumption that they will be an older, more mature audience.

For my third and final film, I will be analyising the film 'SkyFall'. This film was released on 26th October 2012.  Skyfall is Columbia Picture's 23rd James Bond film to be released. Firstly, I would predict the age range for this film would be the large 15-44 age category. It wouldn't be lower than this as much because the film is rated a 12A therefore, meaning parents would have to accompany their child to the film seen as they are too young to screen the film by themselves. You are able to distinguish this audience age catergory for many reasons; the first being the monochromatic colour scheme on the website.

The black, white and grey colours are more sophisticated which aid the more adult themes in the film. Similarly, the language used on this site such as "consideration", "theatres" and "corporation"  are all fairly complex in their denotations. "Theatres" isn't a common word used nowadays for the cinema but older generations of adults might tend to use this word as opposed to "cinema". Therefore, the film is clearly made for an older audience. What's more the logo of the film (007) has the image of a gun on it. This symbol is repeated in the film poster where James Bond is holding a gun. One could suggest that the use of violence and action in this film would deter many younger cinema-goers (and their parents/guardians) from allowing them to go and see it but also influence the male gender. 

Following this, Immediately one would assume that this film is predominantly for a male audience due to the action genre, gun shaped logo and James Bond's "cool" character appealing to males. Traditionally, the females that appear in his films are overly sexualised to appeal to men, usually revealing large amounts of flesh. This therefore, wouldn't appeal to women due to the possible negative emotions that they might feel towards the model-like actresses along with a sense of disrespect towards the female sex. From an early age boys are taught that action scenes and action characters are "cool" and that they should look up to them,  hence why this film would appeal more to a male audience. When referring back to the Statistical Yearbook, one notices that action films such as Mission Impossible and Fast and Furious were popular amongst males - 77% and 67% of these film's audiences were males. Crucially, these films are of a very similar genre to Skyfall so it could be fair to say that it can be compared to them in terms of audience.

When considering the social classing, I believe that this film leans more towards the AB category  because the website's first tab is the Awards. Essentially, a cinema-goer with a higher regarded socio-economic status would be more interested in the Awards the film has won due to it being a prestigious film. Therefore, the web designers have placed the Awards tab first on the navigation bar in order for the AB audience member to be able to navigate more easily to that page. Not only this but two dimensional advertising is seen to be professionally photographed, showing a simple but effective image, enabling the audience to be withdrawn. 
Finally, I find it hard to determine what the audience's characteristics and values might be for this film due to the wide age range of people who it is made for. It could be said that the audience are interested in genres of film including action, adventure and crime or are instead interested by the exaggeration of ones everyday lifestyle. One might suggest that they have an interest in plots, schemes and violence because James Bond is based on these concepts. However, some might interpret this interest in a negative light, when in reality most audience members will find this interesting because it is in contrast to their personality and lifestyle. 

Representation

Define 'representation' -

Representation refers to the construction in any media (especially mass media) of aspects of 'reality' such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be in speech and writing as well as in still or moving pictures. 

The Male Gaze: Laura Mulvey -

The Gaze is a feminist theory developed to highlight the power imbalance between men and women analysing the way men see and portray women, as well as the way women view both themselves and other women. Mulvey argues that in classic hollywood films in particular women are merely represented to provide visual pleasure to men , and the audience is constructed in a manner where they are all expected to be men. 
This male gaze is both voyeuristic and fetishistic. Her concept of "to-be-looked-at-ness", exemplifies that women were merley shown on screen in classic hollyowod in order to provide men with visual pleasure and have an erotic impact. Mulvey argued that the typical key protagonist within a classic hollywood film was male and the audience members where similarly typically expected to be men. This therefore, means the audience member gains narcissistic pleasure from identifying with the films protagonist,placing themselves "in the shoes" of the films hero. 

Convergence Media

What is convergence media?

Convergence media is the blending of multiple media forms into one platform so that consumers have choice allowing price transparency. Convergence media also allows mass media productions to present information and entertainment through a variety of different media's. Below, I will be exploring two different websites and ways in which they have used different convergent media's.

The Hobbit website

When looking at 'The Hobbit' website a variety of convergence media has been used. Firstly when looking at the predominant home screen, this instantly allows you to connect to a variety of different media's including; Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. This allows the audience to engage more in an insight of facts and statistics. These, also ensure a medium of advertising, attracting a wider audience to the film. Additionally, these accounts can produce further media, such as photos, videos and games. An example from 'The Hobbit' website would be their trailers and behind the scenes footage. The predominant purpose of this is to  attract people to watch the film that may not have been so interested otherwise. Not only this, but the audience are also given the chance to produce their own trailer in the style of 'The Hobbit' which will extend their experience and get individuals more engaged and interested in the film.

Next, looking at the soundtrack feature of the website. This allows you to experience short clips of each individual song within the full movie.  Though, seen as only small sections are projected, the viewers therefore have an incentive to purchase a full length song or possibly even the entire album. In this situation the audience are given the choice of either purchasing from either Amazon or itunes. By doing this the audience are given price transparency. This allows them to find the cheapest option and purchase the cheapest alternative. Price transparency is positive for the consumers because this witnesses competition and therefore, averaging lower prices. Fundamentally, this also means that the film is benefiting financially from fans downloading the soundtrack. This is an example of how mixed media has been merged together by the media industry. Other areas of 'downloads' include; wallpapers, Facebook banners, icons and posters. These are all free meaning that the distributors are trying to promote the film, giving it a recognisable logo rather than trying to benefit financially.

Not only does this website use convergence media to promote the film, 'The Hobbit' but also there is a section where the audience are able to share. Sharing takes place on social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter allowing the audience a sense of social awareness of the film. This is good for the media industry because a wider audience will result in higher attendance at the cinema and potentially higher figures in the first three opening days, determining the success of the film from a financial prospective.


The Impossible website

Looking at another website, 'The Impossible', this has also uses convergence media in a number of ways. Instantly, as soon as you enter the website the trailer of the film starts playing. This immediately alerts the viewer of what they will be seeing or potentially missing out on.
Likewise to 'The Hobbit' website, 'The Impossible' website gives the opportunity to direct to social networking sites, seen to be the same as those of 'The Hobbit'. This form of convergence media is used so that the films communication is presented and also helps aid the distribution of the film. Additionally to this, 'The Impossible' website also offers and provides places for the audience to buy tickets, ensuring that no one is disappointed if they are unable to get seats in the cinema. Again,  a variety of possible options have been given allowing customers price transparency when considering ticket prices. This shows an example of how convergence media has been used to merge together online ticket booking schemes with interactive websites.

Likewise to 'The Hobbit' website their is a section on the website giving the audience the possibility to download the film soundtrack from either Amazon or itunes. This means that the film will benefit financially from fans downloading the soundtrack at a price. This was also seen on 'The Hobbit' website although, this allowed you to listen to small chunk of an individual track. The video  component of the website conveys convergence because areas such as trailers are being merged with the interactivity of the website, meaning that the website is directly targeting the audience, allowing them to engage within the website. A choice of five different videos have been given including that of the trailer and the pivotal scene. This enables the audience to participate in the narrative, evoking emotion through an individuals interest. Additionally, the pivotal scene would have been chosen so that the attention of the audience could be captured and then potentially pulling the them into watching the entirety of the film.

Finally, a 'share' link allows the film to be distributed free of charge to varies social media platforms. This will result in the promotion of the film, also increasing audience awareness.  With the sharing aspect, distributors will hope for higher cinema attendances due to the word of the consumer, having hopefully a good reputation shared amongst friends, encouraging individuals to see the film.