Tuesday 19 December 2017

News Task


1 - My role in the task

The role of Alize and I was to create a post on social media in the style of the telegraph. We would have to do this for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. This required choosing the right story from those provided - we chose BREXIT for both twitter and facebook, but chose a story about Christmas shopping for Instagram, as this allowed for a nicer picture, which is what Instagram is focused on. We were then required to choose a photo for each story, as well as write a caption and add text specific to the platform, for example Instagram contained some comments.
2 - Explain the codes and conventions used in one media form and explain their intended impact
On the left is the Instagram post that I created about high street sales plummeting this Christmas due to the rise in internet shopping. It is denoted as a wide shot, which allows for the person viewing it to see a lot more of what is going on - it also shows a lot of the public in the photo. This connotes that this story could affect everyone, as the Christmas high street is something that is loved by everyone. It signifies that it is affecting everyone and everything. Another convention on Instagram is the use of comments, which I have followed here. It is denoted as two people having their say on the matter - one saying that this is always going to happen and one saying that the fall of the Christmas high street would be 'upsetting'. This connotes that there is a disagreement in the public. This disagreement would cause more audience interaction, which has an intended impact of making people read further into the story, through either the website or newspaper, which would boost profits. Another convention used on the facebook post is the short post itself, which has an intended impact of encouraging the audience to click the link and therefore go to the website, where money can be made.
3 -Explain how your choices reflect the real newspaper's values and target audience
One key choice was choosing the Brexit story to be our main focus on Twitter and facebook. The Telegraph is a broadsheet newspaper, who have a clear focus on Brexit on their website, so as this is a serious story we felt it best represented their values. Another choice was the photo on Instagram. Their readers are often upper middle class an therefore probably have business based jobs. These are associated with Central London, and so I chose a photo of Oxford Street to reflect that, as it makes the story relatable to the audience. It is also a nice photo which is common from the Telegraph on Insta, which you wouldn't be able to achieve with Brexit. This wasn't my creation, but the audience is also reflected in the advert on the front page of the Newspaper. This is a Gucci advert, which is an expensive brand that would appeal to the readership who have rich backgrounds and could afford this. 
4  Explain how your team adapted the news across the three different media forms and the reasons behind your decisions.
Our team had to make big decisions in terms of adapting the news across the different media forms, because each from has a specific purpose. The Brexit story featured on all three platforms, so this best represents the way we adapted the news. On social media - Twitter and facebook - the story is presented as short and very to the point, whereas it is much longer on the website and on the newspaper. This is because the people using the social media are often more busy, so it gets the news across to them quicker. Also, the Telegraph do not make a profit off of the social media, so by making it short it makes the audience want more information. They would then go to the website or newspaper for the longer story, which the Telegraph make money from.
5. In hindsight, is there anything about your team's outcomes that you would adapt or improve?
The main point I would have in terms of adaption is making clear what the news story actually consisted of. On the facebook, it mentions that Britain have officially left, but on the newspaper and on the website it says that only a deal has been agreed. I would make it the same for all of them, as this would confuse the audience and therefore turn them away from the Telegraph.

Monday 4 December 2017

Celebrity Magazine Cover

1. Summarise the music celebrity you have created. Include name, music genre, personality and how they are being used to comment on contemporary celebrity
The music celebrity I created is known as Harv, a short and catchy name, which is popular in modern society. The genre is rap, more specifically British rap, as I feel there is a difference in style between British and American rap. His personality is not that of a typical rapper, he isn't as angry as the typical rapper, and I intended it to connote this. The comment on contempary society is in the text, which encourages women to get involved in the rap scene, which is something thta doesn't happrn in the genre at the minute.
2. Evaluate how you have constructed the representation of your celebrity through your cover image and cover headline/text (denotation/connotation of text and image).
I followed a stereotype of rapper through the costume, as often they wear large jackets as well as a cap. This represents his personality as typical of a rapper, but the text involved questions this. Often rappers rap about women in a mysoginistic way, but the text on the cover shows my celebrity as questioning this and therefore representing my character as more socially aware. Therefore, he is represented as a typical rapper but more socially aware than the rest.
3. Analyse how far you have used and/or challenged stereotypes of gender/race/age/sexuality in your cover.
I have challenged stereotypes of gender in my poster, as through the text I have encouraged females to get involved in the British rap scene, as there are no big ones at the minute, so I have challenged this to a large extent. I have also challenged race stereotypes in the British rap game, as none of the large British rappers are white, for example Stormzy, Krept & Konan and Dave are all black. Therefore, by my character being white, I have challenged this stereotype as well. However, I have used steretypes of age and sexuality, as most rappers are young and are also heterosexual.
4. Reflect on the production/editing process.  Are you pleased with the end result? Identify what is successful about your shot?  What would you have done differently in hindsight?
I am relatively pleased with the end result of this project. I believe the pose and the costume is successful in my shot, as it clearly connotes the rapper genre. I also believe the red and white colour schemen is successful, as it is aesthetically pleasing. In hindsight, I would've attempted to add further text on to the cover, to promote other stories inside, as well as add a barcode and a date and issue number.