Language – Tom Bradshaw

 

For my A2 Media Studies coursework I made a music video in the genre of Indie rock, similar to artists such as Arcade Fire. The music video consists of a main character that is trying to fight against the government and their corrupt, capitalistic ways. He does this by attending protests and gratifying signs around London. This character is also (in our music video) represented as a leader of people who share his views. We did this by conveying messages via media language – the way in which a producer conveys messages to the audience through the use of camerawork, editing, sound and Mise-en-scene.

 

Due to the fact our music video was in the genre of indie rock. This meant we used specific media messages to convey this genre in our music video and ancillary tasks. I looked at interesting music videos such as ‘Rogue Waves – Lake Michigan’. I saw that they used a convention of the indie rock genre of giving their music video a sepia tone. Although, not the hole of our music video has a sepia tone, when editing I made a the scene when the main character is speaking out in a dark room have the yellow sepia tone, using the colour corrector, because I felt it contorted quite a rustic look which is a common style in indie culture.

 

This idea of using tones to convey a genre could be related to Andrew Goodwin’s book ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ where he states that there is a succinct relationship between the music and the visuals, “the visuals are either illustrated, amplified or contradicted.” I feel that by using the indie rock code of using a sepia tone ‘amplified’ the shots dramatic aesthetic. During this scene we then used a close up of the microphone in which our protagonist was speaking into. This was another code from the video by ‘Rogue Waves’ where they used close ups to ‘amplify’ certain subjects. We also very obviously used Goodwin’s idea of linking the visuals to the music when the lyrics say ‘Run boy run’ and the visuals are of our lead singer running around London. This can also be connected to our use of the sound; when curtain lyrics were said we used shots of our lead singer/protagonist following these lyric in what he does. This links to Goodwin’s idea that there is a succinct link between the music and the visuals.

 

We used a variety of shots to create deep meanings and messages in our text. Roland Barthes stated that there are five codes in a media text, the hermeneutic, enigma, semantic, symbolic and cultural code. The cultural code could be applied to our music video because it looks at the audience’s wider cultural knowledge, morals and ideologies. Our music video is strongly based on how it affects people views and ideologies toward today’s society. For example, we used a wide shot of a protest to represent people view toward our government the fact that we were able to capture a flare being set off in the shot made a more powerful atheistic. We also used fast cutting to intercut two separate scenes to convey a message. This can be seen when the beat drops and shots of burning corporate company logos and shots of the protest are cut together to send a message to the audience that these subjects are bad. These examples of media language can be applied to Barthes theory because the cultural code can be applied to our audience.

 

Levi Strauss’ theory of binary opposites can also be applied to our music video. This theory is all about the use of two opposite, like dark versus light, good verses bad, to create a message. When using the camera in our music video we used lots of close ups of curtain subjects that have relevant to our story. In most music videos close ups are used as a peace of media language to represent dominant subjects. One of our subjects was a mask surrounded by smoke surrounded by darkness. The mask was back lit to represent the beacon of light in a dark place. This is a binary opposite of dark verses light, representing the mask being on the good side with the smoke stretching our across the darkness, which emphasizing the plot on how our masked man is fighting back against capitalism and corporate company’s. The mask was an important part of the media language do to it being part of the mise-en-scene. This mask (being worn by the main character) was captured in a focus pull from the fire to the mask, showing the fire (that was used to burn company logos etc) is against the these company’s and the government due to the mask signifying the good and the fire signifying the bad, again creating another binary opposite.

 

We also used the pace of the editing in a way that could be related to Strauss’ use of binary opposites. This can be seen at the begging of our music video when there are long takes of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament (a well-known government building), which gives of the idea that the government are slow and behind in the times. This is then contradicted by cutting to fast paced editing of a protest filled with people who are against the government, giving of the idea that these people want change and are moving fast to get what they want. This use of media language through the editing could represent a binary opposite of fast verses slow.

 

Again whilst editing, we constantly intercut different shots of subjects to link then together without actually seeing them in the same shot together. This could be linked to Kuleshov’s theory that, depending on how shots are assembled the audience will attach a specific meaning or emotion to it. We edited close up shots of fire burning corporate company logos with a long take of our main character silhouetted whilst taking off his mask. This gave off the idea that all the secrets of these company’s and the identity of the main character is being let out in one big climax, using Kuleshov’s theory that two subjects do not need to be seen in the same shot for them to have a connection.

 

 

Youth representation Conclusion

I feel that  in the future youth culture will have the ability to completely construct their own representations rather the outsiders doing this for them. Youth culture has started being construed by its individuals rather that outsiders due to web 2.0. These outsiders tended to be traditional medias like tabloids. Web 1.0 followed the traditional media models were there is a separation from the audience and produces. Web 2.0 follows a modern idea that people can be both of these things. An example of this is 'YouTube' were anyone can log on to and create their own image and or join/watch people who you feel you relate to. We see this through the YouTuber, PewDiePie, who has a successful YouTube channel in which people can either be, in David Gauntletts words, a "sit down and be told" individual (being the audience), or a "making and doing" induvidual (being a creator). If someone wanted to watch his videos they would become an audience member or they could become a creator through using the ability to commenton his videos and also visit his interest forum called "BroArmy" and takes about his videos, intern creating a sub culture. Web 2.0 gives the individual the ability to be both the audience and creator, and I feel that this is the way that youth culture with be represented in the future.

Boy From Peckham

In many ways Attack the Block reflects the hegemonic representations of youth identity, namely that young people and teenagers are defined as belonging to gangs, with lives dominated by crime, violence, anti-social behaviour, and conflict with adult society and the police. These mediated representations of youth identity can be read in many different ways, with the complex anti hero character of Moses who begins the film by mugging an innocent woman, but ends it by renouncing his criminal past and his desires to be a drug dealer. Whilst reinforcing the dominant reading of youth in the media, as the urban street gang, uneducated, using slang, alienated and disaffected, the film ends with the youth characters 'saving the world'. As David Gauntlett states, this "Identity is complex" and the collective identity of the youth characters in the film can be read in many different ways, as both a deviant threat and in a more compassionated preferred reading, one where young people and adults are forced to work together as seen when

“But theatre kept John out of trouble completely. The theatre was his second home, it was the only place I saw him.”

“A lot of boys in his year are now in prison or dead,”

Sven E Calson

Sven E Carlsson's theory is that binary oppositions drive the narration of the music video forward, e.g black and white theme. Also that there are two main types of music video; performance and conceptual. Performance clips where the video mainly shows an artist (or artists) singing and/or dancing. Conceptual clips are where something else is shown during the song's duration which may have symbolism or an artistic meaning.

Andrew Goodwin

According to Andrew Goodwin, music videos should ignore common narrative which is important in terms of its role in advertising the artist. Our video can be categorised as both performance and narrative  in construction as we include elements in which our lead artist and band lip-synced in a studio setting. But also a story line in which they attend protests and symbolism burn items and logos that show society as being broken and fragmented. we achieved this through amplifying lines in  the lyrics for example 'break our in society' by editing montages of a variety of protests. We also illustrate the genre by fast paced close ups of the lead singer wearing a mask to hide their identity. In the video we clearly illustrate the music by having long takes whilst the bell rings and fades out. Through the costume of the band members ripping news paper headlines and lip syncing, where they wear plain clothing, suggests the simplistic nature and anti brand that the band reflects in all of their mediums.    

Audince

For my A2 Media Studies coursework I made a music video in the genre of Indie rock, similar to artists such as Arcade Fire. The music video consists of a main character that it trying to fight against the government and their corrupt, capitalistic ways. He does this by attending protests and gratifying signs around London. Whilst he des this he is also trying to deal with the loss of his band member and best friend after she is caught by the police committing a criminal act.








The audience for my video/film would be fans of..... aged bout...... who are interested in.....








The Hypodermic Needle Theory can be applied to my coursework piece. This theory was first conceived in the 1920s between WW1 and WW2 by the Frankfurt School who suggested that messages in the in the media are injected into audiences by the powerful syringe-like media. This went some way to explaining how Hitler use the mass media to inoculate the public with his ideas. this theory posits that the audience is passive and is unduly influenced by messages set to them by the mass media. Applying this theory to my work suggests that viewers of my film/music videos will indulge in copycat behaviour and this can be seen in our music video








The Two Step Flow Theory can also be applied to our music video. This is when a strong opinion leader gives an opinion on a subject thereby changing the opinions of their followers. For example, in our music video if an opinion leader such as the celebrity Russell Brand endorsed our video on their Twitter  this would mean fans of Russell Brand and his opinions would be more likely to view our band's video and access our website.




Another audience theory that can be applied to our music video is the cultivation theory, this suggests that audiences view the media and use it for their own purposes. I feel that in our music video the audience would use it for the propose of the role models. The behaviour of our band is the role model, so makes the viewers opinions reflect what they see in the music video. Also is they identify with the ideology of our video which is anti corporations, anti capitalism, etc, they will join in with our message.






STUART HALL oppositional reading, we may be seen as the criminals, making the society corrupt.

What are the social implications of the media's depiction of teenagers and young people?

In attack the block the media portray young people as anti sociable, violent criminals that have no respect for thoughts who live outside of their housing estate. This is  contrasted by adults being very social and caring, for example, when the nurse (Sam) is on the phone with her mother seeing if she is ok. This reinforces the idea that youth are seen as selfish and anti sociable. An example of this is when one of the teenagers are wielding a knife whilst saying, "You're getting merked init." This not only amplifies teenagers as violent but also gives them the image of being un educated due to their poor use of language. This alienates teenagers from adults because the feel different due to how they speak culturally and also what they speak/care about. Teenagers are also represented as criminals when we see them mug a car after the alien crash lands into it whilst the adult in the situation, opposes this and runs away. This effects youth negatively because they are presented as anti sociable criminals.

Teenagers are also shown to be very protective of their territory and also fight for their honour after being attck by the alien. We see this when, rather then running away, the gang of youths pursue and attack the alien.This makes teenagers seem immature but at the same time quit heroic. The group of teenagers then take the alien back to a room at the top of the block in which they smoke weed, an celebrate the gang leader (Moses) is given a job as a drug dealer. This again backs up the representations of teenagers being criminals, and here we see the aspire to be to. We also see that youth are a lot more accepting of an alien crash landing onto earth then adults, this represents teenagers as being more open to a change in their environment and what they're comfortable with whereas the adults call the alien an ugly dog, even though they no it looks nothing like a dog.

The Mods vs Rockers are another good example of when the media has represented youth negatively. Like in 'Attack the Block' youth are represented as antisocial criminals that have no respect for any out groups. In this case the Media being, almost every national newspaper with the exception of 'The Time', blew up this story Using headlines like 'Day of Terror by Scooter Groups' (Daily Telegraph), 'Youngsters /beat Up Town - 97 Leather Jacket Arrests' (Daily Express,intern creating a moral panic.
The language used is extremely emotive to describe the negative traits that the youth have in this time period, it emphasizes how dangerous the youth are to society. The use of the word invasion in this news article suggests that the youth are alienated from society. This can be further seen in the way the youth dressed in comparison to adults, as they tend to wear leather jackets and sun glasses whereas adults dressed more formal.