Audience and Institution

Task 1

1. Do you think the audiences for most media texts do come “from all walks of life” or do different kinds of people watch very different kinds of programme? Are there any examples of media texts that you can think of that do seem to have audiences of all kinds of people?

i think its actually abit of both in a way, everyone has different interests and even if they share the same interests their personality or their stereotype may differ from what they chose to watch on tv, however generally it is the case that different kinds of people watch very different kinds of programmes. for example things with a big count of people tuning in to watch them, eg. Soap opera's (Coronation street, Eastenders, Emmerdale), X-factor/ Britains got talent, programme's on at 'prime time'.

2. How much of your media experience occurs when you are on your own and how much when you are with others?

70% on your own (tv, laptop, phone) and 30% with others (films, programme's etc)

3. How do you experience/consume media (i.e. watch or listen to it)?

tv, ipod, twitter, facebook, films, cinema, blogs, youtube, websites, computer, phone, magazines, newspapers.

4. Are there any ways in which you share your experiences of the media with other people who weren’t around when you experienced the text? List as many ways as you share experiences (e.g. msn etc)

word of mouth, text, facebook, twitter, phone, chatting.

Task 2

McQuail and Katz didn't focus solely on film, but you have to. Try and identify a film for each of the FOUR areas identified by McQuail and Katz

a) the need for information about our geographical and social world news and dra

Hotel rowanda, remember me

b) the need for identity, by using characters and personalities to define our sense of self

and social behaviour film celeb

S.trinians, harry potter

c) the need for social interaction through experiencing the relationships and interaction of

others

My sisters keeper, love actually

d) the need for diversion by using the media for purposes of play and entertainment.

Mean girls, inbetweeners

Teenagers& Elderly people in the media

Teenagers in the media

 Teenagers are represented very negatively in the media, there has been endless acounts where teenagers get bored and roam the streets looking to cause trouble, providing the media with a constant flow of stories including stabbings, gun crime and damaged property, mainly pointed in the direction of young teenage boys or 'hoodies'. This means that only this small percentage of teenagers who do create all the issues in the media are creating the repuatation, and for example the future genius's are getting over looked. but by most of the stories that cover the media being negative or to do with crime means it allows the public to form a negative opinion which has now been labelled stereotypically on most teenagers.

Elderly people in the media

Elderly people are represented in the media almost as a slight burden, on tv programme's like soaps they are potrayed as busy bodies that are quite stuck in their own ways and like to tell their past stories, in different parts of the media they are shown as being very stubborn and moaning about changes in society, and are not portayed as anyone with a contribution, overall they arent represented how normal working class people are represented.

Cheryl cole L'Oreal advert

Cheryl cole L'Oreal elvive advert
i have chosen this advert because i feel like its a good advert for shampoo and uses a few looks from the 'male gaze', in this advert it uses the 'super smiler' look because it shows Cheryl smiling and looking glowing, by showing her like this it sends a message out to the audience that the shampoo good make you like Cheryl and happy and glowing. It also uses the 'care free' look by showing her cheerful and swishing her hair around.

Pixie lott 'Mama Do'

Pixie lott Mama Do
I have cut out 30 seconds of pixie lotts music video 'Mama Do', i have chosen this video because i think it includes lots of elements of the 'male gaze', and i think she is shown in ways for people to look at her in a certain way in this snipit of the music video pixie is shown in what looks like a white mens shirt- this would be seen as sexy and cute to men, she is lying on a bed at the begining which could be interpreted as invitational gaze because throughout the small clip she has a hint of a smile suggesting mischief and is looking directly into the camera at the people watching the video with the focus on her eyes, she is also crawling along the floor with girls behind in a 'heaven' like atmosphere with all white pillows/clouds around them, this is classed as the invitational look but aswell as this romatic/ sexual because of how they are positioned- crawling towards the camera which would be seen as seductive and where the audience will focus on their expression/ chests. In the video there are alot of close ups on Pixie's face which show the audience more detail and bring elements of the chocolate box look into the video as well as all the seductive feautures.

The male gaze homework

Chocolate box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. Projected mood: blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.

invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera. Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.

super smiler :full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown. Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.

romantic or sexual: a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.

(Marjorie Ferguson)

seductive: similar to the cool/level look in many respects - the eyes are less wide, perhaps shaded, the expression is less reserved but still self-sufficient and confident; milder versions may include a slight smile.

carefree: nymphlike, active, healthy, gay, vibrant, outdoor girl; long unrestrained outward-flowing hair, more outward-going than the above, often smiling or grinning.

practical:concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back.

Comic: deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness.

catalogue: a neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, waxlike; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed.

(Trevor Millum)

Calvin klein underwear models-'the male gaze'

This male model 'Freddie ljungberg' is set right in the middle of the picture as the complete focus, he is shot from a mid angle so you can see from his head to the top of his legs. He is in a strong pose and is holding direct and intense gaze right into the camera which is aimed for the people looking at this advert, he is also set in a seductive position with a red background behind him - which is related to romance/sex, in the image you can see the majority of his body in a sexual and seductive position where he is  pulling slightly on his boxers, by doing this it also draws your eyes to the calvin klein on the boxers which is what the advert is selling, This model has been used because he is toned and tanneda nd is an object of desire for women.he is holding onto a bar which could have been used as a phallic symbol and also to show his strength and how toned muscles are, his hands are both in almost fist positions which shows stregth or agression. His body has a sheen to it, which suggest he could maybe have been working out. This advert is for mens boxers so its designed for men to want to buy the boxers so it uses the idea of other men desiring the physique of this model and think they would look like it in the boxers, or think that these boxers will improve their sex life and want to buy them.

These images show the model 'Eva mendes' modelling underwear for calvin klein, in the images she is wearing bra, pants and stockings with a heels which give her a provocative look, in one image the camera angle is a long shot so you can see her whole body, i think that the image is sexually sugestive in alot of different ways, the way she is standing and holding her head in an almost organsmic position, she also has her legs open in both shots. buy wearing stockings and heels as well the underwear it creates an almost fantasy for men to look at. Both images are taken slightly from a low angle making her legs look longer but also making her look more in power and holding a sort of sexual control over the men looking at this advert. The campaign is made to sell the underwear to women so by having this image as the advert for womens underwear it makes women want to buy the underwear because women may look at the advert and envie the models body and sex appeal so they would but the lingerie because they want to feel sexy and think it may improve their sex life if they buy them.

How is lester burnham represented?

How is lester burnham represented?
The character lester burnham from the film american beauty is shown to viewers as trapped in his own life, it shows lester burnham and unhappy, depressed middle aged man with little power over his life and relationships. Lester burnham is represented through the begining of the film via his non exsistant relationship with his wife, it becomes apparent that Lester doesnt wear the trousers in the relationship, and actually rides in the back on the way to work while his wife drives and daughter sits in the front, this tells us he doesnt take on the typical man of the house role, while his wife controls everything, He is also shown through the weak relationship and lack of communication with his daughter showing that although they have the money and a really nice house the families relationships arent as strong.
Lester burnham is shown as the weaker in the family we can tell this by the camera angle used in the begining of the film for example the camera is quite often pointing down on Lester showing a lack of authority, and in term of levels his wife is always a step above him which represents a shift of power.
Lester Burnham in the begining of american beauty is frequently shown as trapped, for example it shows him in a small boxy office in a dead end job. Lester burnham is shown lusting after his teenage daughters friend and when put in a school situation is represented almost as a teenage boy by the way he is slouching and daydreaming about this girl, He is narrating the film which means we get the story from his point of view and are shown his side to his life, and from this we can tell he finds his own life extremely dull and perhaps even lonely.Throughout this begining of the film we can tell Lester Burnham is trapped in his own dull and repeated life but shows behaviour of going through a possible mid life crisis.

Camera angles

Camera angles in films,
long shot

mid shot

low angle

 high angle

close up

'The man'

Notes on the representation of 'The man' 'every morning i see the same man, average sized, a grey beard, quite rugged looking, rough clothes, scuffed up shoes, tattered black hat and rips in his trousers that he has tried to repair himself, clothes he has picked up out of a charity bag off the street, i always see him on this same busy street.. he's homeless and has no family with him ever, he tends to spend his time lurking around this spot waiting for his shift to start. . steorotypyically from his clothes you would think he looks quite grubby and unkept which is why i thought of how i represented him in the way i did, then too find out he's really the head of Ralph Lauren's vintage department, so he's very involved in fashion and just has his own style.

About me

i haven chosen media studies because the subject interested me and i felt i could get something out of it, i also thought went well with my other subjects being art, sociology and textiles.
i have had a recent love for beaver falls and britains next top model

i tend to read alot of fashion magazines for example- company, cosmopolitan.. and the odd celebrity magazine. i have a few favourite films but my favourite 3 would probably be mean girls, john tucker must die and superbad.
music wise- embarrassingly i like 'pop' music, tad obbsessed with one direction