EXAM Q8

PREP: Analyse the use of media language to create meaning in the Online Observer Homepage. Give two examples from extract 3.



 
The dark blue banner of 'The Observer' connotes a modern and sophisticated feel to the tabloid as a whole, especially when used with the font 'Sans Serif' which appears formal yet modern- suggesting new and exclusive news. There is pink and blue in sections which may be more alluring to certain genders, the pink to women, and blue to men - which is mainly noticeable in the sports section with the majority of the headlines being blue. However the colour of the separate boxes for 'Food and Lifestyle' , are gender neutral and could be  engaging to older ages, especially with the titles of 'Wines for a family gathering'.

Articles skewed towards male audiences will usually be located in the sport section because of the positive reports about their nations sports team that the audience will most probably support - which men are usually most linked to. This appeals to the audience because of their personal identity and values. With the headline reading 'Return of Vunipola will give England confidence' , paired with a strong photo of a glorious run of a rugby player, we can only assume after seeing just the headline that the subject of the article will be flattering and biased to the home side (England), to encourage a reader to come back in want of the patriotic praise they will receive from the sport articles. The term 'Courage' and 'England' used in the same sentence will also increase the chances of the reader thinking of their nation as courageous. Sport, society and politic news and opinions will lead the reader into thinking they are members of a common culture, and in hope to feel more accepted and normal they will come back for more information they can agree with.

'Can I forgive the man who raped me?' is an eye catching bold headline which will draw in the reader because of their desire to know what is going on in the world. The headline is a question which makes direct conversation with the reader, instantly drawing them in. A hard news story on a delicate topic such as rape will open the reader's eyes to different view points, which is a thing a lot of readers are curious about, especially with harsh topics like rape when we are addressed with the first person, hinting at personal experience.

FRANCIS NGANNOU PHOTOSHOP

This was a piece of work I did but it didn't come out as I would have liked it it looks (in my opinion) unfinished and empty but, I believe with more time working with it, I can add more and make it look better.

PERFUME ADVERT

I made a perfume advert for a Victoria's Secret fragrance, called 'BOMBSHELL', starring Daniela Braga as the face of the perfume who herself is a Victoria Secret model, with a pink tone skyline of San Fransisco, with the Golden Gate bridge submerged in misty rosey clouds. I came across a few issues on the way, mainly regarding the cropping of the model, though I finished it all and completed it with a tagline of 'BE THE BOMBSHELL'

EXAM QUESTION - GENRE CODES ON POSTERS

Exam question: Analyse how genre codes have been used in The Lego Movie poster campaign to appeal to a family audience. (10 marks) Write the equivalent of a page and a half A4 in the exam. This is a major question.
 

 


















The title is the most eye catching thing about this movie poster, in my opinion. The title is in a light grey colour but the red 'LEGO' is added to give a pop of colour to catch the eye of such a familiar household brand. The font is designed specially to again remind us of the world wide franchise. In the individual posters, the biggest text is of the name of the voice and the character with only 'is' between the names. The same 3D 'The Lego Movie' title is at the bottom right corner of the individual posters to familiarize us with the movie and it's branding.

The tagline of 'The story of a nobody who saved everybody' appeals to our more sensitive side and creates empathy for Emmet - the assumed protagonist, when he is labelled as a nobody. The tagline is short and memorable because of the repetition of 'body' in the 'nobody' and the 'everybody'. Emmet is also portrayed as an 'everyman' and shows that he could be anyone, you, me or anyone in the audience adding to the empathy we already have for him. 

The tagline is complimented by the point of central visual interest which is the savior, Emmet (or on the individual posters, the character which the poster is about). Going in a staggered line in order of the characters and the importance and the role they play. An explosion behind them, with a large Sir Business chasing menacingly creates a sense of frantic panic and danger, though the 'saves' in the tagline gives us safety and a knowledge that everything will end out okay in the end, despite the antagonist behind them, taunting and trying to catch them.

A sense of nostalgia for parents and familiarity to kids makes the movie suitable for all as the over all theme is LEGO (which is recognizable to almost everybody who will have access to the movie) As an international sign of fun and creativity, even if you were not to be familiar with LEGO, you would still be able to guess that the movie will be about the characters creativity because  of the posters and advertising. The posters are made up entirely of LEGO-like bricks, from the title font, the background of a bustling city to the (collectable) minifigs which are the characters themselves. The nostalgia can also extend to the characters and voices, with the likes of Morgan Freeman, Chris Pratt and Will Ferrel will appeal to the adult audience.

The characters in the movie and shown in the posters will also suit a wide range audience, iconic superheroes such as batman, green lantern, superman and Wonderwoman are also known by everyone, so there will be a minimum of one familiar face in the movie, though even though, the new characters give the audience even more opertunity to relate to a character in the movie. From young boys being attracted to the likes of the humble and hillarious Emmet or the super cool Superman, girls can be drawn in by an excitable and feminine character like Unikitty -(who will appeal to mainly young girls). Older girls can be inspired by Wonderwoman or WyldStyle two very strong (and rare) female leads.

The poster also conveys what genre(s) the movie will be, which appears to be an action, combat and comedy. We can tell this because of the explosion and action shot ; of course implying the movie will be action packed with spectacle scenes like those of explosions. The theme of comedy seeps through Emmet's face showing an comical 'fear face', an uncommon face for a hero to be pulling. The chosen characters - mainly the superheroes shown in the poster, hint at a possible combat theme, as we associate them for fending off the evil (physically) in the coolest of ways.

From a franchise like LEGO, we as an audience wouldn't expect it to be nothing other than a family-friendly movie. Portrayed by the use of characters - which are familiar and popular to many households therefore everyone, the famous voices which will typically appeal to an older audience or even to teens because of the gaming like element which is hinted by the use of danger and action which are also a common running theme in popular video games.