For the first part of this unit you need to research a range of advertising campaigns to discover how they target an audience.
Use the assignment brief to guide your evaluation.
We will begin by looking at a contemporary campaign which has led to great debate in the media.
This will allow us to see how an advertising campaign develops.
You will then be working with a client to create an advertising campaign.
Read and annotate this article about the new advert for 'Nike'. (Literacy)
Gain an understanding of the issues and debates surrounding this advertising campaign through further research into Nike and its campaigns and how audiences have received the text.
Analyse the advert by taking screenshots to structure your writing. Literacy
What are the meanings and messages in the advert?
Screenshot
Denotation - explain what can be seen in this shot
Connotation - explain how meaning has been created
Audience - explain how audiences have been targeted by this advert and identify the key audience for this advert
Evaluate - evaluate the success of the advert by conducting research into sales figures and audience reception (Maths)
Use 'The Guardian' news web-site to develop your evaluation of this case study
To extend your writing we will consider the following questions together;
How did the American President Donald Trump respond to the advert?
What impact has the advert had upon sales ?
What does the advert have to say about equality and diversity?
Does the fact that the advert is for a commercial product undermine the power of the message?
How does the advert fit with other Nike campaigns?
What is the preferred meaning of the advert? (Theory -Stuart Hall)
What is an opposite reading of this advert? (Theory -Stuart Hall)
How have you received the messages in this advert?
Submit an evaluation and analysis of the advert to be assessed and marked for literacy (21st September)
Equality and diversity - discuss the front pages of this weeks newspapers in terms representation
This task forms your initial assessment. It also prepares you to make a moving image production which will form part of your final assessment.
You will develop a range of practical skills in filming and editing in a short space of time.
In previous lesson you have analysed a range of extracts to develop your knowledge of visual and aural techniques. This has led to understanding of how a director creates meaning for an audience.
Your aim is to produce a narrative film using your knowledge of cinematic techniques.
Here is an example of previous student work to aspire to;
Consider how can you improve upon this exemplar?
Maths - timing is crucial to the success of a narrative. Consider the pace and style of editing by comparing your timings with this exemplar.
Task One
Communicate and work in teams to film the shots as directed in your booklet.
Task Two
Edit the shots to form a narrative using Premiere Pro editing software
Task Three
Evaluate your performance, the skills that you have developed and the success of your project in a written review.
Literacy - Underline the terminology that you have understood through textual analysis.
Consider the following areas;
Continuity editing
Communication skills
Efficiency of your workflow
Organisation of clips
Naming of clips
Framing and composition of shots
Pace and style of editing
Use of mise-en-scene
Use of titles
Use of music and audio effects
Use of transitions
Rendering your video
Exporting your final product
Finally, respond to audience feedback and constructive criticism in your review.
Study the theory of We Media and the ideas about Media Studies 2.0 by William Merrin and apply it to news media
Merrin is a Professor at Swansea University and author of Media Studies 2.0. Look at his Twitter fed to gain an idea of his role and his ideas about the media and how digital distribution and the global nature of new media has changed the industry and should also change the way students study the media.
The Daily Mail web-site has nearly 16million hits daily and nearly 250 million monthly.
News Media are planning for a digital future and have risked a lot to try and gain a foothold in the market. The Guardian which is owned by a trust has risked a great deal to establish itself as the leading left leaning global news media web-site, with a particular eye on the American market. News media is now global and advertising revenues are the key to a successful future.
Now that news media are concentrating on an online future how does this affect the way we receive news?
How do audiences consume the news?
How has 'We Media' affected the news we receive. Are we in a 'post-truth' era and an era of fake news or has that always been the case?
We will follow two major stories to see how they unfold;
Election of Donald Trump in the US
The UK leaving the European Union
Traditional media is still influential and we will study newspapers to see how far this claim can be asserted
Study the latest ABC figures and identify trends and issues in print media.
The Sun used to sell 4 million each day a decade ago. It now sells 1.6 million
The Daily Mail sell 1.5 million
The Daily Mirror sells 750.00 daily
The Guardian sells 150 million
Plot the political leaning of UK newspapers on a chart from right to left wing
Analyse these front pages about Brexit to identify political bias
This is the last thing that I shared. I think I shared because it is a shared experience which members of my family and friends will recognise. The essence of good observational comedy.
Virality is the key in the online age. Getting audiences to share content is the golden egg for advertisers. What is it that makes us share media texts? What texts do you share?
The Panama Papers and the revelations that ensued could have cost the Prime Minister and others their jobs. The Prime Minister of Iceland resigned as he had money in tax havens. Our PM has ridden the storm and although his reputation and integrity may have been harmed he is still in position and two weeks later the storm seems to have blown over. However, in the digital age we all leave a digital footprint so we must be careful how we represent ourselves in case our actions come back to haunt us. Is this indicative of modern society, politics and the media? Are we more careful about our representation in the digital age?
We will also look at the theories of William Merrin and how social media represented the Panama Papers to make comment about how the media operates in the online age.
We are what we pretend to be so we must be careful what we pretend to be. ( Kurt Vonnegut)
This is my favourite quote and reveals a lot about online safety and how we operate in the online age. It is a good maxim for living in the stream and harsh lessons ca be learned if you are not aware of the power of the internet and the dangers inherent in social media. We all create a sort of avatar or a persona that we would like to be, whether that is selecting certain photos or deleting links or posting things which show status. For example, footballer Joleon Lescott tweeted an image of a Mercedes after a 6 nil loss.At best it was insensitive but in claiming he sent it by mistake as the phone was in his pocket he made it worse. He has shown his naivety in the media world once again since then showing how media training is essential for high profile people.
Web 2.0 allows users and audiences to interact with the news in ways that could not before. This allows us to comment and feedback. Therefore politicians need to be increasingly careful about the way that they present themselves. Your Prime Minister worked in Public Relations so is adept at spinning his way out of trouble. There is a call amongst the public for less 'airbrushed' characters who seem more authentic. Does that explain the popularity of these two politicians;
In our post-modern age, ' no orthodoxy can be received without irony'. We are quite cynical as an audience and cannot take things at face value. We challenge and interrogate texts and do not readily accept the news as truth. This means we are now an 'active' audience using texts to gratify certain needs. Social media allows us to share media which illustrates how we feel about a news story in images or memes. They work in ways similar to cartoons in the past. These go viral in memes and therefore we are mediating the news through sharing memes and texts which represent our take on a story. It is often celebrities or people with a following who can set the news agenda through Twitter. Could we call these people the new 'gatekeepers' and who are they for you?
We have considered online responses to the news of the Panama Papers. Can you think of any other news stories that caused a reaction online?
News often comes to us first hand through live feeds or unmediated streams. For my generation the Twin Towers was a seminal moment. The attacks in Paris are a more recent example.
Can you identify examples of when this has happened?
As an introduction to this unit we are going to use some resources created by The Film Space. We are going to focus on film as our medium. Initially we will be looking at film exhibition.
