A (B)yron (S)tory Media Studies Blog

'How do Woman and Adbusters construct their audiences ?' Construct = representation --> How do Women/ Adbusters represent their intended consumers of their media product. Audience construction -> Making a target audience. Use binary opposition to tell the audience what they like and do not like.  Woman magazine: -Tells its audience they should follow patriarchal hegemony. - Dress up, look nice, smile - Front cover - Be a housewife. (Kitchen dp spread, houseware, tend to kids) - Indulge in vanity (Creme Puff) In constructing it's target audience, Woman magazine heavily reinforces female stereotypes.  Buy reinforcing stereotypes, the producers of Woman magazine are therein insuring the same audience of women buy it week after week.  Trying to construct/ tell the audience exactly what to do. Constructing an audience is far easier than marketing to individuals, and the uniqueness.  (ie. Long Road Magazine sells the stereotype of LR as laidback, easy going lexis, c...

 Woman Front cover (August 1964) Front cover - Encourages audience to purchase the magazine. Woman's Realm, Woman's Own,  Woman --> All ran by the publisher, IPC. --> Monopoly on that market.  Competitor to Vogue magazine, both sold to female target audiences but are binary opposites --> Middle class women.  What makes the cover for 'Woman' overtly conventional? The masthead ->  sans-serif font, -> large and eye-catching. Cheap cover price -> Appeals to working class target audience. Main image -> Large, takes up two thirds of the page. Brand identity -> Very particular, you know what you're getting. -> Working class, middle-aged, conventional women ->  Reinforces patriarchal hegemony.  Selling a lifestyle to the target audience Aspirational image -> You could be her, 'Are you an a-level beauty?' -> anchorage to the photo directly addresses viewer. Alfred Hitchcock -> intertextual reference to famous celebrity -...

 Adbusters (2016) textual analysis 'Red soles are always in season' double page spread In what ways does Adbusters construct its target audience? How does Adbusters use subversive representations to position its audiences? Counter-cultural, niche magazine.  - Atypical and unconventional to hegemonic magazines, the opposite to Woman (August 1964) Why is Woman magazine so basic?  It's purpose is to make money. It constructs simplistic, representations of its target audience. Obedient middle-class white housewives, they cook, clean, etc. Adbusters on the other hand is a polysemic, complex magazine, with complex messages. It isn't basic like Woman. That said, it /still/ constructs a target audience, of activists. A demographic of people who have a social conscience, involved in politics/change in the world, etc. This is far broader than the single preferred target audience of Woman. Adbusters breaks the rules of representations of gender, ethnicity, etc. Arguably done so t...

 Woman Magazine ( August 1964) Adbusters (2016) Woman is wholly conventional to it's time of release whereas Adbusters is wholly unconventional. Media language (Barthes and Levi-Strauss) Representation (Hall, Gauntlett, Van Zoonen, hooks, Gilroy) Industry (Curran & Seaton, Livingstone & Lunt, Hesmondhalgh) Audience (Gerbner, Hall) Woman: Woman's lifestyle magazine was published by IPC  Weekly release schedule (3.5 Million copies every week.) Mass audience  Heterosexual, white, working class housewives (40+), middle-aged.  --> Sounds niche, but isnt.  Woman magazine presents a simple, straightforward and basic ideology to it's mass audience.  context: 2nd wave feminism is immensely popular. End of the baby boomer generation LSD/ Cannabis --> Hippies, sex. -->  The Pill.  Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Psychedelia Movement.  Civil Rights Movement in the US Important to recognise absolutely none of this is represented within Wo...

Postmodernism - Jean Baudrillard  Post modern media products deliberately break rules, and deliberately challenge their audience. Hyperreality - When the representation of something is 'better' than reality. Post modernism is an impossible theory to define. The character, 'Anita' in Humans is perfect,  because she doesn't exist. 'Perfect' traits like cooking, cleaning. The binary opposition of the messy MES of the Hawkins family household, imperfect, and normal; To further highlight the hyperreal fixes that Anita performs upon it once she arrives. Hawkins Family as a typical stereotypical nuclear family. Confusing mode of address at the shift from warm tones of Hawkins family setting, to the coldness of the warehouse Anita is wheeled through in a bag. Reinforced by conventional sci-fi synth music. The usage of the shopping centre as a setting is a stereotypically consumerist setting.  Sophie questions Joe, 'What if she's not pretty?' as Joe goes ...

 David Gauntlet argues that audiences can use tv shows to reflect their own identity . To what extent does this theory of identity apply to the TV shows you have studied? David Gauntlet - Theories of Identity Audiences can pick and choose bits and pieces of a media text to identify with, and other parts to ignore. Humans and Le Revenants offer the audience an opportunity to identify with a number of characters. KJR: Audiences can take a variety of identities and interpretations for the tv shows I have studied, to allow them to appeal to a range of target audiences. Plan: David Gauntlet - Pick and mix Stuart Hall - Reception Theory  MES:  Wide angled shot in Humans breakfast scene constructs a number of representations of stereotypical hegemonic family members.  Relatable messy costume design, familiar middle-class setting and narrative situation. Dramatic and upsetting storylines, both Humans have themes of life and death, sex. Things all viewers are forced to iden...

  MES: Binary opposition  of the stereotypical white suburban middle-class British family, to Asian actress. In a wide shot of the entire breakfast table, this is binary opposition between Anita, and the Hawkins family is reinforced through MES of Gemma Chan's sturdy posture and straightened hair, constructing the character as polite, perfect, with the placement of her hands at her lap encoding her as concentrated. Whilst in juxtaposition to the slouched Hawkins family, and their messy bed heads.   American-British coproduction, which explains the placement of the show as in and around the city of London, as this is an expectation of a British tv-show.  Ensemble cast leads to a wider range of representations -> wider range of audiences -> Higher profit for Humans. Paul Gilroy, Postcolonial Theory --> Anita as an East-Asian, in comparison to the white Hawkins. --> Anita is constructed as a slave as opposed to a worker or a maid, based upon her costume...

  Question: In what ways can the television industry uniquely convey issues, events and representations ? Make reference to  Humans    in your answer How is the television industry a specialised industry? How is the TV industry different from the film industry? TV: -Often lower production budget -Different forms of distribution, such as streaming (Netflix, HBO Max, though films are leaning in this direction too in recent times.) and live television. Film: - Higher  production budget and expectation for money-back. - Primarily tied to cinema experience, more of an 'event' - Less serialised, shorter overall runtime than a tv series. How do television shows make money? Television shows often make money primarily from advertisements during their runtime. How are  Humans  and  Les Revenants distributed  to their target audiences? AMC, and Channel 4 at initial release, then streaming platforms like 4OD and Netflix afterwards for additional profit. ...

  Compare how m edia language constructs representations in the trailer to series three of  Top Boy   and the video to  Formation  by Beyoncé   Plan: Paul Gilroy - Postcolonialism theory -> MES Top Boy: Puffer jackets and hoodies -> symbolic stereotype of the hoodie being worn by troublemakers.  urban concrete cityscape setting, bin fire, dull grey colours -> represent London as a source of poverty, and potentially relatable to the target audience. 'Everybody wants to be a top man.' ->  represents life for working-class black men as a ladder of power. Bricolage: a mixture of different styles in Formation -> Juxtaposed with the binary stereotypical representation of young black people in Top Boy trailer. Formation constructs a music video primarily featuring a target audience of Black women, whilst Top Boy with black men. Though both hold secondary attention to the other, vice-versa. Formation subverts racist stereotypes -> Antebe...

  Compare how media language creates meaning in the first two minutes to the video to  Everlong  by Foo Fighters, and the video to  Riptide  by Vance Joy.  Kneejerk: The music videos for both Everlong by  Foo Fighters, and Riptide by Vance Joy use unconventional, atypical media language,  this therein creating memorable music videos. plan: Steve Neale - Genre, repetition and difference. Everlong features members of FF, VJ doesnt appear in his music video at all. Lack of conventional dance segment, or singing by band. Curran and Seaton - Power and profit -> Music videos are always products made to make a profit. media language  How intertextuality constructs meaning Washed out. faded colours of Riptide -> reminsicent of 1970s cinema. -> Michelle Pfeiffer -> History of being typecasted as helpless woman. Goofy Halloween costume MES of Everlong -> 1990s horror films  The use of polysemy 'Everlong' and 'Riptide' both feature...

  Explore the ways in which representations are encoded through media language in the front page of this edition of  The Daily Mail Kneejerk :  The Daily Mail makes usage of a series of sympathetic representations to align the reader with their ideological perspective. Plan: Context; Daily Mail -> Tabloid-> Lower-middle working class audience -> Pro-Royal. MES: The various images of celebrities and models are all smiling -> Represents them in a positive, optimistic mood, reinforced by the high key lighting. Royal colours -> Purple, lilac, and gold -> Connotations of royalty -> aligns the daily mail with the royal family/ monarchy -> Traditional. anchorage of 'One last moment with her prince',  as the headline, lexis of sadness, with binary opposition of a fairytale.  -> Represents the queen akin to a princess by romanticising it's language. Serif font used to represent the headline and it's copy as important by differing it from the bu...

 How do the representations in 'Formation' reflect the ideology of the producer? Plan: New Orleans -> New Orleans has been flooded various times -> Insufficient aid MES: sinking police car ->  Complex representations of African-American women and men. Representations of the police as riot force -> Proairetic code of violence against black child. -> binary opposition of riot police and a little child. MES: Antebellum dress from 1800s and upper-class household setting -> Symbolic code for  the power white slave owners wives/daughters -> Binary opposition to the representations of contemporary african-americans. -- Extremely controversial. -> Attempt to reappropriate a symbol of slavery, racism. A removal of power from the White. Antebellum/ Katrina -> intertextual references. Atypical, subversive song for Beyoncé as an artist.  Paul Gilroy: Postcolonialism theory conventional music video structure -> Dancing,  Binary opposition betwee...

 Analyse the genre conventions of this trailer, and explore how they have changed over time; (Nobody) Generic paradigm = Genre convention - Action thriller -High amounts of action -Unconventional action lead -> family drama themes. - Intense soundtrack - Guns, violence, explosions, car chases. - Vulgar language, swears, etc. - Hermeneutic code/ mysterious built around lead through dialogue.  - non-diegetic conventional narration at end of trailer, 'in theaters' - Intertextual reference to films like John Wick, reinforced by text that states the director wrote both. Kneejerk: Nobody is a highly conventional action/ crime hybrid with some unconventional elements. Plan: - MES: Binary opposition of  aged lead actor, in mundane clothing and public transport, and gang. - Bus setting -> Working/ lower-middle class, suburbia, poverty. - Midshot of actor emphasises star appeal. - MES of guns, clear convention of crime and action. - Guns are an example of  a proairetic...

"Explore how audiences are positioned by the representations in this advert" Define.. A representation is a RE -presentation, and representations reflect the ideology of the producer.  Positioning refers to how the target audience is placed by the producer of the media text. Argue The direct form of address used is serious and confrontational in an attempt to secure a target audience of young, potentially female black people to join the army. Z-line capital sans-serif letters -> Eye catching, and firm. Lexis of achievement -> Text implies it knows that /You/ will find betterment via 'self-belief' Red holds connotations of strength, action, vigor and war. The mise-en-scene of  professional camouflage, a UK flag badge and beret reinforces symbolic tradition.  UK Monarchy Sepia tone, paper texture, and overall construction of the advertisement harkens back to old war recruitment posters. Usage of Black female model for photograph emphasises YOU refers to anyone, an...

1) Remember to use media language, above all else. 2) Essential not to just 'chat' about the show. Synopsis: After an apparent school bus crash off of a cliff, we find Camille Séguret,  has begun to return and walk home.  How is she alive? Did all of the other children die?  -> Les Revenants is /filled/ with hermeneutic codes to keep audience investment through mystery and the wish to discover more. Les Revenants is for all intents and purposes, the dictionary definition of a unconventional cult show for a niche audience. It targets a small, albeit dedicated audience. Key questions: How do generic paradigms and iconography position audiences? A generic paradigm/ convention could be a certain element we expect from a piece of media in a genre. In a zombie show for example? Blood, post-apocalypse, mindless zombies and guns.  Western? Saloons, cowboys, duels and funny American accents. Positioning may also refer to everything from the pace of the edit. Is it fas...

 The Brothel Scene synopsis: Leo is positioned to appear to be attempting a rescue mission for Niska from the brothel. Albeit we find out he 'needs more time' and she is left there to endure further suffering. Key Questions: How does media language position the audience? Are we placed within the shoes of the protagonist via techniques such as the close-up shot, etc. Or made distant? How does gender performativity position the audience? While we arguably perform aspects of our gender, this is /not/ gender performativity. Gender performativity - Refers to how our performance of gender affects the world around us. I walk around in my jeans, hoodie and Adidas sneakers. - I'm following hegemonically accepted conventions for what an 18-year-old White guy might is seen to wear. Nobody would care. /But/ If I'd decided to express my gender performance via adorning a dress and make-up, I'd likely be called out for it.  Anita -> A hegemonically attractive representation of ...