Sound task- parallel and contrapuntal

                                                                          Parallel

Contrapuntal

Development of sound technology in Hollywood- 1920s

 Sound-on-film technology occurred mid-decade and developed in 1926 - 1927, following experimental techniques begun in the late 1910s. Fox Studios and the Warner Brothers were crucial in the development and acceptance of the technology of sound in motion pictures.The primary steps in the commercialization of sound cinema were taken in the mid- to late 1920s.

In February 1927, an agreement was signed by five leading Hollywood movie companies: the so-called Big Two, Paramount and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, a pair of studios in the next rank Universal and the fading First Nationaland Cecil B. DeMille's small but prestigious Producers Distributing Corporation (PDC). The five studios agreed to collectively select just one provider for sound conversion. In May, Warner Bros. sold back its exclusivity rights to ERPI  and signed a new royalty contract similar to Fox's for use of Western Electric technology. As Fox and Warners pressed forward with sound cinema in different directions, both technologically and commercially,Fox with newsreels and then scored dramas, Warners with talking features—so did ERPI, which sought to corner the market by signing up the five allied studios.

Gucci advertisement analysis

This is an advertisement for a Gucci perfume, the actress Blake Lively  is featured in this poster and looks very glamorous and seductive as she looks like a femme fetal out of film noir ; her reflection makes her look sleek and shows a desire, eagerness which could be for the perfume. This could connote that this product is aimed at females who like to dress well and be glamorous or females who want to impress someone. The Gucci signature adds an elegant touch to the poster, and shows off that this is a designer fragrance.

The whole image is very glamorous, and the phrase 'premiere' underneath the Gucci signature could connote this is also aimed at the rich, as a product that is a product has been released and sold for a limited time so this would usually be more expensive.
The dominant reading for this advertisement is that the creator would want this product to look different and stand out from other products as the poster is very glamorous and it looks good.
The opposition reading would be for customers to think this is the same old Gucci product or it is too expensive for an ordinary person.

Film poster analysis

This movie 'blade runner' looks as if it is set in space or the future as there are either buildings or weird looking space shuttles in the bottom of the poster. The man in the top right who is most likely to be the main hero in the film is holding a futuristic looking gun which also shows this film could be about the future. The flashing light in the top left corner could show this film is maybe set in space as the background looks like a dark starry sky. 

The genre of this film would be science fiction with the futuristic looking effects. Film noir which is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas could also be considered as the woman with the cigarette looks like a femme fatal with her red lipstick and classy hair-do. The man is also holding a gun which could mean the film is an action movie.

I think the target audience for this film would probably be males as they are most likely to be interested in films with guns, gadgets and action.

This movie 'scary movie 2' is a parody as the tagline is 'absolutely hilarious!' and the characters are all dressed to mock other horror movies such as the exorcist and house on haunted hill. There are characters such as the priest and main character from 'The Exorcist', as well as a character from the horror 'what lies beneath'

'Scary Movie 2' is clearly a comedy movie as this is a parody mocking a mixture of horror movies, to make the movies seem amusing rather than scary.

The target audience for this film would be teenagers and maybe adults under 30 who enjoy comedies or "spoofs".

This movie 'Uzak' looks like a foreign movie as the phrase 'uzak' as a literal meaning in Turkish translates distant. This could suggest that he is distant from someone or something, or he is lonely as the setting looks grimy, polluted and isolated which means the character could be lost in an unknown area of danger.This could also be about a war as the background looks as if there has been an explosion.

The genre for this movie looks like some sort of drama as the poster doesn't show a clear genre, or maybe a film about memory loss as the title means 'distant'

The target audience for this movie would be mostly middle aged people who are interested in this type of genre, as young adults of children wouldn't be very attracted to such movies.

This movie 'I'm not scared' looks like a film where there is a boy who is trying to conquer a fear that could be adventurous,as he is observing something over a strange looking hole; the hole is a reminder of the classic 'Alice In Wonderland' as the main character falls down a hole with great adventure ahead, this film may be similar as there is small boy who could be going on a strange adventure.

The genre of this would be thriller as the poster shows this is an "award winning thriller"

The target audience for this film would be 12+ as it looks adventurous and the film has a young boy as the main character, which is appealing to young people.

This movie 'sin city' could be about a group of people who are either against one another, or in a team fighting against evil. The characters shown in the poster could have committed sins as they are each holding a weapon, mostly guns; this could show how violence and action is the key in this movie. The use of black and white in the poster suggest how darkness and danger could also be a part of the film.

The genre of this movie would belong to is Action, thriller, crime fiction and maybe film noir due to the colours of the poster and font of the title.

The target audience for this movie would probably be 18+ as this is a thriller which would mostly be viewed by adults.

    Pirates of the Caribbean looks like an adventurous movie as there is a pirate ship in the poster with a type of sea monster beside it and forest areas are also in the poster which suggest that this film could also have obstacles of danger as forests are dark and mysterious. The whole adventure is for the 'dead mans chest' which is in the title of the movie and there is evil in the movie as there is a skull on fire in the title. There is also a woman in the poster which could further suggest that there is a type of love story in the movie.

The genre of Pirate of the Caribbean would be fantasy as there could be mythical creatures included, adventure and action would also come into the genre of this movie.

The target audience for this film would be around 15-45 as this is an adventurous movie which has many sequels and has become a very popular series of fantasy.

This  story line of this movie 'Bride and Prejudice' is of two individuals that fall for each other,  but are of two different cultures, as you can see the difference of their families in the background. The film consists of both families creating tension as they come from different backgrounds, however the confetti and celebration create a positive vibe. There is also a lot of humor used in the movie.

The genres for this film would include comedy, drama, musical and most importantly romance.

The target audience for this would mainly be females 18+ who are interested in love and relationships, whereas men don't have as much interest in these things. This movie would also attract ethnic groups as the film includes diverse cultures.

   This movie 'Million dollar baby' seems to be about a woman who is a boxer, judging by her sporty clothing and her built up body. Her facial expression shows determination, one of the men in the background could be her trainer as she could be preparing for a special event, the dark colours in the poster could show some kind of suspense or tension in the movie.

The genre for this would be drama and sport.

The target audience would be both males and females as aged 14+ as there is mainly sports involved in the movie.

Who is the product aimed at?
The product is aimed mostly towards a male audience who live an urban lifestyle as the background looks very dark and gritty, from a females perspective this advert wouldn't be very appealing as the colours are very dull, even though there are some bright colours used such as red and yellow. Also there is a male who is playing football in the advert, which is the focal point of the image, and football is typically dominated by males, so this advert would generally attract young teenage boys

What does the font and copy say about the product?
The font is very urban like the picture itself, and the tag line is very large so it stands out. The font in large 'who rules?' looks as if it has been written as graffiti, the background is also set in some type of estate, so the font suits the whole image in itself.    

This is a long shot that promotes Nike, The lines from the sky are all pointing towards the focal point which is the boy playing football as the rest of the background isn't significant, and he is in colour maybe to show how football brings vibrancy in his life, and the contrast of the background and the boy could show escapism from his community.

Reebok advert: media analysis

   The denotation of this image is that it is a Reebok advert featuring rapper and celebrity 50 cent. The connotation for this advert is that 50 cents facial expressions show aggression as well as his posture which could imply that this advert is aimed at young teenage boys, the image is also completely black and white, which would mostly attract boys, the quote from 50 cent for this advert is very straight forward and it seems as if it would appeal to only boys, the font is also very graffiti like which isn’t that attractive from a girls point of view. 

The faint fingerprints in the background may also seem more alluring for boys than girls, as it could show a sense of danger and trouble, which boys are more likely to get in. The hat and vest he is wearing must be Reebok and those products are definitely not appealing to girls. 

          

Mise-en-scene

This scene is from the horror movie 'The Conjuring' and it looks as if it is set in a basement which is old and hasn't been used in a while, the character looks tensed and horrified by something that could be in front of her and her facial expressions show she is shocked by something and still in fear. Her position shows she is confused or it seems to her as if she is in a danger zone, the match in her hand shows she wants to see what's happening and surrounding her.
The match is the only light source which makes her the centre of attention in the scene, while the background is dark and mysterious.
The character is wearing a robe which could suggest its night as in a horror film this is the prime time for the main scenes to take place and something has happened as she is in the basement at this time. The scene could lead to an unexpected shock as the genre of this film is horror.

Worksheet to determine media consumption

Worksheet to determine Media consumption

Newspapers

• Which daily newspapers (if any) do you read?

              Sometimes I flick through the metro

• What sections of newspapers do you turn to first, and why?

              I usually turn to the page about celebrities because there’s always some gossip

• What sections do you never read, and why?

              I never read the sports section or stories with unappealing headings

• What kinds of stories do you usually read and why?

              I usually read stories with interesting headings or celebrity news

• Do you, or someone else, buy the newspaper you read? My mum always brings the metro whilst coming back from work

  Magazines

• What magazines (if any) do you buy regularly?

              I don’t regularly buy magazines as much as I can access everything on the internet. If I do    buy a magazine it would either be heat or cosmopolitan.

• What sections of the magazines do you read and not read, and why? I read about celebrities and fashion and horoscopes, as these all interest me.

Television

• Approximately how many hours a week do you spend watching television?

              Around 9-10 hours a week

• What times of day do you usually watch television?

              Late nights and early mornings

• What programmes do you like best and why?

              I love programmes such as made in chelsea, eastenders, inbetweeners and keeping up with the kardashians, as they are all very entertaining.

• Do you watch alone or with others?

              I usually watch it alone, sometimes with others

• If you watch with others, who decides what you will watch? I always decide what to watch.

Radio

• What stations do you like best and why?

              Kiss FM, Capital FM and radio 1 because I usually like the music they play

• Approximately how many hours a week do you spend listening to the radio?

              2-3 hours a week

• What times of the day do you usually listen to the radio?

              Usually the afternoon or evening

• What stations do you dislike most and why?
• Do you listen alone or with others?

              I listen with others

• Where do you listen to the radio?

              I listen to the radio when I’m in a car

• What other activities (if any) do you do whilst listening to the radio?

Cinema

• What films, if any, have you seen in the cinema in the last month?

               The only film I saw in cinema last month was Inbetweeners 2

• What films have you seen in other places – for example, through rental, satellite film channels (free or otherwise) or through video-on-demand?

              I’ve seen many films on channels mostly horrors such as the conjuring, paranormal activity, sinister etc.

• Who else watched the films with you?

              Friends and family

• Who decided what films to watch? Me or anyone else who is watching the film with me

Internet

• How often do you access the internet?

              I access the internet everyday

• Where do you access the internet?  At home, at college or school, or at work?

              Usually at home and sometimes at school

• What are the main sites that you access?

              I mostly use the internet on my phone, I go on sites such as YouTube or netflix but it really depends on what I need to do on the Internet.

• What are the main reasons for accessing these sites – for example, for information, to make purchases, communicate with friends or for entertainment?

             For entertainment, communicating with friends, to shop and make purchases and research.

• What other activities (if any) do you do whilst accessing the internet?

Media text	Text type: What is it?	Key conventions: What are the main features of this type of media text?	Consumption: How would an audience access the text?
The I newspaper	Newspaper article	Title, Central image, Price, bar code, formal	Read it online, or buy it in a store.
Barcelona advert	Television ad	Music, Celebrity endorsement, Text on screen, dialogue	On television or on the internet (YouTube)
Practical carnival	Magazine cover	Barcode, competitions, titles, images	Read online, buy it in store, download from app store
Quentin Tarantino interview	Interview	Features celebrity, camera shots,	Television or online

AS media

I chose media for AS because I did photography in the previous year, which I enjoyed and thought is similar to media as they both use cameras and programmes such as Photoshop to edit images. I have also asked previous media students how they found it as a GCSE, and they have enjoyed the subject and recommended the subject to me. I also like to know what goes on in the media industry and I hope to achieve a very good grade in this course!