Key Assesment 4

Key Assessment 4

Explore how the combination of media language creates meaning for the audience in the video
to Riptide. 

Music Video- Media Language 

Meaning is constructed by the producer, it is either a concept or an idea they want to get across to
the audience. A group of an audience are very complex and have a variety of different needs,
tastes and ways of using media text. Many producers will encode meaning in a media product for
the audience to unravel and understand what they’re trying to say. Producers might also use a
combination of different techniques to create deeper meaning, as there is more complexity to the
product and it has more layers. This also intrigues the audience as they are more likely to re-watch
the video to understand it, as well as this they’ll be more likely to be speaking about it with peers which
increases the publicity. Riptide by Vance Joy is an experimental music video as it challenges and breaks
some of the normal conventions of music videos. The song is about the singer’s past relationship with
a girl, who was very beautiful, and the two were happy. However, the two drifted apart which ended
with them separating. Yet he still loves her and he is hoping she is going to stay, he says in the lyrics
‘I just wanna know if you’re going to stay’, which could mean them staying as friends.

In the establishing shot of the music video, we have shot of the beautiful blue sky, which makes the
scene mysterious as there isn’t anything else in the shot. It also positions the audience in an
uncomfortable mode address, we are unaware of where we are. Which defeats the purpose of the
establishing shot as it isn’t telling the audience much about the setting, or a hint of the narrative.
The way the camera is placed we’re expecting it to pan down to the action, and it leaves us curious
about the narrative. In the establishing shot, we can see as well a cast list which includes the
features of the music video. This is intertextuality to the film industry as you would typically see
this on a movie poster plus it uses the same font. More specifically it makes a reference to horror
movies, by including titles such as ‘the blade’, ‘the gun’, ‘the hexagram’ etc. Although the narrative
is quite unclear and confusing this is a constant theme. The cast line adds more meaning to the first
shot as it is informing the audience what to expect, like a trailer. However, the size of the font is fairly
small and the duration of the shot is short so someone watching the music video for the first time
may miss it, this could a strategy to make the audience watch the music video again. 

Then there’s a hard cut transition to a close up of hegemonically attractive women. This scene is a literal play on the lyrics, ‘ I was scared of dentists in the dark’, mise-en-scene also strengthens that with the lighting being dim and with the model having a  Metal implement in her mouth. Although it doesn’t seem like a dentist tool our brain puts the scene and lyrics together and makes us believe it is. This a binary opposition from the first shot, The undertone of violence and harshness contrasts from the stillness and calmness of the establishing shot. The binary opposition of the hard cut shot can create meaning to the audience that danger is right around the corner and we’re unaware of it. This can also be seen in horror movies with jumpscares, where the characters are then in danger. The shaking light that sways backwards forwards, and we can see the light on the model reinforces and anchors the uncomfortable she is experiencing. It also anchors the creepiness of the situation which makes us question her location and makes us assume that it is in a dodgy area. The combination of all the mise-en-scene allows us to create an assumption of what is happening and what we aren’t shown. 

This scene is then paired with another related scene afterwards in a continuity shot through eye trace. Which makes the music video flow better and makes up for the lack of narrative that is being told to us. The scene dips to black, the following is an Eyeline shot, of the chandelier that is swinging back and forth. The assumption is made that it is the same light that was flashing on the model’s face. From the pov shot, it can be assumed that the audience is positioned as the model. And we are looking at what she was looking at, this puts us in an awkward situation. The song is Indie-pop thus there’s intertextuality reference of both genres, pop and indie. The music video appeals to its pop target audience by featuring hegemonically attractive women. Using techniques such as the male gaze, having one of the models in a swimsuit puts us in a voyeuristic mode of addresses. On the hand, the music video targets its Indie audience with post-modern reference through the use of mise-en-scene. The costumes used are mainly 70s for instance, the brown jacket with wide sleeves and round sunglasses. The cinematography also anchors this, as it gives a washed-out effect to the pictures, which makes it seem like it’s from a different time period. 

The theme of the horror genre is reinforced throughout the music video. Through the woman that is
singing in the karaoke bar. At the start of the video when we first see her we can see she is well
dressed and is almost perfect. However, throughout the duration of the video, we can see her makeup
being ruined as well as her facial expression slowly becoming less enthusiastic. This can be related to
horror movies, as the character is usually happy at the beginning, but then they become less happy
and more paranoid. We can argue that it could be a symbolic code of Vance Joy’s relationship as they
were happy at the start and then they drifted apart. 

In conclusion, this music video usually has many unconventional features. Such as using a hegemonically attractive woman dance to the song, but off-beat which leaves the audience unhinged. Furthermore, the singer isn’t featured in the song which subverts the attention from him to the actual narrative of the music video. This experimental music video is intended to confuse the audience and think why certain things were done. Along with to analyse them and find a deeper meaning, which increases the audience’s attention to detail. 

Video Game- Industry 

In what ways has ownership shaped the media product you have studied? Make sure you
make reference to Assassin’s Creed franchise

Ownership means the company which owns the product. Which means they’re a part of the pre-production, development and post-production of the product. This stresses their importance, and how much control they have. Ubisoft has shaped the Assassin's Creed Franchise through the use of marketisation strategies. By promoting the product and targeting a wide range of audience, which maximises the profit, and minimises the risk. The games have an extremely high budget value, this means the developers are able to make the game visually pleasing as well as having things such as high-quality soundtracks. As mentioned earlier Ubisoft tends to have a wide range of audience, this means that most of their games are mainstream allowing them to appeal to the majority. Ubisoft is the fourth largest publicity traded game company in America and Europe, it implies that they have globally based audiences and they are popular globally. This increases their profit as well as their power as they will be more recognised.

 Ubisoft recently released a trailer for their upcoming game ‘Assassin Creed Valhalla’ in April 2020, the game is going to come out in December 2020. Using trailers is avast marketisation technique as it promotes the game to the audience. It furthermore excites the audience for the game that is coming out and it intrigues them, by giving a teaser of the theme and plot of the game. Theorist David Hesmondhalgh says it is essential for industries to minimise the risk of a product to maximise the profit. It is essential for games like the Assassin's creed to target a mass group of audience for the profit. If it doesn’t target a wide group of an audience then future games can’t be developed thus being the company, Ubisoft, will go out of business. The trailer draws the wide group of audience firstly through the high production values. In the trailer, we can see a high production value such as the characters having things like hair, fur and their faces looking realistic. It would’ve taken a lot of time and money to develop this, but it makes the game more visually pleasing and not ‘cheap’ looking. Secondly, the creators decided not to include ‘gameplay footage’ but rather make it seem like a film trailer. This will be mainly for the people that don’t usually play video games but the creators will manage to get their attention through the narrative. In contrast to film trailers, the narrative is very straightforward because Ubisoft wants to target audience by selling them the complete story. Finally, the trailer is an intertextuality reference to the niche audience who are fans of the Assassin Creed series. Saying that there is an intertextual reference that is for a wide range of audience, which is the film industry the plot of the game can be argued to be similar to films like Lord of the rings. 

You can criticise Ubisoft’s marketisation strategy by using the theory of power and media Industries, Curran and Seaton. First criticism being that The media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily driven by profit and power. Meaning that companies like Ubisoft will do anything to make their products sell, such as having a large audience group and making their game more generic and mainstream as possible. The second criticism is that Media concentration limits variety, Creativity and quality. Ubisoft is a huge company which sells a lot of games and is fairly popular. This is bad as it makes it harder for smaller independent game-makers to get their games noticed, which lacks creativity in the industry. A final criticism is that more socially diverse patterns of ownership can create more varied and adventurous media productions. Ubisoft is an enormous conglomeration, they have a lot of companies that they can control. This limits the competition which is usually great, however, this then means less creativity within the industry, they’re likely to release similar content. It is usually the games that are popular, as these big companies are driven by power and profit. We can see this through Ubisoft and the Assassin Creed series, Ubisoft has released 21 Assassin Creed games in the span of 13years. There have been several years where Ubisoft have released more than one game. For instance, in 2014 they released Assassin Creed Cry, Assassin Creed Rogue, Assassin Creed Identity, Assassin Creed Chronicles China, which is a total of 5 games in the same series. This can be an example of saturation Ubisoft released so many games it saturated the market, this demonstrates the lack of creativity. And now driven the company is by profit. 

Finally, a way that Ubisoft shapes the Assassin Creed franchise is through diversification and vertical integration. Diversification is the process of a business enlarging or varying its range of products or field of operation, this helps them target a range of audiences. Ubisoft Motion Pictures, which is apart of the Ubisoft conglomeration, released a live-action assassin creed film. Although it was a minor success, their main purpose was to target a new group of audience. These groups of the audience wouldn’t usually be targeted by video games, thus creating more diversity within the audience. So these can people that enjoy that genre of film, and will be more likely to watch the film than the trailer for a video game. Then this may lead them to purchase the game themselves, which increases the profit. Although it may seem like a risk as they are investing a lot of money and time. It isn’t as this is seen as a ‘pre-sold audience’, meaning there is already an existing fanbase of the series who are likely to see it. 

In conclusion, Ubisoft shapes the Assassin Creed franchise by making it standardised as possible. As increasing the risk may mean the game won’t sell as much, which will mean a loss to the company. Ubisoft has spent a lot of money into the production, therefore they can’t afford the game to be a flop.

Advertising - Audience

Explore how the WaterAid advert you have studied appeals to its target audience? 

The audience is any group of people who receive a media text. They will each, however, interpret

the text in different ways. Audiences are a complicated group of people who inquire about

different requirements, tastes and ways of handling the media text. The WaterAid Advert appeals to

its Target Audience by focusing on sub-groups within that wide range. This was mainly done through

intertextuality references to the different sectors. In addition to building a deeper emotional connection

with the subject, Claudia, and the audience. WaterAid was established in 1981 as a response to the

United Nations campaign for clean water, sanitation and hygiene and hygiene Education. They work

with 37 African, Asian and Central American countries. Prince Charles has been the Patron since 1991. 

Even if there’s a lot sub-group that the advert targets the dominant audience they want to target is British people. This is anchored through the pound sign that was on the textual information that appears on the screen. The producer purposely makes it more convenient for the audience by using the correct currency. This also means that the audience is more likely to donate, for example, if it was in dollars the audience would have to convert it. This idea is reinforced with the mise-en-scene of the setting in the beginning. Preamusely the setting is Britain, we can assume this through the weather of it being grey, cloudy and rainy, this is typically Britain’s climate. Addition to there’s also a radio in the foreground which reinforces its importance, as it is another aspect that suggests that we are in Britain. There’s a diegetic sound of the radio playing, where we can hear a British accent. This is important to the narrative as at the start you are positioned as a middle-class British citizen, who will be contributing to the charity. This is the majority of the audience that will be watching the advert. 

This advert is asking people to donate and help others, which leads to the second Primarily big group of audience that this advert is targeting. And that is people with disposable income, these are middle-class people that are more socially aware of issues and want to help. They want to make a difference in other communities so that they think they will enhance that person’s life. The producer does this by again positioning the audience in the actual advert. However, this time it is as Claudia’s Friend and the audience is walking behind Claudia. This creates an emotional connection as well, as the audience are empathising with her. The producer convinces the audience that Claudia needs their help through the direct mode of address and breaking of the third-wall. The advert tells the audience to donate rather than requesting them to donate which is a convention in charity adverts. The producers wanted to make the audience think the advert is only speaking to them as it makes them feel like they have done this charitable thing and makes them feel better about themselves. Advert also uses cross-media distribution such as through Facebook, Twitter, and youtube to attract a wider range of audiences. Who are probably more comfortable with using technology.

Finally, the Advert is targeting people in 30-50. The song that is used throughout the duration of the advert is ‘sunshine on a rainy day’, this is an intertextual reference to a famous song in the 90s. Meaning the people who know the song are most likely to be in their 30s now, and it is a good way of encouraging them as they will feel connected to Claudia. WaterAid’s advert subverts normal conventions of charity adverts by having the subject of the video being happy and cheerful. Which is refreshing for the audience watching as they can attach them with Claudia and even relate to her. There are other ways there the producers build an emotional connection with the audience by the audience knowing Claudia’s name and making her face the centre of the advert. It strengthens the realism of the advert and doesn’t make it seem staged. Thus causing the audience to donate more. 

In conclusion, the WaterAid Advert appeals to its target audience by including a clear straightforward narrative where people have more aspects to relate to. This will then mean people are more likely to donate to the campaign. 

Magazines - Representation 

Liesbet van Zoonen argues that representations of gender are encoded through media language to position audiences and to reinforce dominant ideological perspectives. In what ways do the producers of Woman use representations to position their audiences?

Representation is constructed by the producers of media texts in order to reinforce the agenda, ideals and ideologies of an institution. Feminist Theorist Liesbet Van Zoonen argues that men and women are represented differently by media products. For instance, the way men are shot are different, either that be through, mise-en-scene-, camera angles, costumes, and ideological perspectives. This is seen in the Magazine Women, where the target audience ideally women, but the magazine is written in a male’s perspective. This reinforces the dominant ideology as it indirectly tells women how to act to and dress. ‘Woman’ is an English magazine launched in 1937. The target audience is 30-to 40-year-old women. It includes a mix of celebrity gossip and TV news, real-life stories, and fashion and beauty tips. 

A prime example in the magazine where we see the producers using an article to indirectly tell the audience how to present themselves. Is the Creme Puff by Max Factor advert in the magazine. The producer positioned the audience in front of the women, so we're looking at hegemonically attractive woman applying her makeup. THere an element of voyeurism of the men watching the woman doing her makeup, without her knowing. Moreover, the woman is placed in the centre of the page, which expresses her importance. By doing this the producers are driving all the attention to her, which anchors the lifestyle of the product they are trying to sell. The comic-book-like layout of the magazine further implies that the women are draft, and need things to be simple and straightforward for them to understand. The dominant ideology is that women need to look appealing for men to look at them.

An article we can explore Lisbet Van Zoonen’s theory that gender is constructed through codes and conventions of media products. And that women's bodies are used in media products as a spectacle for heterosexual male audiences, which reinforces patriarchal hegemony. Is through Alfred Hitchcock’s article which was featured in Women magazine. From the title of the article, there’s already an example of how men and women are presented differently. Through the mise-en-scene of the font. Unlike Woman’s heading font which is more cursive and smooth, Alfred Hitchcock’s name is in Sans Serif font. This suggests men are important and dominant and women are more repressive and aren’t as significant.  Addition to this there’s multiple photos of him suggest he's important, and through his facial expressions, we can assume he is argumentative. This contrasts to the photos of women who are joyful and more lively, which further reinforces that women are less serious and just want to have fun, that they are incapable of being argumentative. This subtly tells the audience, which is primarily women, that they can’t have a voice of their own thus oppresses them. 'They're like snow-capped volcanoes', pool quote of him objectifying women. Women have a hidden depth, on the outside, they're cold on the inside they're hot, on the outside they're calm and collected and on the inside, they're aroused. The dominant ideologies represented in this article was normal at the time this article was published. And this article talks about how stereotypically women should behave and act. 

In conclusion, the producers of women concomitantly brainwash women, by directly and indirectly telling them how to act, dress and behave. By making the main representation of women as a spectacle, which reinforces patriarchy hegemony. And makes the women believe that is how they should be, to please the dominant ideologies. These, however, hegemonies women and objectify them. And emphasises how they are just there ‘to be looked at’.