Analyse one of your productions in relation to language.

To analyse one of projects, I choose to analyse my magazine cover, contents and double page spread from my AS year in media. Mainly my magazine front cover but commenting on language I included in other elements of the magazine. MU, my magazine is an indie/alternative genre featuring different bands and artists. The front cover features a girl who has the main story featuring within MU, which features on the double page spread.

Structuralism is looking at the bigger picture, people who look from a structuralist approach look outside the meaning and where the meaning came from. An idea from a sturcturalist approach is usually based on cultural experience and interprets the texts itself. A theory proposed by Barthes suggested that the true meaning of something is proposed through signs which are signified by the reader, known as semiotics. Levi-Strauss prospered the idea of binary oppositions where the form significant contrasts to create difference, for example: hero and villain.

In relation to my cover, the model has bright red hair which could signify passion. A passion for the artist’s music and the story within the magazine shares that. I’ve also used the colour red as a part of my colour scheme and runs throughout my magazine; in my double page spread I have highlighted an important quote by the artist in dark red to signify her strong passion and anger within what she is saying. This is an element of semiotics. I have also used an element of binary oppositions in my magazine through the use in the main story on my double page spread. Where the artist discusses bad times in her life but how they have changed her as person to reflect on how she is different from then.  It reflects on the difference of emotion depression and happiness.  The body language portrays confidence in the model, she leans into the camera slightly and her face catches most of the light showing her features, the lightening also brightens her hair more into a more fierce red. This could symbolise her being challenging. This is a copy of MU to contribute to my comments.

A further element of semiotics are the use of colour in the background and in her shirt, the white could be a signifier that she is pure and angel like. Her shirt could be an element of Levi-Strauss’ binary opposition representing the difference between dark and light to show a sense of mystery to her new personality to the readers.

A2 Pitch

The following three images are part of my AS coursework, creating a music magazine with the genre of music left to our choice. With my coursework for A2, I am going to keep the same genre for my brief which will be indie/rock.

For my A2 coursework the cast featuring in my music video and other products will be dressed in a similar way in which the model in my magazine is styled. My friend, Danielle featured in my magazine and I am trying to convince her to feature in my video as she is a singer as well as an actress. Which would essentially come to great advantages to me and for my coursework.

Location: I wish my location to be either down the river side or along the beach so the scenery in the back forth catches the viewers eye and so they can relate to the video as they will know where the video was set. I want to shoot the video typically whenever the weather is nice, so I can take grave advantage of the natural lighting. I was thinking maybe on a morning when I'm not at college until the afternoon and before there is many people around.

Narrative: The narrative is mainly spoken through the song itself and the video just helps to emphasise the emotion she is portraying through the words she sings. And play with the words and maybe bring a bit more narrative into the story but from this present moment in time I wish to keep it as so.
Cast/Character ideas: The cast featuring in my video will be mainly Danielle, but will possibly feature people in the back ground, as it will be hard to miss out people who are walking past.

Costume: The costume will be typically what Danielle typically wears, she dresses very individual and wears vintage clothing such as the blouse she is wearing in the contents page of my magazine cover. This comes to my great advantage as she suits all the aspects of my genre and I think it will work well if she featured in my previous coursework.

Props Required: Depending weather or not the weather is on my side we may need an umbrella but this would go great because I am thinking of choosing a sad song so the rain/bad weather could reflect the message and story being told.

Inspirational Texts CD and Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSLiwzMNIZI: The kooks video: showing them at a live show, getting close and personal with the artist. This understandably could be difficult to record but I like the idea of using the band with an audience in the music video and how they interact with their audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK7egZaT3hs: Arctic Monkeys video also featuring the band live. I find it inspirational as it focuses on the band and how they play live. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW9Fzwuf43c: I find this text very inspirational, not only because I admire the artist but the video itself. Despite it being so simple, the lyrics and the video work together to produce something more. The camera work is inspirational also how on big notes it zooms out giving an overwhelming effect on the audience and a close up as if the artist is telling the story to the audience herself. I understand this is more indie/soul but it is inspirational.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=hLQl3WQQoQ0&NR=1 Also this Adele video is inspirational as again how it is a simple video, it focuses more on the artist itself and what story they have to tell.

From all the videos: I'd love my music video to be in black and white and be more of a slow, meaningful video, where the audience can relate and understand the artist and its song. I'd also like to include various camera angles to show the artist at different perspectives. All these videos show an element of my ideas within them and they inspire me all differently.

Further Inspiration

Adele's album cover, 21. Inspires me through its simplicity and use of colour, despite the colour scheme being bland and consisting of the three colours; black, white and green.  The help of the lighting brightens up the screen and brings light to the artists face but leaves the depressing/reflection look.

Emile Sande's album, next to me, inspires me as it's a similar pose as I want my artist to hold but facing the reader and facing the side. I also like the colour scheme, a mixture of greys and whites which essentially work together and doesn't make the image look dark. 

An example of a music poster, I like the lightening as it hits her face naturally. I like the little sun beams that stand out on her face. I also like the writing in which her 'Lucy Rose' is written in.

A2 Media Studies 1

For my second year of coursework I wish to follow the first brief:

1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following options:

A website homepage for the band

A cover for it's release as part of a digipak

A magazine advert for the digipak

The genre of music that my band will be based around will be alternative rock/Indie Rock. Based around bands such as The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon. As this is the genre I based my As coursework around where I created a music magazine.

My recording will hopefully include my friends: Jack, Sam and Ryan; who are all in the band 'This Way To The Exit'. They are very busy with their own studies at the minute but if not I have been offered help by other friends where I can link this genre to them. I feel by using this genre it would be helpful and more relevant with having used it in my previous coursework from my AS year.

 

Reflection of AS coursework

I feel my coursework last year was good for my first attempt at a-level standard, I gave 100% affect when Kaye gave back my pieces in order to help me improve my grades. It helped a lot when the class peer assesed each others work, by doing so we received more than one opinion and found more ways to improve our work. I could of improved my coursework by researching more and looking into other companies products look, in comparison with mine. For example; making sure I have the all the required details to make it a music magazine. I resubmitted my coursework and Kaye gave me clear, helpful feedback in order to help me progress into higher levels. I feel as an individual, I was a lot stronger on the examination side of the course work. I feel this is mainly down to me doing the moving image in secondary school and having a lot of practice.