zoella

 

 ZOELLA

 

Zoella represents herself in different ways in a range of videos. When she does collaborations with other Youtubers, she creates the atmosphere as if she’s happy and laughing loads and very lively. When she does a video on her own, she is still cheerful, but she is more engaged with her audience and she needs to get across in her video. Her Instagram still shows her personality and her being very girly e.g. the use of pink connotes her being very sweet and cute. However, Zoella made a post about ‘the best sex toys’, this is showing her age to be quite mature with her sex life and this contrasts with the use of pink a lot in her posts to be ‘charming and cute’.

Zoella focuses on girls as most of her viewers are female so she wanted to create something which will engage them, and this indicates why she sells products which are girly and festive. For example, her book called ‘girl online’ features the word go in it and has a girly vibe to it because it has curly writing with hearts and pink colours, and this stereotypically wouldn't attract boys.

I believe that Zoella hasn’t changed her representation much, because she still posts relevant content e.g. hauls & vlogs. However, I believe she has changed to a certain degree as she has posted about sex toys this could suggest she is trying to fit in with her younger audience as ‘teenagers’.

 

Zoella’s target audience is female teens, this is shown as her content is focused on stereotypical female activities e.g. fashion and makeup! Her use of colours e.g. pink suggest girly stuff and would attract to girls as pink is associated with girls. I believe Zoella is trying to grow her audience this is shown as she blogs about sex toys which shows she’s trying to interest other readers.

 

Zoella makes money via. her YouTube account which she has had since February 2009 and has over 5m subscribers where she posts monthly videos. Zoella has also wrote three books which her sold over 70,000 copies in the first week. She has released all different types of beauty ranges and homeware with boots, which has been very popular with her fans as well as sponsored content on her social media. Zoella has over 9m followers on Instagram and it is predicted that Zoella can earn up to £12,000 per sponsored Instagram post and that is a lot Money in a variety of different ways, but they all add up too big total. in my opinion I believe that Zoella makes easy money, especially because she does sponsored content on Instagram!

 

ANALYSIS - S3 E1 THE BRIDGE

 Analysis of S3 E1

Character archetypes

Identify which of the following character archetypes of the crime genre appear in the selected episode of The Bridge and briefly describe them

Investigator – Saga seems very focused and hard working as she discovers a lot of information about the victim within hours. Saga likes to find out all the information she can even when she is having ‘small talk’ with her new detective partner. She lacks an emotional side, as she couldn’t bear to tell the female that the victim had her heart removed.

Sidekick – Saga’s partner is apart of the older generation. It is clear to say that Saga is superior whereas, she is inferior. In other words, Saga takes the lead and is smarter as Saga discovers the bomb a spilt second before it was diffused and caused injuries.

Boss – The boss is a male and at the start, has a lack of care towards hi career as he shows up late and careless.

Villain – The villain is not shown as the case continues! However, the villain appears to be very cunning and smart.

Action and enigma codes

Crime television tends to use action and enigma codes. Action codes are a way to introduce a new problem, this could be something simple e.g.  a phone ringing. Enigma codes are questions which are posed to the audience to leave them hooked e.g. who killed Richard?

 Here is a few I discovered in ‘The Bridge’

o   Who is the killer?

o   Is the sidekick alive?

o   How will Saga react to her new partner?

o   Who will the killer target next?

 

The TV crime drama has been left with an opening ending with still plenty of unanswered questions. They have left the audience eager to find out what happens in the next episode and if their unanswered questions can be solved?

What questions does the audience have at the end of the episode? How is the episode structured narratively? Is there an open or closed ending?




Representation of women
Women in the crime genre are often represented as victims, and in drama women tend to be represented as overly emotional and  family-orientated .

 In ‘The Bridge’ subverts the representation of women, as they are normally described as weak and emotional. However, these female characters are represented as strong. As we see, two female detectives on the case and they are portrayed as strong and determined to find the killer.

Saga lacks an emotional side to her which is surprising as most women are recognised to be emotional and she doesn’t want to tell the other female that the victim’s heart was removed as she starts crying down the phone. Saga doesn’t react and completely shuts her down.

Butler’s theory is that gender is a social construct and there is no gender identify behind the expression of gender. Masculine and feminine are created through repetition. As, Saga doesn’t follow the stereotype of women it supports Butler’s theory that the stereotype of women to be weak and emotional has been discovered through repetition.

Halls’ theory is that media language is used to create representations and stereotyping is often used to assert power. Saga has subverted the stereotype of women and is now seen as powerful, hardworking and determined and she is using that to assert power as she is lead on the case.


Narrative & Themes

Lighting – The dark lighting can convey something is about to happen and this keeps the audience on their feet.

Sound - It has created a feeling of suspense as they play non-diegetic creepy music, as the two detectives have just discovered the victim had her heart removed by the killer.

Camera shots – Different camera shots convey specific feelings upon the audience e.g. long shots help the audience recognise the setting and characters, it can convey a specific theme towards the audience which can deepen their emotions when watching.

 

Levi-Strauss’s theory is that binary opposites is what drives the narrative. In ‘The Bridge’ there is a lot of binary opposites:

o   Detective vs. Killer

o   Light vs. Dark

THE BRIDGE S1 & S2 INTRO

 

The Bridge

 The Bridge is one of the most popular of the Nordic Noir crime dramas that were made in Scandinavia and broadcast globally, with a large British audience. The setting is the bridge that connects Denmark and Sweden and it often features as a setting as well as a metaphor or iconic object.

Nordic Noir is a dark subset of crime fiction genre and it is usually identified by some or all the following:

-       Brutal crimes in safe/quiet communities

-       Urban setting

-       A tortured protagonist, typically a detective with a mysterious or painful past

-       A strong plot, with complex threads and a few plot twists

-       Strong female characters

-       Low key lighting

-       Police

-       Gangsters/thugs

-       Rain and damp streets

Over years, different genres have become identified by the audience by some of the codes and conventions featured in the TV series/film/documentary etc. The audience have been able to identify any genre over the years due to the codes and conventions repeating themselves. However, it is important to recognise that genres are adapting and changing by borrowing conventions from other genres.

In series 1, a woman is found murdered in the middle of Oresund Bridge, exactly on the border between Sweden and Denmark. The Swedish and Danish police need to cooperate in a race against the clock, desperately searching for a murderer determined to go beyond all moral limits to get his message across

In series 2, The second season of the Swedish and Danish thriller series The Bridge, starts 13 months after the events of the first season. ... After a ship with dead bodies on board crashes against the Bridge, Saga seeks for the help of the Danish police corps, including Martin.

The main investigator in The Bridge is Saga Noren (Sofia Helin) she is a Swedish detective. Saga lacks social cues and emotional intelligence which suggest her character have autism.

Important supporting characters from series 1 and 2

·       Sofia Helin as Saga Norén, lead homicide detective in Malmö

·       Kim Bodnia as Martin Rohde, lead homicide detective in Copenhagen

·       Henrik Lundström as Rasmus Larsson, Swedish junior police detective

·       Dag Malmberg as Hans Petterson, the Police Commissioner in Malmö, later married to Lillian

·       Sarah Boberg as Lillian Larsen, the Police Commissioner in Copenhagen, late married to Petterson

·       Rafael Pettersson as John Lundqvist, IT expert for Malmö police

·       Lars Simonsen as Jens Hansen/Sebastian Sandstrod (series 1–2)

• Puk Scharbau as Mette Rohde, Martin Rohde's wife (series 1–2)

 

 

 

 

 

Paper 2 Section A Television Crime Drama INTRODUCTION

 

PAPER 2 SECTION A TELEVISION CRIME DRAMA Introduction

 

Sub genres

 

­   Forensic (e.g. NCIS)

 

­   Gangster (e.g. Narcos)

 

­   Detective (e.g. Death in Paradise)

 

­   Buddy (e.g. Lethal Weapon)

 

­   Hybrid genre: Crime/Horror (e.g. Luther) Crime/Sci-Fi (e.g. Life on Mars)

 

 

 Narrative

 

Binary opposites (Good vs. Evil and Cop vs. Killer)

Commonly in crime drama, there is recurring themes of serial killers, dead bodies, crime scenes etc. There is normally a range of different crimes which vary from drug related, murders and robberies.

Begins with a crime > search for evidence > identify suspects > solve crime

The crime is usually solved within an episode e.g. Midsummer murders unless it’s like Luther and the crimes are connected and leading on to one storyline to another.

There are manty enigmas within TV Crime dramas for example:

-        Who is the killer?

-        Why are they killing?

-        Will they get caught?

-        What is the killer going to do next?

These enigmas are resolved either at the end of an episode or at the end of the season.

 

                          

 Technical codes

 

­   Weather is normally dark and gloomy, as it displays an atmosphere onto the audience e.g. creating suspense.

 

­   Lighting: Blue lighting is normally used, which symbolizes sirens and crime scenes. There is dark lighting to create an atmosphere of evil and people doing crimes as nobody is out.

 

-        Sound: There is two types of sound diegetic and non-diegetic, both sounds can create an atmosphere and feeling upon the audience e.g. diegetic sounds such as screaming will create a sense of fear. Music and sound effects can include anything from spooky/intense music or screaming.

 

-        Establishing shots usually set the scene for us, normally TV Crime dramas are filmed in urban areas as it is busier and more crowded and a lot going on in the urban areas.

 

-        Close up shots are used to show the character’s facial expressions e.g. scared or happy. Cross-cutting scenes create a sense of manic in the TV Crime drama, they normally cross in and out of different scenes e.g. showing the killer and then showing the police department discuss the killer.

 

-        Iconography can include suits, lab coats, weapons, police cars, police tapes, CCTV.

 

-        Locations can include police station, crime scenes, graveyard, interview room and morgues.

 

 Characters codes

 

­   Investigator (logically, smart, independent, very observant and open minded, bends the rules)

 

­   Killer (clever, persuasive, sneaky, evil, mentally ill/psycho)

 

­   Sidekick/partner (sticks to the rules, open minded, observant)

SECTION B ANSWERS

Section B   45 marks ( 45 minutes writing time )

Complete all of  the following questions and publish on your blog. You can plan and research your answers .  

 

 3a What is a media conglomerate ? ( 2 ) 

A.    A media conglomerate is a company that owns a range of different companies.

 

3b How does ownership shape the content of newspapers? Refer to the Mirror and The Times (8) 

In both The Mirror and The Times, they believe in different beliefs this is shown through their newspapers. The Times are a right-wing side and they support conservatives and Brexit, this is shown through their language and layout of the front cover on the newspaper. The Times will support Brexit and have headlines praising the Prime Minister rather than dissing them.

In the Mirror, they are a left-wing newspaper and support labour. This is evident as they have shown that they don’t support Brexit because they use language that doesn’t support Brexit.

Both newspapers have a target audience of working-class middle-aged people who either support labour (The Mirror) or the conservatives (The Times). This shapes their content as they must engage their target audience to buy their newspaper by adding interest storylines and headlines on the front cover.

 

 

3c  What has been the impact of recent technologies on all elements of  the newspaper industry   and how has it responded to these challenges ?  Refer to The Mirror and The Times   ( 12)

I believe that the newspaper industry is dying out as technology is evolving further and further and now newspapers are a thing in the past. For the new generation of people, they are very technology smart and the newspapers have started having online websites which show all their headlines and storylines. Some newspapers will charge a fee to subscribe to the newspapers as everything can’t be free! The newspapers will need to make some sort of profit by the circulation itself or advertising within the newspaper.

All newspapers have responded to it calmly, as both newspapers have an online site where people can view stories online. Newspapers still exist and people still purchase them, but the circulation has dramatically decreased due to more and more people looking online.

There is loads of different advantages and disadvantages to having a newspaper paper version and online version. A newspaper (PV) is convenient for the older generation that like to read it physically, however a paper version does waste paper. A newspaper (OV) saves paper, however the newspaper itself may not be attracting their target audience as they wanted to the younger generation being more technology smart.

 

4a  What is the importance of  fandom in media products ?  Refer to the Assassins Creed franchise to support your points  ( 8 )

Fandom comes from fans who are obsessed with a video game, celebrity or etc. In this case, there is loads of fandoms of Assassins Creed they have made a range of different video games and have produced them on a variety of consoles, so it is as widely available to anyone who wants to play it. Therefore, there is no difficulty in playing the game, so it becomes easier for the customer to be satisfied.

As the franchise makes lots of money on a circulation of the game, the franchise will also add merchandise or other extras to increase more sales and profits.

 

4b How is the gaming industry regulated or what are the challenges in this particular industry  ?  (8)

 

 

5    How important is historical context to media products ?

                Refer to your Tide advertising case study.               (7)

Historical context is important to media products because allows the audience to look deep into another era and see the attitudes they have. For example: in the tide advertising case study, it always shows the different attitudes that was in the era. In the tide, the era was very sexist and focused on females being a housewives by cleaning and looking after the house for your partner.

Newspapers - The Times and The Mirror

SECTION B: Newspaper

 

Tabloid vs. Broadsheet

 

Each of these newspaper types are different, the tabloid has the most popular newspaper and they tend to have red mastheads and write short stories but have a higher ratio of pictures to text. The middle market is in the middle in between tabloids and broadsheets. Broadsheets have a higher ratio text to images.

Older people are more likely to read a broadsheet newspaper. They are interested in the stories whereas, the younger generation prefers more pictures rather than a lot of reading through the text.

 

 TABLOID: THE SUN & THE MIRROR

BROADHSEET: THE GUARDIAN & THE TIMES

 

THE TIMES

 

1. Who owns News Corp?

    A. Walt Disney

 

2.What other companies belong to News Corp?

    A. News Corp owns US papers such as; New York Post and The Wall Street Journal.

 3. Do News Corp own any other newspapers?

A.    New Corp owns some national and local newspapers in Australia.

 

4. What ways can audiences access this newspaper?

A. Online and in- store

 

5. Visit the website of some of the newspapers News Corp owns and read some of their articles. What political agenda do they hold?

 

A.     They hold a right-wing side, as they support conservatives and Brexit. Evidence can be found in their newspapers about Brexit, where they boost about Boris Johnson.

 

8. Who is the intended readership (audience) for The Times. You must consider the demographic profile and the psychographic profile.

A. The Times’s target audience is middle-class people aged over 35 who support conservatives.

 

 

THE MIRROR

 

1.     Who owns Reach Plc?

A.The CEO is Jim Mullen.

 

2. What other newspapers do Reach Plc own?

A. The Reach plc known as trinity mirror and other newspapers such as; Manchester evening news and daily record.

 

 3. What ways can audiences access this newspaper?

A. Online and in store

 

4. Visit the website of some of the newspapers Reach Plc owns and read some of their articles. What political agenda do they hold?

A. The Mirror is left-wing and support labour. This evidence is shown as issues of The Mirror as they don’t support Brexit.

 

6. Who is the intended readership (audience) for The Daily Mirror. You must consider the demographic profile and the psychographic profile.

A. The Daily Mirror’s audience is over 35 and working-class labour supporters (left-wing).

Empire Analyse

 

I have chosen to analyse this entertainment magazine because this is magazine cover promotes the new Terminator film. The terminator has a big audience therefore, loads of people are likely to read this entertainment due to watching and enjoying the terminator.

Codes and Conventions

The models are engaging with the target audience as this magazine uses direct mode of address. The magazine front cover has a colour schemes of grey, white, black and red. This scheme follows a dark colour path, this portrays the movie. The black, grey and white portrays the death within the film and the red portrays the blood and hurt in the film.

The camera shot is a medium shot which allows the audience to see above the model’s waist/hips. This helps the audience explores the model's customers, which may indicate the genre e.g. in the magazine they are holding guns.

Representation

This is a positive representation of the two models’ (male and female), as they are the good people. They portray themselves as strong and powerful as they are positioned with a weapon ready to kill enemies/or defend. The representation is constructed strongly, as the costumes, facial expressions and props help the audience build an opinion on the two models.

Industry Context

The film magazine is called Empire, the editor is Terri White and the first issue was published in May 1989, the circulation of this magazine is 81,221 per issue. Empire markets itself via. online, twitter, Facebook and etc, this helps create a wider audience mainly targeting the younger generation via. social media.

Cross Media Products

I have not discovered any cross media products on my analysis.

Audience

The target audience is working-class males and females who are aged from 16 to 30. I can tell this is valid due to Empire marketing themselves online and on social media rather than a radio or newspaper.