MS1 Exam Questions

 

 Analyse the front covers;

GQ

• Masthead - GQ, stands out to readers
  Central image - Clint Eastwood, appeals to an older audience?
  Discourse and cover lines - Suggests contents of magazine, as well as who its aimed at
  Mode of address - Friendly? informal? Direct
  House style - Readers know what to expect - colour, font style, layout and design all conform to a regular pattern.
  2 main colours used - orange and white, stands out
  Tagline - highly respected magazine? Boosts image of magazine and reader
  Price - selling point 
  Men of the year issue - More reason for people to buy magazine, more people might be interested 
  Celebrity names - again makes the reader more inclined to buy and read
  Obsession of the year - story, hints at sex and love life 
  
  
  
  

  Saga 

  • Tagline - Claim of quality to audience, promise of pleasure

    Masthead - plain, simple, clean 

    Central image - star image, may persuade people to buy the magazine - Again, hints at the target audience being an older audience

    Discourse and coverlines -  Again, hints at an older audience for the magazine 

    Real life story of Michael Caine - makes them feel involved, more likely to buy magazine

    Mode of address - Friendly, direct

    House style - 2 colours, red and white 

    
    

    
    

    Suggest two different audiences for GQ Magazine 

    • Men - 21-35 - Highly respected magazine, may want to find out more about the man of the year etc

      Men - 50+ - because of the cover star, and some of the discourse of the magazine.

      
      

      How has the over 50 market been targeted for Saga Magazine?

      • Cover star used - Michael Caine, older man 

        Discourse - stories of childhood

        Simplistic colour scheme 

        Discourse - Ageism and the BBC

        Discourse - Cooking recipes etc

        
        

        Discuss how media texts attract different audiences:
        
        

        • Skins - teenage based, involves house parties, alcohol and drunk taking - Many young people will be able to identify with the characters within this program. Has multiple series, so is majorly successful. Can be applied to different media theories as to why audiences use this text.
        • The Green Hornet - For fans of action films - car chases, bombs etc. However, people who are fans of Seth Rogen will also watch this film. 
        • Cosmo Magazine - For females aged 18-30 - Discourse of the magazine suggests this, articles about sex and love life. Also has articles on fashion, as well as including famous cover stars that many girls aspire to be like. 
        
        
         Different representations of age in the media
        Young;
        
        
        
        • August 2011 riots 
        • Olympics 
        • Tv shows, such as X Factor 
        •  Attack the block
        • Misfis/skins
        • 16 and pregnant
      • Old 
      • James bond 
      • Everybody loves Raymond - Marrie 

MS1 2009 

(bullet points)

Analyse the front cover:

• Prequel - Fans of the first film, Adulthood, will want to come and watch this film. 
• Title - Kidulthood, suggests that the film is going to be about coming of age etc
• Promise of pleasure - 'As potent..' - Suggests the film is hard hitting 
• Violence - baseball bat
• Special edition - More inclined to buy the dvd for the special features and never before seen footage
• Hints at the narrative - perhaps the two characters stood close together are a couple? 
• Girl in the center is wearing pink, this makes her stand out from the rest of the characters. Perhaps suggests that she has a bigger role to play in the film.
• Tag line - Before adulthood comes kidulthood - again showing that its a prequel. 
• Expression - Troubled/angry?
• Colours - Dark colours are used, with a sharp contrast for the colour of the sky. Could perhaps suggest that the film has many dark, underlying themes.
• Audience positioning - Feel excluded, intimidating image to look at
• Font style -bold, stands out to the audience. The colour white used could suggest that kidulthood could be seen as an innocent time for children etc
• City background - urban area
• Social realism

 

• Brand identity - Sims 2, its a sequel, meaning the fans of the previous games will want to buy and play this game. As well as this, children who are interested in university life may play this to try and get an understanding. Recognizable logo, and font style seems to be playful, so perhaps attracting a younger audience.
• Well rounded student image - Books and mortar board shows studious side, where as the guitar shows his musical side. As well as this, there is also a girl next to him, suggesting the social side of university life, as she is on her phone, chatting. - Anchorage of stereotypical university students
• Background images also show other aspects of university life - the couple in the background etc.Perhaps showing a party atmosphere.
• Colours used are bright, could appeal more to a younger audience. 
• RPG
• Expansion pack - extra contents for the game, more of an incentive to buy.
• Clothing - Typical teenagers
• Direct mode of address/ informal? 
• Iconography - the logo, books, mortar board

Suggest two different audiences for The Sims 2 University 

• Fans of RPG games, as the sims is a well known RPG where you have to take control of a characters life. (Fans of The Sims)
• Female audience, 12 - 18, aspiring uni students hoping to get a glimpse into the life of a uni student

Explore how the main audience for Kidulthood has been targeted


Main audience (15-25 Males)

• Violence - Baseball bat - fans of violence films and social realism films
• Promise of pleasure - convinces people to watch the film, suggests that its going to be hard hitting 
• Presentation of characters - suggests narrative which intrigues audience. 
• Special edition dvd cover - more material that has never been seen before  
• Colours - Dark colours used, suggests violence of the film
• Clothing - The target audience could perhaps identify with some of the characters
• Prequel - tag line shows us that it is a prequel, so if they were fans of adulthood they will want to see this film 
• Age certificates 

Discuss how media texts attract different audiences:

• Skins - teenage based, involves house parties, alcohol and drunk taking - Many young people will be able to identify with the characters within this program. Has multiple series, so is majorly successful. Can be applied to different media theories as to why audiences use this text.
• The Green Hornet - For fans of action films - car chases, bombs etc. However, people who are fans of Seth Rogen will also watch this film. 
• Cosmo Magazine - For females aged 18-30 - Discourse of the magazine suggests this, articles about sex and love life. Also has articles on fashion, as well as including famous cover stars that many girls aspire to be like. 

Different representations of young people in the media

• August 2011 riots 
• Olympics 
• Tv shows, such as X Factor 
•  Attack the block
• Misfis/skins
• 16 and pregnant

Editing Codes and Conventions Seen Within Rom Coms

Cross-cutting - Can be used to show an emotional chase. Can be used to see each characters face during a conversation, crossing back and forward depending on who is doing the talking. Can also be used to see how each character reacts to what another has said. Also used to show to different stories happening simultaneously.

Straight cuts - Used for continuity within the story 

Cut - One shot is instantly replaced with another. Cuts will be slow paced at the start. However, as the characters start to fall for each other the pace will quicken. 

Eyeline match - The matching of eyelines between two or more characters. Meaning that continuity is kept intact.

Shot reverse shot cutting - Over the shoulder shots to show conversations etc.

Shots and Angles Commonly Used Within Rom Coms

Angles

Eye level -  This matches a characters height, making it a neutral shot. No one person is seen more powerful.

Low angle - Makes the person seem more powerful. Can also be used to make a place seem big and intimidating.

 

High angle - Makes the person seem weak. 

 

 

Shots 

Point of View - Shows the view from a subjects perspective.

 

Establishing - Shows us were the action of a film will be taking place.

 

Close Up 

 

Medium Close Up

Extreme Close Up

 

Mid Shot 

 

Over The Shoulder 

 

Cut In - Shows another part of the subject in detail. 

 

Cut Away - A shot of something other than just the subject. 

 

Weather Shot 

 

Two Shot