Web Part 1

Just to recap on what you should have done last year –

You need to analyse (ie examine (something) methodically and in detail, typically in order to explain and interpret it) a range (Typically 3 or more) of contrasting (ie Different) commercial (making money) websites, evaluating (form an idea of the value of):

a) purpose – What does it do? Why? E.G. information, e-commerce, promotion/advertising, downloads

b) visitor needs – What does a Visitor get from the site? Why do they visit or revisit? E.G. obtain information, purchase products, establish user trust in site, user/customer

c) information flow – how does the information contained in the web site read? How is it organised? Does this make it easy to see or harder? E.G. site layout, page layout, site navigation

d) features – what does it contain (in a web sense) E.G. text, navigation, links, graphics, background, general design, rich media

e) benefits increase – what is it designed to give people (host, writer or viewer) E.G. increase sales, cost savings, accessibility to audience, wider
audience reach, available 24hrs a day/7 days a week

f ) content – what is in it (from a media sense) e.g. types of pages (Home, About Us, Terms and Conditions), downloads, mailto: links, products, information, services,
third party advertising.

Once you have analysed the sites, this will give you a better sense of how to talk about your own site – from design to inception.

Style

Style;

1. The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed: a style of speech and writing.

2. The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic expression, execution, or performance characterizing a particular person, group, school, or era.

3. Sort; type: a style of furniture.

4. A quality of imagination and individuality expressed in one’s actions and tastes: does things with style.

The Free Dictionary

So, style can be said to be the manner in which something is done. When we looked at Crazy in Love,  we got confused as there was so much style (and little substance, imo).

We had the style of the music – according to definition 3 above, we can talk about the genre. We can also talk about how the song fits within the genre, or genres – yes, it’s RnB, but it’s also a pop song. WE can delve very deeply into the performance and mixing of the song to describe the style on technical and aesthetic levels.

We can also talk about the costume design in terms of style – this was mentioned in the treatment “from street to high end fashions”. This is the common use of the phrase style, as we often use it to refer to how someone dresses – their personal style or styling.

This being a music video, however, we are more concerned with the video, and there we can talk about the style of the camera – the framing and the movement. We can talk about the style of lighting – overlit to the most part, the while video feels like it is lit like a fashion show – and there is a lot of colour coding going on (Spot the orange and blue theme throughout?) that influences lighting and costume alike.

Then there is the style of the edit – the fast, energetic cutting that helps to push the narrative along.

Once you have looked at the style of the video, then and only then, can you give me your personal opinion of it.

Defining Key Terms

So, in class we briefly discussed the following key terms:

• Style (Performer, track, Video),
• Content (Track, Video, Outline),
• Meaning (Track, Video),
• Imagery,
• Narrative,
• Duration,
• Pace,
• Semiotics,
• Image,
• Creative Concept,
• Target Audience,
• Resources.

You need to put the definitions of these onto your blog as part of a glossary. This will help you writing your proposal, as you are expected to use media terminology (i.e. jargon!) when talking about your proposals, treatments and planning.

Analyse your Product: The Criteria

What you are marked on

2 Understand how media producers create products for specific audiences

Addressing audiences: selection of content, eg words, images, sound, sequences, colours, fonts; construction of content, eg narratives, layout, captions, anchorage; codes and conventions, eg linguistic, visual, audio, symbolic, technical; modes of address

Audience feedback: eg focus groups, audience panels, trialing and testing, reviews, complaints

 

Criteria	Suggested tasks.
P2 describe how media producers create products for specific audiences with some appropriate use of subject terminology [IE]	Analyze the contents of the product  Describe how it address the audience What happens in it? How do the audience interact with it? Why has it been constructed this way What products are similar Add this to your blog.
M2 explain how media producers create products for specific audiences with reference to detailed illustrative examples and with generally correct use of subject terminology	Draw conclusions as to the potential audience of the product. Justify why they consume it. Explain how content has been selected & constructed. Explain the Codes and Conventions used with reference to similar products Add this to your blog
D2 comprehensively explain how media producers create products for audiences with elucidated examples and consistently using subject terminology correctly	Perform a textual analysis of the product Discuss all the technical and aesthetic elements of the product. Discuss how these have may appeal to an audience with reference to similar products. Add this to you blog

Analyse your Product

24^th February – 9^th March

Present Analysis on 2^nd March

You have presented the results of your Survey. You have identified the groups who consume violent media: So, pick a game / film / TV show (eg Modern Warfare for the shooty bits, A horror film for the graphic violence, an episode of Eastenders with a big argument and fight in).

So, now you will have a product to explore and an audience profile of who uses it. We are ready for the next stage.

Create a content analysis of the product.

 

You should examine the product for technical construction-

• ·      Audio – what do your hear?
• ·      Visual – what do you see?
• ·      Symbolic – what does it represent?
• ·      Technical – eg Lighting, framing etc
• ·      linguistic  – what is said and how it is said – eg Dialogue, text etc

Also, find existing responses to the product – what do other people say about it?

• ·      Online Reviews
• ·      Critic reviews
• ·      Fan sites
• ·      Complaints

Also, add information about similar products in the market.

You should now be able to create a profile of the product itself, describing what happens and how it happens. This will guide us through the focus group when we sit down to get their responses.

Add all those information into your report, either online as a blog or into your word document.

Guidance:

You need to Analyze the content of the product – for example,

• ·      what is it?
• ·      What happens within it?
• ·      What appears to be expected of the audience?
• ·      How is this communicated to the audience?
• ·      Has it been influenced by other media products?
• ·      What Codes and Conventions are used within it?
• ·      What similar products exist?
• ·      How does it differ to similar products?
• ·      How does it fit into the market?