Recce

We walked to two different places looking for a setting for a romantic, comedy and sci-fi film. The first location was in a park, it had a lot of slopes which would allow us to get some good shots however I wasn't blown away by the surrounding, it wasn't much of an open space and it was very crowded with the play equipment. I don't think this location would've been entirely suitable for the film. In this particular location, the road was visible and could get quite busy, I think the traffic going past can have an impact on the scene and possibly be harder to work around.

The second location we went to was a lot better in my opinion because it was more of an open space, I think that a plain area would be more effective because it allows us to be more creative with our ideas. There were also a few slopes which would allow us to get some good shots from different angles. This area was quite tucked away despite having a row of outstanding buildings surrounding it, I believe this makes the set more gloomy and suitable to the film.

Both of the locations we went to were near building work which may not be suitable for the film because if we take time to discuss the shots in the middle of filming, the surrounding could have completely changed which could possibly make it look unrealistic.

Mini Research Project

Textual Analysis

I have chosen to use an album as part of my research project. The album I will be focusing on is ‘Neighborhoods’ by blink-182. Neighborhoods is a 36 minute long alternative rock/pop punk album, it was released on September 27, 2011. This is their first album in eight years, its recording followed the band's breakup and reconciliation. The trio wrote lyrics regarding such subjects as isolation, confusion and death. The band infused inspiration from each member's various musical tastes to form a unique sound that recalled their separate upbringings, leading the trio to compare the album to separate neighborhoods.

Genre

I have decided to choose this album to do my research project on because I believe it has a lot of hidden meanings behind it which are interesting to look into. The genre of this album is the type of the genre I am interested in. Blink-182 produce a very specific genre which is alternative rock/pop punk, a band such as blink-182 know exactly what type of music to write and perform for their audience as they are very aware of the audience profile.

Representation

The lyricism of the album is majorly influenced by heavy elements in each members lives, elements considered dark by Mark Hoppus (bassist/vocalist). The band wrote lyrics  dealing with breakdowns in communication and trust and tackled with themes of isolation, confusion, depression, addiction and loss. Mark Hoppus struggled with writing upbeat, happy songs for the album and attributed to dark lyricism to the heavy events occurring shortly before the reunion.

For example, I focused on one song on the album called ‘After Midnight’. The lyrics are centred around romance. The song revolves around two broken individuals who fall in love. The music video to this was released in January 2012, it combines a narrative of young lovers sneaking around a youth psychiatric ward and performance shots of the band performing.

Introduction to the ‘After Midnight’ music video

The music video begins with a mid shot of the sign saying ‘youth psychiatric ward’ which straight away tells us the idea of the video, the mid shot is used so the audience are able to read the sign clearly. There is then a wide shot to show the teenagers sat in a canteen, the lighting at this point is dimmed, this is used so show the dark atmosphere around the ward. After this there is a close up of different activities the teenages are participating in, each of which have a blank expression on their face hinting that they are distressed. A close up of a boy is used, he looks up a smiles slightly, an over the shoulder shot is followed, showing that he is smiling at a girl across the room, there is then another close up of the girl, the camera zooms into her face slightly demonstrating her realisation of the boy. This allows the audience to understand the main characters of the video. The music the begins as there is a wide shot the blink-182 performing.

Audience

I believe the target audience for this album is mostly teenagers who can possibly relate to the music the band produces. I would not say that I think there is a specific gender because it can relate to a lot of different circumstances that can happen to anyone throughout their life. Personally I am a fan of this album because I think blink-182 are extremely talented musicians and I enjoy the music they make and think the lyrics are inspiring, however I know that a lot of the audience listen to an album such as neighborhoods and use the lyrics as inspiration and it helps them with certain situations that are happening in their personal lives.

Promotion

The band approached sponsorships, song releases and social media incorporation during the roll out of Neighborhoods. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook were present throughout each stage of the release of the album which allowed more direct access and control over the bands music. I think it is good to have a range of different ways to promote an album or any other type of media because focusing on one promotion idea may only target a small group of people so making a variety will reach out.

Packaging

This is the album cover, the front cover is simple yet effective. Blink-182 is  written atop a city skyline. It clearly relates to the name ‘Neighborhoods’. The Neighborhoods sleever contains close family member names to each band member which makes the album more personal.

"Everybody in the world thinks of something unique unto themselves when they hear the word 'Neighborhoods'," Mark Hoppus.

The back lists each song, it includes their record label, a bar code and the blink-182 logo.

Secondary Research

Album: Neighborhoods

Release date: September 27, 2011
Label: Interscope

(Wikipedia)

Neighborhoods was released to mixed reviews from critics: some felt it was a natural evolution from the band's previous releases, while others found it stale and disjointed. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and "Up All Night" and "After Midnight" were released as singles, with both attracting modest success on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.

Neighborhoods did not sell as well as previous releases. The band looked back at the album with mixed feelings, for example, Tom Delonge admitted that the album may have been not have been as successful because of the bands previous unity problems.

Critical Responses:

Neighborhoods received generally favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. Mike Diver of BBC Music called the album "unexpectedly great.”

Genre research Project

Soccer Punch Analysis

Pink Analysis

This music video includes characters that are represented in a certain way due to their stereotype, for example at one point Pink is in the gym and she see’s a man walk over to another girl who is wearing less clothing than her so she feels like if she takes her clothes off to reveal more skin she will get the guys attention. The costume she is wearing hints that women will only get noticed if they are half naked. The camera angle at this point is an over the shoulder shot, showing Pinks jealousy.

There is another part of this video where pink goes into the bathroom complaining about the amount of food she had eaten, she is wearing a short pink dress and has a short blonde bob, this insinuates she cares what she looks like and is a ‘girly’ character, she then puts a toothbrush down her throat to make herself sick, this connotes to girls caring so much about their weight that they have to damage themselves.

The two person shot shows the two characters who are both forcing themselves to be sick, there is also a mid shot of Pink looking at herself in the mirror, this is being used to show her sorting out her hair and outfit, this depicts that she feels as though she has to change herself.

At one point in the music video Pink is in a surgery room with pen all over her body showing parts that she will be changing, this suggests that girls don’t think that they are good enough therefore they reduce, enlarge or get rid of parts of themselves to be happy with their appearance. A birds eye view shot is being used in this scene, it is being used to show the whole body and it reveals that pink is changing almost everything about her body.

At one point in the music video, Pink is driving a car and she runs over somebody and all she cares about is her makeup and how she looks, this particular scene suggests some girls are too selfish to care about other people. The character Pink is representing could be referred to as ‘dumb’ or ‘stupid’ which relates to the title of the song ‘stupid girls’. Although this character is not blonde, there is a stereotype that blonde women aren’t as clever, this is not necessarily true however society has made that link.

This music video is being represented in the form of a parody, therefore it is an over exaggerated representation of problems with certain stereotypical views in society. It is showing that some girls are competitive with others girls to be the best they think they could be, the video also says how some women feel like the have to show a certain amount of skin to seek attention.

This music video was created almost completely out of intertextuality, the song and music video for ‘stupid girls’ is referring to different stereotypes of women in society. Many films and tv programs show women acting a certain way because of the way they look or how they have been bought up. Pink is highlighting the judgment and stereotypical views of women in her music video.

Construction Toy

We have chosen to create an item called ‘’Pick ’N’ Mix Girls’’, we are going to have two dolls, one will be white/british and the other will be ethnic. The aim of this product is to make children creative and use their imagination to change the clothing and body parts of each doll. The dolls come with a birth certificate each so the name and age of the dolls can be chosen by the owner. The clothes we will provide will be very versatile, for example we are including a football shirt as well as a dress so the children will be able to understand the sort of clothing they like and their taste. The clothes will all be plastic so they will be able to clip together however the coat will be material so it can slip over the plastic clothing. We will not be making the dolls skinny like barbie, they will be a realistic size. If this product sells well on the market, we thought it would be a good idea to add a male version of the toy so it will be acceptable for both genders to enjoy.

Outfits

A spotty dress that attaches to the doll at the neck with two holes at the bottom for legs and two on the side for the arms.

A pair of jeans that have a nodule at the top that will be used to attach to a t-shirt. The jeans also have holes are the bottom to insert legs.

A black skirt with a nodule at the top to attach a t-shirt and holes at the bottom for legs.

A white vest with purple sweet, it has a hole at the top for the neck, holes in the arms and holes at the bottom to attach the trousers.

A sports top, it has holes in the sleeve to attach the arms, hole in the neck for the neck and a nodule in the bottom to attach trousers.

A black material coat, the coat fits over the plastic clothing, it has not nodules.

I liked doing this construction task, I worked in a group with three other people, everyone in the group had their own task to do. We helped each other whilst doing our individual tasks and discussed the process.
If I was to do this project again I would try and target the product at males or both genders so that I can show my thoughts are more diverse and it would also be more of a challenge designing something a male would like as I don't have much experience of what boys are really interested in. 

Purpose: To change attitudes, to make people believe that the we should vote labour because they welcome people from all walks of life, anyone who has an interest in building a fairer Britain.

This poster provides information, it tells us what the labour party will be focusing on changing, it also includes the website at the bottom. The poster also promotes Labour, explaining that if we vote for labour they will make a drastic change to Britain.

Aims:

The aim of this poster is to get people to vote for labour, this is used by having bold font and added information which are the words ‘fair’ and Labour’ these two words have been made to look like they have been written on which hints that they are suggesting that these are the opinions of the public. This poster is telling us why we should vote for Labour and hopefully convert people to the Labour campaign.

Image:

There are no images used in this campaign poster, there are only words. However, this could be effective because it will stand out more against other campaign posters. Also, I feel like there isn’t really a good place to put an image on this poster as it would be too much and I believe it would be unnecessary and it wouldn’t work as well.

Colour scheme:

The colour scheme is just as bold and as hard hitting as the font on the poster. It is simple yet the red/orange draws the audience in immediately. The background colour is the same colour as the Labour logo which makes the poster look neat and with a first glance we can clearly see it is a Labour poster.  

Copy:

The copy is two hard hitting phrases, it spares no thought and just goes straight to the point of the campaign. The only other bit of text on the poster is the logo so we can clearly see which party it is in aid of and the the website you can vote on with ‘Join the fight’ written above it, this simple yet effective.

Font:

The font used is big and bold so the message is taken seriously. The font ‘shadows of light’ has been used for two words on the poster, ‘fair’ and ‘Labour’ this has been made to look like it is handwriting so it looks like an opinion of the public which could be even more persuasive knowing that it is a trustworthy party. The main font is in white which is simple yet it looks more professional. ‘We need is’ is in bold demonstrating the importance.

Tone:

The tone on this poster is very hard hitting. It spares no thoughts or feelings to anyone. It is simple yet very clear, it shows that Labour just want to get their point across with an effective campaign poster.

Impact:

As a result of this, a lot more people have decided to looks into the Labour party and trust them because of the aims they have listed and the fairness to Britain they are willing to give.

Purpose:

To bring about national change, the campaign is about persuading people to vote for the Conservative party so they can provide a strong society, where our families, our communities and our nation create secure foundations on which people can build their lives.

The campaign poster is used with the idea of getting people to change their attitude.

This campaign poster provides a lot of information, the poster is very clever because it is presenting the aims of the Conservative party as part of the sun.

Aim:

The aim of this is to persuade the public to vote for the Conservative party by providing all of the goals of the party. This is used to educate people over the age of 18 about what the conservatives do and why you should vote for them.

Image:

The image on this poster is in the form of a drawing, it shows people from different backgrounds standing together, looking up at the sun and noticing the aims of the conservative. I think this is an effective poster because it demonstrates the equality within the audience they are aiming it at. The poster is quite busy which makes it intriguing and draws the audience in.

Colour Scheme:

There isn’t particularly a colour scheme to focus on as the background is an image made up of many different colours and shades. If I had to decide on a colour for this poster I would have to say yellow and blue. The blue could suggest the freedom and the yellow may suggest the happiness within the party.

Copy:

The copy used is descriptive and persuasive. This is effective at motivating people to vote for  the conservatives because it is listing what they will do to change Britain. I wouldn’t say this poster is particularly bold however it is intriguing to read into which attracts the audience.

Tone:
The tone is very lighthearted yet factual and informative. The main focus of it is to list what the conservatives will do and that is what they are pointing out.The tone in this is quite joyful because of the phrase ‘Sun -Ray Treatment’ this shows that although they are keeping it serious they are adding in some fun.

Font:

The font is all in capitals therefore it stands out and it making a clear statement, the colour of the font is yellow which it representing the sun. This is adding a sense of joyfulness to the poster to make it a little less formal.

Purpose:
To bring about national change, this campaign poster is to bring a change to the way that England is run by encouraging people to vote for the Liberal Democrats to get the change they needed. This poster is also intended to change attitudes, the poster makes people think that this is the right government to choose this is the party that could change the country.
This is being used to campaign, this election poster is being used for a change of government or to persuade you to choose Lib Dem in the first place.

Aim:

The aim of this campaign poster is to bring change to the british governments so the Liberal Democrats are persuading people 18 and over to vote for them to be in charge as the believe they have what it takes.

Image:

The image in this campaign poster is very simple, it includes are bird which adds a hint of fun into the campaign. The bird relates to the logo of the Liberal Democrats so people are aware of what the poster may be about on first glance. Although the poster isn’t very busy I think it is still eye catching and effective.

Colour Scheme:

The only real colour on is from the font and the section below.The colour sheme in this poster is simple which makes the writing stand out, I think this looks formal and neat which is appropriate for the audience it is being aimed at.

Copy:
There is very little text on this poster, the main text on the poster is a rhetorical question, I think this is clever to put on the campaign because it gets the audience thinking into the political party. The poster also includes the logo and a strapline, which is important so we understand which party the campaign is for. I think that this includes just the right amount of information the public need to want to vote.

Font:

The font used it the same style however it is not the same colour, the rhetorical question is in yellow which stands out from the added information at the bottom, the yellow doesn’t look odd because it still fits in with the theme of the campaign poster.

Tone:

The question used adds more interest to the poster, it isn’t necessarily formal however it does get your brain working when trying to understand and answer the question. In the slogan the word ‘real’ is in capitals which emphasizes it and makes us trust  the liberal democrats.