Answering Q1B: The Essay

MR NAG:
Media Language
Representation
Narrative
Audience
Genre

One piece of coursework


Genre:
John Friske:
“attempts to structure some order into the wider range of texts and meanings that circulate in our culture for both the convenience of both producers and consumers.”

I made my magazine genre choices convenient for my target audience because they would understand them and be able to follow them. It was convenient for both parties. 

Andre Basin:
“genres make magazine covers more efficient (by allowing the re-using of fonts, images and the like) and more marketable (by using generic conventions as a way of ‘selling’ the film to the target audience)."

I agree with Andre Basin's theory because I made my product efficiently and quickly because I knew what a music magazine looked like and I used the colours and fonts that my audience would want to see - they understand it's a music magazine because of this.

Todorov:
“Scientific method does not require us to observe every instance of a phenomenon in order to describe it; scientific method proceeds rather by deduction” (Todorov, 1970).

I agree with Todorov's theory - we don't need to see every single music magazine cover to understand that it's a music magazine - we can understand the genre through conventions picked up.


Narrative:
Roland Barthes:
“Linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution”

In some respects, my magazine follows the theory of Barthes - it allows the audience to ask questions about a certain aspect of my image. My magazine presents a woman who looks sad/lonely maybe, whereas, her clothing also presents her as rebellious and outgoing - these concepts appeal to my audience. However Barthes' theory relates to more traditional narratives, my image doesn't really have linearity about it.

Claude Levi-Strauss:
Claude Levi-Strauss' (“binary opposition”) – night/day, good/bad, light/dark, good/evil etc. He observed that these oppositions tended to structure texts narratives.

I agree with Levi-Strauss' idea of binary opposition through use of magazine conventions. Elements such as the masthead against the background, colours such as red and black against a light beige and text boxes alongside non-text text boxes.

Meg Tilley:

Action Codes’ are a short hand way of advancing a narrative. Action codes are part of the ‘Continuity Editing System’ and are used to signal to the audience that something is about to happen, helping the audience to predict what is going to happen next.

My magazine shows a narrative thrust through connotations attached with her holding a guitar - this presents her as an avid musician.


Representation:
Hall & Holmes:
“All media texts are re-representations of reality…they may be stereotypes or they may be complex representations but it is important to remember that they have been constructed to appeal to a particular target audience” (Hall and Holmes 1998).
I chose the model that I did because they would represent my target audience through the following ways. Her age represents the audience's age, her dress sense would reflect their stereotypical 'alternative' audience and her use of make-up would also fit their desires. 

Stanley Hall:
 “Adolescence is inherently a time of storm & stress when ‘all’ young people go through some degree of emotional and behavioural upheaval, before establishing a more stable equilibrium at adulthood."

Hall's Storm & Stress model is shown through my work as my model presents themes concerning rebellion and behavioural upheaval - this is through hair, make-up and clothing.

Laura Mulvey:
“As erotic objects of desire for the characters within the screen story, and as erotic objects of desire for the spectator within the auditorium.”

I have rejected Mulvey's theory because it wouldn't represent my audience in the same style as to what would fit the genre and audience. For instance, my model is wearing full clothing. Despite this, the way that my model is looking at the camera an the way that her coat is open, may suggest a sense of desire and sexual drive to my audience.

Audience:
Hall & Holmes:
“Any media text is created for a particular audience and will usually appeal most to this particular target audience”

In my media product, I created it with the target audience in mind - my audience doesn't want to be challenged.

I also had to create an image which was acceptable to who I was taking the photo. The creator of the image, the publisher of the image and the person in the image has to be acceptable in terms of representation as it needs to present the organisation who publishes the image as well as the model's credibility in such a way.

Morley 1980 Reception Reading: My product could be viewed in a variety of way - the first of these is the preferred reading. This is the reading which I want my audience to recognise my product as. The negotiated reading presents an audience which isn't particularly clear - this could be down to a preferred interest in my product - however as a producer I don't mind this reading as my audience are still showing an interest in the content. The oppositional reading shows an audience who dislike my product or look at my product in the wrong way, therefore they buy my product with the intention of not liking it, however wanting to read it regardlessly.

Hypodermic Needle Theory:
The media injects its ideas into us and we follow ideas presented.

I did not use the hypodermic needle theory. 

Uses & Gratifications Theory - Blumlar & Katz:
Diversion, Personal Relationships, Personal Identity and Surveillance.

In terms of diversion, my magazine is an escape from reality - people can use it to read about music. In terms of surveillance we use the media to learn about the world. In terms of personal identity, we learn about each other. In terms of personal relationships,