Questionnaire Analysis

The results of my questionnaire show several important things about my target audience and their needs. This is my analysis of their results, and what it tells me about their needs.

1. Age

My results show that 85% of my audience is aged 16-18, therefore making them my primary target audience, as they are most likely to be interested in film. My secondary audience is 23 or older, at 15%, meaning there will be a secondary audience that also needs to be catered for. 

2. Gender

According to my results, 73.68% of my audience are female, and 26.32% are male. This means that the target audience is females, ages 16-18, but males still have a percentage of the viewership and so need to be catered for.

3. Cinema visits

A large majority of my audience (60%) visit the cinema more than once a year, and 25% visit more than once a month. This suggests that my audience mostly visits the cinema regularly, but not often enough to have any major significance, suggesting further that perhaps they only visit when big blockbusters are released (usually three or four films a year). This means that to appeal to my target audience, I will need to create a blockbuster style film cover that is likely to draw in a large audience. 

4. Film genre

From my responses, it's clear that sic-fi, fantasy, horror/thriller, romance and comedy are very popular answers. Others included animation and musicals, but it's clear that action, adventure and rom/coms are not incredibly popular amongst my target audience, and so I should consider which genre is going to be most widely appealing to both male and female audiences. 

5. Convincing to watch a film

A large majority of people (75%) said that a film that is a sequel or prequel to another film, and if the film poster was enticing or interesting. Another large amount of people (65%) said that a famous cast or an adaptation would make them want to watch a film. Other options included remakes or famous directors, which I should consider, but not focus entirely on.

6. Disposable income

My audience mainly spend between £5-£7 to go to the cinema, which perhaps suggests that their socio-economic grouping ranges from E to low C2. This is because their age is teen, so they are unlikely to be employed or working for a living, and they are not spending an enormous amount to watch films. Another result for how my audience accesses films shows that 27.78% use online downloads or buy DVDs rather than go to the cinema, which again suggests that they are of a lower socio-economic grouping as they do not have much disposable income.  

AS Coursework - Textual Analysis of Film Posters

Textual Analysis of Film Posters

I have decided to create a film poster for my AS Media coursework. The questionnaire can be found here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7XKW372

Romance:

With romance films, there is a very distinct pattern that seems to occur with the cover design in terms of muse-en-scene. The couple that the film is about are centralised. They are together, often in an intimate or romantic way and are displaying love and affection through physical touch, facial expression and romantic gestures. The colours are mostly soft and gentle, nothing is particularly bright and aggressive. Sometimes red is used, which has connotations of love and passion, which overall suits the genre of the film. With several of the backgrounds, the couples are outside, around nature and in typically romantic places such as the beach and in the rain. The lighting is often high key as it connotes happiness, positivity and sometimes love. The release dates of romances are also very important. Most are released in the summer, as it is this season that we also associate with love and youth as we get hot weather and time away from school and work. Others are released in February, which is when Valentine's Day is, which is typically the holiday of love. 

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Horror

Horror films share the same colour schemes, they are more often than not dark tones with low key lighting. The villain is often included in the image, and black is heavily used as it has connotations of evil and fear.
The title of the film is usually centralised and is often a contrasting with the black, i.e white. Occasionally the colour red is used, which in these circumstances connote danger and also blood. This helps add to the overall feel of the cover, and helps it to meet the horror genre. There is also often a tagline that goes along with the movie, often placed above or below the title that entices the audience. It can be considered an enigma code as it can indirectly elicit questions from the audience, or it can directly ask a question that is rhetorical, yet leaves the audience wanting an answer, such as 'what will it sound like when you die?' from 'One Missed Call.'
The release dates of horrors are typically towards the end of the year, around autumn and winter. This is usually when Halloween is, which is associated with horror and terror, and is celebrated widely throughout America and England, which would explain why most are released around this time.

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Crime Thriller

Generally, crime thrillers tend to include mis-en-scene features such as guns and other weapons. This connotes the idea of crime and often fighting, suggesting that the film contains a contrast between an antagonist and hero or protagonist. As for the thriller side, we often see reds and blacks used, which connote the idea of danger and action, which are key features of a crime thriller film. In terms of lighting, low key is commonly used to give a gritty and grainy feel. This helps meet the genre because it suggests the idea of action and  good versus bad. This is often a significant feature of crime thrillers. Again, we have tag lines that act as enigma codes, enticing the audience and attempting to draw them in by creating questions. 'Parker' uses 'to get away clean, you have to play dirty.' Immediately this suggests to the audience that there is going to be action and violence included in the film as there is a sense of rule breaking, which is also another key feature of the genre. 

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Comedy

Mise-en-scene often includes characters that are in difficult, compromising or silly positions. This often indicates the film is a comedy as the cover doesn't take itself too seriously and also elicits humour from the audience by using unrealistic situations to create humour. The lighting is usually high key, which connotes light heartedness and positivity, which is essentially what comedy films are. The tag lines are also enigma codes, and often indicate a humours situation, for example, 'some guys just can't handle Vegas' from 'The Hangover' suggests that there is going to be comedy from the misfortune of the characters on the cover in a place they are unfamiliar with. More often than not, the cover of comedy films use Schadenfreude as their main comedic feature. This is funny to others as the audience gets pleasure and gratification (according to Bulmer and Katz's Uses And Gratifications Theory) out of other's misfortune. The release dates are also usually around the summer when people are out of school and work, and the weather is hot and sunny. This is again because we associate good times and humour with good weather, often the summer time. 

Representation: Group Task

Analysis of Magazine Covers

Analysis of Magazine Covers

1. TIME

AN: Media Terminology in bold

The main image of Empire's front cover is of Daniel Craig in a still of a blockbuster movie he had recently played the lead in. He is centralised and dressed in character, and the image is taken from a low angle, which connotes power. This means that it appeals to an audience who are fans of Daniel Craig, and who are also men. We know this because he is not dressed in a revealing way that would appeal to women (female gaze theory) and from the fact that he is stood in a position of power, which men may find appealing as they can relate to him (i.e. wanting to appear powerful and important). This gives him an overall representation a of strong, powerful male who is also significant enough of an actor to appear on the front cover of the magazine as a main focus.
The masthead of 'EMPIRE' is recognisable; it is a font that is synonymous with the magazine and is also in bright red. This draws attention to it, and makes it recognisable. The main image also slightly covers the masthead, suggesting that it is a well known magazine, and so does not need to be seen entirely in order to recognise what it is.
Most of the cover lines on the cover do not intrude onto the main image. This suggests that the puffs are less important to the selling of the magazine, as the image is enticing enough to an audience on it's own. However, the cover lines appeal to the male audience. We know this because one includes 'how fantasy got sexy'. This suggests that there is an element of sexualisation and attraction involved, which wold immediately relate to a male audience.
In terms of age, we can assume that the male audience is likely to be between 18-30. This is because at this age, some men are still studying, most are likely to be at university and so are likely to be interested in films and movie stars. They are also at an age in their life where they are likely to be interested in the stars who feature in the magazine, as they are active on social media and in nine news outlets.
As for socio-economic grouping, they are likely to be within a C1 to E bracket. This is because the magazine contains a mixture of information and images that appeals to a broad, mass audience that are likely to have a small amount of disposable income, but nothing too extreme. They are likely to be working, students or professionals as well as interested in film and the film stars who appear in the magazine. We can tell this also by the use of language on the front cover. Words and phrases such as 'nutty comeback' and 'stellar' are appealing to a youthful and middle ground audience as it is almost cool and common language that everyday people will recognise and perhaps use, as opposed to professional jargon that may be used on more upper class covers.

2. TOP OF THE POPS

The main image of Top of the Pops' cover is of Ariana Grande, who is a popular pop musician. She is centralised and is not wearing any revealing clothing or in any kind of suggestive pose. She is making full eye contact with the camera, and the shot type is a mid shot. However, she is exposing her neck, which is often known as a very feminine form of body language. This suggests that she is appealing to an audience of young girls as well as her fans, as she is not presented in a way that would appeal to men, or older girls, as she is positioned in a very youthful feminine position. This gives an overall representation of being very feminine and youthful, as well as popular within the music industry in order to appear on the front cover of a magazine. 

The magazine's masthead of 'TOP of the POPS' is coloured in pink and white, with a font that is also synonymous to the title of the magazine. It is not taken up by much of the main image, but the typography of the masthead is iconic, as Top of the Pops is a long running company within the British music industry.

The cover cottons many cover lines which intrude onto the main image. These suggest that our audience is likely to be young girls between the ages of 9-12. This is because we have words such as 'lolz' and 'whoa', which are all very colloquial and youthful. The colours of pink and yellow are considered to be very feminine also, which suggests that the audience are likely to be young as the language is the kind that young teens and children may use as it is popular slang among young people. 

For socio-economic grouping, the audience is likely to be E as they are young girls who are not old enough to be employed or have an understanding of social class and the kind of media that appeals to different classes. They are also likely to be interested in pop music, which is accessible for most young people who do not have jobs or education to focus on. This therefore suggests that the audience is young females in group E.

Readings (Vogue)

Readings

Vogue

Vogue is aimed at young women of the middle class bracket, group A and B. The main group represented here are those from the higher classes or group demographic. This is because the website is organised into an elegant layout with expensive brands and famous models who display them. The producers use high end, fashionable products to reach a middle class demographic of young to middle aged women. 

These women would also have the preferred reading, along with males who work or are interested in the fashion business. Sports fans, mostly male would take an oppositional reading towards Vogue as it is not likely to be something they are interested in or have an extensive knowledge of.

Young women who may be in lower classes or demographic groups may take a negotiated reading, as they understand the brands are high end and that the models are famous people, but take no interest in the website as they cannot afford or appreciate the brands and clothing. 

Margin Call Texual Analysis

Margin Call: A Textual Analysis

AN: Media Terminology in bold

Mise-En-Scene

As the program begins we get an opening shot of New York. This is displayed as a time lapse, as we can tell form the speed that the clouds and cranes on rooftops are moving. The shot is establishing, which displays the grand setting of the location. The large buildings connote power and business, which is often a typical feature of thriller shows, as the idea of power and dominance is used to create tension against characters that often defy this power.
We instantly then cut to a shot of several men and women walking through a large corridor. Their attire, being suits and ties, suggests that they are of a high status and power within business. The expression on their faces is grave and serious, sand there is then a shot where one of the women stares towards a character off screen. This connotes the idea that she is of a particularly high status and takes herself very seriously, holding a very professional composure and focused expression.
We can clearly see that our two main characters are established within the first few seconds of the program's start. They are set apart form the rest of the firm as they are wearing white shirts, where most people are wearing suit jackets or blazers. This suggests that their occupational role is of lesser importance, but displays the difference between them and the rest of the characters, suggesting they are to be the main focus.

Sound

Before we even get any images, the non diegetic music fades in. This is a soft and cinematic piece that reflects the mood of the beginning of the show. The tone is sombre and slow, which instantly suggests that the nature of the following events is not going to be a typical, fast paced working environment like we often expect from somewhere with a setting as high powered as New York. We also get some non diegetic sounds of people speaking on the phone, which connotes the idea of business and working, reflected by the setting.
When one of our main characters, Peter, works late into the night, we get a change of sound that is diegetic, but overdubbed. As he listens to music, the song he is playing is dubbed over the sequence of scenes. This creates a sense of immersion for the audience that forces them to empathise with the character and see the situation from his point of view.
Later in the scene, as he begins to work harder into the night, the non diegetic music changes to very deep, minor tones that create tension, suggesting that something is about to go wrong, or something is about to be revealed to the character and the audience that will feed more enigma codes such as 'what is about to happen?'.
At the same time, we get a contrast in sound as the camera switches to the boss of the company with his dying dog, and the music becomes extremely sombre and slow to suggest sadness. Yet as the scene cuts back to the main character, we can clearly tell form the music that he has discovered something strange as the music builds in tension and then suddenly stops.
There is also a piece of dialogue spoken by Sam: 'my dog is dying, I'm paying thousands of bucks a day to keep her alive'. This is almost foreshadowing of the events to come, as it is revealed that the company is making huge loses and is going to have to scrape money together just to survive, yet this is impossible, much like fixing the dog's condition. This gives the audience a sense of narrative and allows the storyline to expand, drip feeding the audience clues as to the problem at hand.

Camera

As the program opens, the camera uses an establishing shot of the New york skyline, which allows the audience to see the grandiose of the setting and sets the mood for one of business and professionalism.
Throughout the scene where Eric Dale is being told he is being made redundant, we can see that the power and dominance lies with the woman who is telling him that he is being let go. This is because we get a series of shot reverse shots in which she is the one leading the conversation and the one who predominantly interrupts and talks over him. This connotes her power over him and informs the audience that the situation is so serious that even someone who has been trusted with the company for over nineteen years is being overpowered by someone else.
One of the most interesting shot sequences is when we get a series of close ups and extreme close ups of Peter when he is clearly working out that something has gone wrong with the information he has. We see close ups of his face that display his confused emotion and then sudden realisation, indicated by his widened eyes and parted lips. This conveys to the audience that something terrible has happened and leaves them questioning what it is and how it can be solved.
There is also a helicopter establishing shot that displays the location as it is at the time of the events taking place, showing the scale and grandiose of the location at night.

Editing

The opening scene is edited as a time lapse to show the morning rising over New York. This helps to give the audience a time scale and a sense of location.
One of the most interesting sequences is the scene where Peter is discovering that something is wrong with the figures of the company. There is a fair amount of parallel editing used to flit between the consecutive story lines of Peter and Sam (boss). This displays to the audience that both things are happening at the same time, yet there is a distinct polar opposite mood between the two situations. Where one is mysterious and suspenseful, the other is sad and depressing.
During this scene there are a series of paired pans and tilts that move in and out of focus on Peter. This is particularly effective as it creates a sense of mystery and suspense, as not the focus is constantly being blurred and then drawn back in on the main character. There is also a jump cut here that jumps between where Peter's hands are and what he is working on, which speeds the scene up to create a build up of tension. Then, a long take is used when he looks up to realise the problem that he is facing. This is extremely effective as it gives the audience a beak between the speedy, confused mess of the working out process and suddenly leaves them asking what it is he has discovered, eliciting a sense of suspense and tension as the scene drags out. Instantly, the editing reverts back to jump cuts, which slices the tension whilst leaving the audience questioning what is truly going on.
As the character of Eric walks through the office to leave, we get a tracking shot that follows his throughout the hall. This is a long take that elongates the time that he is walking to convey to the audience the tension that the character is experiencing and how it almost feels as if time has slowed as he leaves. This elicits sympathy from the audience as well as a sense of dread; we can tell from the length of the shot that he is a significant worker for the business and can predict that his departure will be an issue.

Lighting.

One of the best examples of lighting used in this program is where we get the sequence of parallel story lines that move between Peter's discovery and Sam's journey to see his dog. Peter's face is illuminated by the light of his desk lamp and computer, yet everything around him is darkened and lit very low key. This connotes to the audience that something mysterious is taking place, as the lighting draws the focus to the character's confused expression and the work he is doing, as if it is more important than the setting around him. This creates a sense of tension and suspense, as the low key lighting suggests mystery and suspense.
Comparing this to the lighting of the vet's room with Sam, we can see that there is a clear contrast between the two. During sam's scene, the lighting is bright, white light that suggests a clinical situation, which can be confirmed by the setting around him. The high key lighting here is a major contrast to the low key lighting used to illuminate Peter's face and work. This creates a jilted sense of opposition, where one problem is almost a physical representation of the mathematical other.