TEDx lecture

1. What are Plan B's beliefs/politics? What are his values/ideologies? Explain. 

Plan B believes that teenagers/adults resolve to drugs and crimes because it’s the way they have been bought up, their parents were probably drug addicts and alcoholics themselves therefore they do not care what their children get up to. These kids feel like there is no hope and aren’t given a chance in society to prove themselves. He believes there are so many stereotypes. He states they ‘do not have respect for authority because they felt like they were ignored in society’. His ideology is to prove newspapers they are wrong and they cannot judge the teenagers and always write the bad about them because they do not know them or understand them. The papers openly ridicule the poor and less unfortunate.  Plan B says they only pick out the bad but do not write about the reasons why these crimes happen. He wants to put teenagers in a good light instead of bringing them down all the time and change the society’s perception of them.

2.       Who is the target audience of the TEDx lecture? Demographics? Psychographics? How do you know? How does this compare to the audience for his music/films?

The target audience for this TEDx lecture are people who are interested in what Plan B wanted to portray from the film. The psychographic group for this are reformers because they believe in personal growth, freedom and seek enlightenment.  This relates to his target audience for his music because Plan B raps about the reality of things which is what reformers would want to listen to as they could relate. The demographic group that the target audience fall under are groups A, B, and C; this is because Plan B wants the people who don’t understand why young people are the way they are, and people who look down on young kids, to realise why they’re in the situation they’re in and that sometimes it is not always their fault that they are born in a family where their parents cannot be there for them, or are not very supportive.

3.       What does Plan B say about the media? Explain how this can be linked to Cohen's media theory of moral panics?

Plan B has a very negative view of the media as he says that they are the reason for the stereotypes of young people such as unintelligent, criminals, and can’t be trusted; this then makes them feel rejected from society, which in turn causes them to repel and hate authority over them, causing young people to hate the media and authority, and the media and authority to hate young people.

Cohen’s theory of moral panic suggests that when the dominant view of something, such as the view of young people in this country, is challenged, then it becomes a concern for society; therefore the media do not portray the positive side to young people and only manipulate and present the negatives. 

Progress Report

Individual-

WWW: Have made up a few extra shots for the shot list.

EBI: If I altered the title sequence shot list.

Group-

WWW: We have made progress filming and have spent a lot of time working on the production, coming up with different ideas and working well as a team.

EBI: If we worked faster.

We will now carry on filming and have most of it done by next week and then get onto editing. 

magazine covers

The cover line- 'Spider-man creator Stan Lee Interview' is relevant to my magazine as i will be including an interview. 

Vogue- I could include a cover line such as the 'classic looks for spring' as i could add the actors fashion trends on my magazine cover. 

Cover line- 'On set with Jack Ryan'.  I Could add a directors cut- on set with the stars. 

Doctor who magazine

Title of production- the title is placed at the top in the centre of the cover. It is also in the font of the ‘Doctor Who’ trade mark logo which is well known, it is easily recognised. This is then visible to the fans of the programme and catches their attention.

Slogan- The slogan is above the title so that the person reading the title of the magazine will most probably read the slogan. This slogan is effective as it sums up what the magazine is about. ‘Celebrating 50 years’ is a way of getting the reader to buy it as they would think it’s like a special edition as it is out to celebrate 50 years of the programme which fans will be excited about.

Central image- The central image shows 3 characters. The character in the middle being the most important as he is in front of the other two people.  This shows a strong image which would intrigue fans of Doctor Who as they would most probably be fans of the actors. A part of the image covers a bit of the title; however this does not really matter because the Doctor Who logo is so distinguished. This also portrays the importance of the character.

Cover lines- ‘The day of the Doctor’ is the larger flash which catches the reader’s attention because it is in capital letters and it’s in the colour white which stands out because it is bold. The smaller cover lines are placed beneath the flash line which all connects to the image as the actors names are written in a different colour to make them stand out as they are well-known. The smaller cover lines say the actors ‘exclusively chat to DWM about the biggest TV event in the history of the universe’. This will be read because the flash line stands out and it is placed under it.

Free offer- This magazine does include free offers which are shown on the right hand side of the cover. This section has a different coloured background which highlights the offer. What is included in the magazines free offer is written in a red font which stands out.

Colour scheme- The colour scheme of this magazine is royal, gold and silver/white. This gives an important feel to the magazine because the gold immediately tells us it is a special edition as most special editions tend to be in gold. Gold also indicates a 50th anniversary in general known as a golden anniversary. Silver/white stands out because they are bold and are on a darkish black background and connotes purity and originality. Bits of red are also used so certain things stand out, it’s to give a bit of a kick to the magazine cover, red in general is a colour that pops out and is generally a royal colour. The black and white links with the genre of the programme which is sci-fi. Sci-fi is mainly dark as it links to space for example. White/silver and black are the known colours of how space looks.

Name/game checks-  It is clear of the region the magazine fits in as there is a reference on the right hand side of the magazine of the ‘1960s themed mini issues’ and art cards. So this would appeal to the fans who know about the old Doctor Who’s as well as the new ones.

Language- The language used on the cover is very simple and straight to the point. Some of the story is given away but in a very short way. ‘The Doctors past comes back to haunt him’, this would make a Doctor Who fan want to read the magazine so they can find out more. The sci-fi fans would relate to this magazine because there is a lot of reference to space. The slogan says ‘adventures in space and time’. The cover line says ‘biggest TV event in the history of the universe’. The readers that are fans of Doctor Who would have a personal connection with the magazine.                                          

 The font used is very rounded making it look better when it is bold, the flash line is the boldest, the rest of the font varies of how bold it is.   

Competitions- On the bottom right of the magazine cover shows a picture of stuff that can be won. They also mention what prizes can be won such as; ‘blu-rays, dvds, cd’s and books’. This could entice fans or the reader to buy the magazine.

Direct address and asking questions- On this magazine cover there is no asking questions but instead it is informing and telling the reader about the 50^th anniversary of Doctor Who. There is one direct address which is near the bottom of the cover telling the reader to turn over the page.  

Barcode, date and price- The barcode is not shown too big and is displayed at the bottom of the cover with the price of the magazine beside it. The barcode is shown to be quite small because they are seen to be an encumbrance.

The real target audience- The target audience for this ‘Doctor Who’ magazine would be fans of the programme from 16-50 year olds. However I do not think 16 year olds would buy it but instead take a look at it online. The older generation would prefer to buy the magazine as it is a special edition and they would keep it for a long time if they were proper fans. 

Ill manors film review

The director is the famous music artist Plan B; he has used his own music in the film. He has told a story through his music for the film. I thought the director did a good job on how he made the film, he gave a real insight on what most people would not know about that happens in run down areas.

This film is about the everyday lives of a couple of characters telling each of their stories. They all come from an unprivileged background and have a story to why they do what they do and how they have been bought up from an estate in east London. 

The main stars are not well known; about two actors have starred in other movies. Most of the actors used in this have had little or no acting experience at all. The director wanted to make the film as real as possible so he cast people from a real estate or from similar backgrounds as portrayed in the film.  I would say it was a good idea casting unknown actors, and instead casting people who live around East London or who have come from similar backgrounds as from the actors in the movie or who live in an estate maybe and have experienced such things.

The character of Ed is played by Ed Skrein who is an unprofessional actor, he played a violent, drug dealing psychopath. The character Aaron played by Riz Ahmed played a criminal who is trying to reform himself and get away from the life he lives, he understands it is all wrong.   They both grew up at a local orphanage together. The character Kirby plays a criminal who has just been released from jail and is trying to reclaim his turf from another character named Chris who he grew up with but is now more threatening than Kirby so cannot be messed around with. Another character named Jake is a teenage boy who gets involved with a slightly older gang member who then makes him carry out a murder. There is another story about two prostitutes, one who is on the run from Russian sex traffickers and one who is just making money for drugs, they somehow meet each other.

The film is crime-drama. It does fit our expectations because it being an 18 rated movie we would expect some sort of violence and explicit scenes. The film is full of drama and a lot of crime which makes the audience feel for the characters and engage with their emotions, whether it be shocking, sad or angry. It gives the audience a knock on affect because they then get a feel of a harsh reality.

The soundtrack is a rap which tells a story about the life these characters are living. It stood out because there was a bit of swearing in it and it suits the type of film it is because rap music relates to teenagers and hood rats that are the stereotypical fan base for this type of music.  I liked the music and thought it was perfect for the genre and the target audience for the movie.

This movie is aimed at teenagers and mainly a younger adult audience because they can sort of relate to film as they may be aware of some things that go on in their generation. The target audience would be 17-30 year olds, this is because in the film there is violence and explicit scenes used. People who suffer from similar situations as the characters whether that is drug use or physical abuse may be able to relate to the characters and even feel as though the characters can relate to them and their lives.

ill manors Q's

1. What are the typical codes and conventions of film trailers - what information is usually provided?

The typical codes and conventions of a film trailer are the names of the actors starring in the film, the director/producer. The age certificate which tells the viewer the type of movie it may be. The release date of the film. Reviews from magazines or newspapers summed up in a couple words or star ratings.

2.    How are trailers distributed? 

Trailers are distributed through television commercials, in the cinemas, online trailers through you tube for example.

3.    How does Ill Manors use trailer conventions?

 ILL Manors uses trailer conventions by including: the age certificate, the names of actors that were starred and the director/producer, the release date of the film, ratings from magazines and newspapers and the title of the movie.

4.    Who is the target audience? Does it have a unique selling point or use particular techniques to appeal to the audience? Consider the way the scenes are edited together – does the trailer give away any clues about the narrative? Are the main stars visible in the trailer? Is there information about the director of the film? Is there information about the release date? Is a narrator’s voice-over used? 

The target audience for this film would be males around the age of 17-30. The trailer uses music which tells the narrative as it is rap music which relates to ‘youngsters’. Dialogue from the film is used in the trailer which basically gives away the storyline. The editing is very fast paced which is what 17-30 year olds are interested in, they prefer fast paced movies as they would be into action. The main characters are visible in the trailer; by what they are wearing the audience can tell that it would appeal to 17-30 year olds because most young males around the age of 18 would dress similar according to stereotypes. There is information about the director of the film as he is a well-known music artist so his fans would be interested in watching the movie. He also has an input in the music used throughout the film. The release date is seen at the end of the trailer which is what the viewers would want to see after watching the trailer so if they are interested in watching the movie the information of when it is released is shown.  It is not so much the narrator’s voice over but the dialogue from the movie instead.

5.    How has the genre of the film been represented through characters, settings, lighting, colour, music/dialogue, camera shots/movements/angles and editing?

The genre of the film is crime/drama. This has been represented through characters because of the way they dress and the actions they portray in the film such as violence. The setting is in an urban run down area which links to poverty and what youngsters would turn to if they have not been brought up well, such as drugs. The colours are dull which represent the type of area it is. The music is rap and involves a lot of swearing and slang terms, this relates to the genre as the rap talks about crime and violence, it also has a hard edge to it. The editing is very fast paced which tells the audience that a lot happens and it involves drama from what is shown in the trailer.              

making of ill manors Q's

1)    What does this tell us about Plan B's intentions in making the film?

Plan B’s intentions for making this film was for the audience to realise what actually goes on in run down areas such as estates and why the kids, teenagers and some adults act the way they do. He wanted to show the reality of their lifestyles and that if these people are shown love then they wouldn’t act the way they do.
 

2)    What do we learn about the production process for Ill Manors?

We learn that during the production process the crew had problems with using certain areas as a place to film as they were asked not to film due to actual drug dealers and people living there said that it was their territory. They mentioned using a room as a ‘crack den’ which turned out to be an actual crack den. During filming the crew took in mind that the Olympics were coming up and the area (east London) was being refurbished. The film however portrayed the realistic side of the urban area. The target audience is 17-30 year olds, they managed to make the film appeal to this age group because of the actors they used who had no acting experience and were from east London, and therefore the actors could be themselves as they had experience with that lifestyle.

3)    What can you tell about the possible target audience from this short documentary?

We can tell that the target audience is 17-30 year olds who would mainly be males.

4)    Does the film successfully do what director Ben Drew (Plan B) set out to achieve? Explain your answer with reference to both the film and the making of documentary.

The director Ben Drew wanted to achieve making the film realistic and showing the audience the harsh reality of what goes on in run down areas. He also wanted to let the viewer’s know why the teenagers and some adults act the way they do and result to violence or drugs. The message portrayed across is that all they need is love, care and support. 

Tutorials

From the tutorials I learnt how to airbrush an image to remove any imperfections, such as spots on a face and eye bags; this also helps to make the image look softer. I also learnt how to change the colour of parts of an image and turn them from red to black and white. I learnt how to insert text and change the placement, of the text and move it freely around the canvas, and change the colour, size and font of the text.
I now can insert a background using different gradient styles and colours so that my magazine could look more bold and effective.

Progress report

Individual:

• I have added more to the shot list. 
• I have helped complete the title sequence shot list. 
• Had an input on the design of the title of the production. 

WWW: We made progress and all contributed in the group.
EBI: if we got more done.

The next step would be to finalise both shot lists.

Group:

• We all contributed and gave ideas for the title sequence. 

WWW: we all agreed to the ideas we chose.
EBI: if we worked faster.

The next step would be to finalise and perfect the storyboard, shot lists, mise en scene and script.

Progress report

Individual progress:

I have created the shot list which helped us to bring the script together.

WWW: the narrative links all the shots.

EBI: add more shots that are fast paced.

Group Report:

We have completed the Shot List, Script, Mise en scene, and Storyboard.

WWW: The shot list and script was complete, and the mise en scene had a variety of images.
EBI: The storyboard had more description.

The next step is to try and improve our work and shoot the clip.

 

Script

PRODUCTION TITLE PAGE 1

1. EXT. WESTFIELDS SHOPPING CENTRE – NIGHT
PRINCESS and FRIEND walk out of WESTFIELDS. VILLAIN standing on side in background.

FRIEND
Bye, see you tomorrow.

PRINCESS reaches out to hug FRIEND.

PRINCESS
Bye, get home safe!

PRINCESS walks in opposite direction of her FRIEND.

2. EXT. WHITE CITY TRAIN STATION – NIGHTPRINCESS walks into WHITE CITY TRAIN STATION.

3. INT. UNDERGROUND TRAIN – NIGHTPRINCESS puts headphones in while she is in the TRAIN.

VILLAIN is standing and staring at the PRINCESS in the other carriage of the TRAIN.

4. EXT. EALING BROADWAY TRAIN STATION – NIGHTPRINCESS walks out of train onto the PLATFORM, while VILLAIN is standing in the background staring at the PRINCESS.

PRINCESS turns her head around for 2, 3 seconds and see’s the VILLAIN standing in the background.

POV of the PRINCESS turning her head around again and the VILLAIN is no longer there.

PRINCESS turns her head back around and has a puzzled look on her face.

PRINCESS walks away.

PRODUCTION TITLEPAGE 2

5. EXT. TARGET ROUNDABOUT SUBWAY – NIGHTPRINCESS on the phone to her MOTHER.

PRINCESS
Yeah MUM, I’ll be
 home soon, Bye.

POV of PRINCESS looking to the end of the SUBWAY and the VILLAIN walks past the exit.

PRINECESS walks towards the end of the SUBWAY and the VILLAIN is standing behind her.

PRINCESS keeps walking to the end of the SUBWAY without knowing that the VILLAIN is behind her walking casually.

The VILLAIN is closer to the princess.

PRINCESS still doesn’t know that the villain is behind her and is still walking towards the exit.

The VILLAIN is right behind the PRINCESS.

Shot List

Shot No.	Shot Type	Shot Description	Shot Duration
1	Long Shot	Long Shot of Westfields/Westfields sign then tilt down to a long shot of princess and friend walking out of Westfields. (Black figure on the side)	5 seconds
2	Shot reverse shot	Shot reverse shot over princess’ shoulder Speech: Bye, see you tomorrow.	4 seconds
3	Shot reverse shot	Shot reverse shot over Princess’ friend’s shoulder of princess. Speech: Bye, get home safe.	5 seconds
4	Medium shot	Medium shot of Princess and work friend hugging.	4 seconds
5	Panning Long shot	Panning Long shot of princess walking in opposite direction of her friend.	5 seconds
6	Medium shot	Medium shot of princess walking past camera into the train station then camera tilts up to underground sign.	3 seconds
7	Medium shot	Medium shot of princess putting headphones in when she’s in the train.	3 seconds
8	Long shot	Long shot of villain in other carriage then shots get closer to villain at different camera angles. (dramatic music that builds a climax)	5 seconds
9	Medium shot	Medium shot of princess walking out of train onto platform. The villain is standing in the background.	4 seconds
10	Close up	Close up of the princess’ face when she’s walking on the platform, then princess’s face turns around and villain standing in the background. Princess’ looking forward again.	3 seconds
11	Medium shot	Medium shot of princess’s face when her head is turned around from her back.	2 seconds
12	Point of view shot	Point of view shot of nobody there.	2 seconds
13	Medium shot	Medium shot of princess turning and walking away.	2 seconds
14	Medium shot	Medium shot of princess on the phone in the subway talking to her mum.	4 seconds
15	Point of view shot	Point of view shot of princess looking to end of subway and then villain walks past.	2 seconds
16	Long shot	Then long shot of princess walking towards camera and villain standing behind.	3 seconds
17	Shot reverse shot	Shot reverse shot over princess’ shoulder looking to end of tunnel.	2 seconds
18	Medium Shot	Medium shot of princess walking towards camera with villain closer to her from behind.	2 seconds
19	Shot reverse shot	Shot reverse shot over princess’ shoulder looking to end of tunnel.	2 seconds
20	Close up	Close up of princess with villain right behind her.	3 seconds

Learner response

Exam learner response-

WWW: Excellent use of media language on question two.

EBI: Representation is weaker and needs revision, institution also needs more work, try and get either brand or a financial aspect in. More detailed notes will help.

3 things to do differently in February-

·         Learn and include as many theories.

·         Add as much detail when answering the question.

·         Work on representation.

Aim-

I am aiming for a grade B in the February mock as this sounds realistic in the time left to revise.

In May I am aiming for a grade A/B as I will revise for it as much as I can and will get enough practice in order to achieve the grade.