I integrated many technologies into this project throughout the whole process so far. I have learned to use online layout websites such as Canva, Word Document, and a few others. By using these certain online applications, I have made it so it is very easy for me to navigate through the sites and figure out what formats and texts match the theme I am going for through all my cover, table of contents, and now double-page spread. Knowing this information on how to create spreads such as this one will make it very helpful in the future when I have to make articles relating to my topics and exactly how to make the placement look professional yet fun.
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When it comes to the production skills that I have developed through this project, they have increased drastically. I have learned to use Word as a way of photoshop and figure out all the right textures and fonts to add in an easy way. Besides using Word and other sites such as Photoshop to enhance my magazine cover, I have also figured out ways to make my research flow in my table of contents to ensure it is easy to read for consumers and is not too busy. Overall, my skills have become much more "mature" considering now I know how to make my project more professional and sellable.
My magazine engages with definitely engages with the audience. For starters, the cover is not traditional, meaning it would stand out from the others because of the vibrant color palette. Next, the word choices are meant to be a way to help audiences feel like they are being personally referred to when reading; this is because the phrases and sentences I use are set up in a way to make it appear that it is like having a conversation with the magazine. Having this appeal helps in selling more products by raising the interests of my target audience even more.
My product will be distributed both in print and through online resources. Having both the option to physically have the product and also having it virtually is a great way to give the audience an option of how they want to receive the information. Personally, I would want to physically have a copy, while I know some people that like having the physical item with them. So, by having more than one option, I am expanding my revenue even more because I will be selling two times the amount of product. The sound in this scene from the Sopranos is made in a way to make it seem fun yet mysterious. To start, the opening scene had upbeat music with words such as “gun” to possibly imply what the show will be about. This sets the whole mood towards the show, letting the audience know that it will be a fun and wild type of film. Although the music starts in this happy way, once the music stops and the main character enters the psychologist's house, there was almost complete silence except for some background noise from the outside while he was focusing on the statue; this could have been because he was deep in thought. This brings the scene into a more serious mood which is opposite from what the audience just saw.
Once the man is talking to the psychologist about what had previously happened, ominous music begins to play during the flashback, letting the watchers feel like something unexpected and crazy is about to happen; but, nothing too crazy happens and that music goes away. It was interrupted by a sudden silence, to a then loud sound of ducks that came through his yard. The music quickly changed to become happier in a sort of alluring way. Even in the last scene with his family, the fun music continued to play which makes it seem like the whole family is happy and everyone is enjoying their time. I feel like my magazine cover challenges normal conventions and goes beyond it because most of the time when I see magazine covers, it looks either very bland or always the same. I think mine is different because it is more fun than the usual ones and is extremely colorful. Compared to others that have a specific color palette, mine always stays fresh and energetic to make the readers interested. Although some other magazines do seem to be fun and full of pictures of different things to keep the reader interested, I feel like mine is very far off from the usual traditional styles that most magazines can fit.
My magazine cover does not really represent any issues but does represent social groups. My magazine represents people who are interested in Japanese culture, as well as their overall foodscape. This actually includes people like me because I am very much intrigued by all the different aspects of Japan and its content. Purchased media ownership is the occurrence of a purchased media product from a consumer but has a much deeper meaning. An example of this event is when a person “buys” a movie to have and watch whenever they please; however, the platform that provided the content in which the consumer bought it has the right to take it away if they want. To prevent any situations that could cause trouble in the future, these platforms make it so there is a Terms of Use section in which people check to show that they understand the policy regarding their media product. Although this Terms of Use is supposed to make it clear that the consumer is not the actual owner of the media content, I feel that this should not be the case and they should be able to do what they please with it. If they used their own money to pay for what they wanted, they should have the right to keep it for however long and not have it be controlled by others.
When it comes to downloadable media content ownership, I feel the exact same way. If a consumer purchases a song, movie, or book on their digital platforms, they should be able to control whether or not it stays. That being said, it is not fair to have someone pay for a product, just to have it be taken away without permission. People should have the freedom of watching, reading or hearing what they bought at their own time without any surprises in store. Camera Shots:
Throughout this film, I kept seeing cutaway shots to show what was currently happening with the action, and what the man was explaining. I saw many factors that could point to a mafia sort of storyline such as the gun in the title and the word “gun” being repeated in the song the main character was listening to. There were also flashbacks to different occasions, and then it all became happy and normal at the breakfast and duck scene. Customary to twenty-first-century life, audience behavior can play a huge role in determining changes in the media industry. Film is one of the biggest way’s spectators are able to share their opinions and shift other’s ideas on the topic. This action can be done in many ways but the biggest ways that information gets spread is through critics, friends and family, and social media. These are all extremely common courses of action that can affect many studios and production companies.
When it comes to film, critics are always there to share their viewpoints. Movie critics have the main goal of exploring a particular film and letting the public know what is both good and bad about it. The main goal of this method is to allow others to get a judgment on something they are interested in from people who critique many films and can understand what the audience is looking for. This is the reason critics have so much say in the media industry because many individuals trust their perception. For example, when Game of Thrones first came out on HBO, critics gave it a score in the high 80s. People were intrigued by the compliments this show was getting from them and this caused many people to give it a try. Later on, it became one of the biggest shows in America and both the audience and critics agreed on how great it was, getting an average of 85.5% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is an example of how the critics were able to get more people involved with this show, which affected HBO’s overall viewers and helped them gain more popularity; however, the same process can happen where critics hate the film and convince people to avoid wasting both money and time. Although critics are a big help in determining changes in the film industry, family and friends can also sway people’s way of thinking about a particular movie or show. When it comes to friends and family, most of the time people would trust their school of thought because they know them well. For example, if you were talking to a family member or friend about the movie “Jaws” and they say that you have to watch it because it is a classic and set the stage for other shark movies, you would most likely be interested. If you were to take their advice and watch it and like it, you would then spread the news to other people. This operation could continue for a while and the news that “Jaws” is a must-watch classic that will affect many people’s attraction, affecting the overall studio and platform in which it came from. Out of all of the examples listed above for what determines changes in the media industry, the biggest one of all is social media. Social media has a variety of different ineffectual ways in which it controls the public’s point of view on a film, but to limit it to one of the biggest aspects of this matter, celebrities. Celebrities have always been very powerful in the media industry and can use their platform to determine what they should or shouldn’t watch. Many of them, however, are biased towards that certain film and can be doing it specifically for them. For example, when the new guardians of the Galaxy movie first came out, the main actor, Chris Pratt, made many announcements and posts on places such as Instagram and Twitter. Not all people but many Chris Pratt fans went to watch the movie because he was in it. This happens numerous times whenever a famous actor notifies their fans about the new movie they are in, which makes them want to watch it even more. These people would then spread the news even more to other people through social media interested in that actor and increase the revenue for that film. The development of social media such as Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and many others have made it much easier for people to spread ideas faster and be able to share it with the masses. It is not only a benefit to the public but to the celebrities themselves; this technology was not always around, but with its advancement, it is able to shape everyone’s outlook on certain movies and shows. In conclusion, audience behavior definitely plays a huge role in determining changes in the media industry, especially in today’s society with many new technological upgrades. In this case, film was the main form of media talked about, and with the influence of critics, friends and family, and social media, movies and shows can make either more or less profit. Studios and production companies need to take this into account in order for them to gain the popularity and views they want. Notes:
Camera shots, angles, movement and composition:
Sound:
Mise-en-scene:
Editing:
Write-up: Camera shots, angles, movements and composition: The camera shots in this scene seemed to be pretty minimal in a very effective way. The camera shot techniques were not overwhelming and were made in a way to help the audience truly feel like they are a part of this world. Some of the shots used were wide shots, establishing shots, over the shoulder shots, and point of view shots. In the beginning of the scene, there was a wide shot of the whole city, followed by an establishing shot of outside the main bar in which the scene would take place. These were important in helping viewers understand that the setting was a busy bar in a huge city. Over the shoulder shots were used a few times throughout the scene, but the main one’s were outside and in the arcade. When the main character was outside, she notices some strange televisions of a man who was glitching and saying weird things. There was also an interesting noise coming from the Tv as well that raised the audience’s suspicion of what is going on. Another over the shoulder shot was when the girl was playing an arcade game and the camera goes over to show what and how she was doing. These two scenes let everyone know what was happening around the characters and what they were doing. Another example of a camera technique used frequently was the point of view shot. One of the scenes using this method was when the main character was first entering the bar and seeing everyone inside. The camera made it so the audience could see exactly what she was seeing to give them a good perspective on how it would actually feel to be there. Another scene using a point of view shot was when we were seeing the car game. The girl was looking at the game the boy requested for them to play and the camera, again, made it so we could see exactly what she was seeing from that angle. Sound: The sound in the film was worked in a way to make the scene seem more ominous. There were many small sound details that really contributed to this undertone of suspense and worry that something is going to happen. The very beginning starts off with background music that is also used throughout some of the rest of the scene to keep the mood the same in that time. Then, the popular 80s song “Heaven is a Place on Earth” starts playing which lets the audience know what time period this is taking place in. When the song is off, the girl walks by some TVs which give off a very creepy sound with a man saying some mysterious, code-sounding stuff. Then, cutting off this intrigue from the televisions, the viewers could hear some background argument from other characters that would later be important in the show. This is good because it breaks up the intense moment of the previous scene to take us back to the fun environment the girl would be entering soon. Once she is in, we could hear more 80s music playing, until the arcade music slowly picks up to show the characters interest in going there. Once inside, a boy asks her to play a different game of cars. When the car crashes, an odd sound starts playing, which indicates that the car crash has some underlying characteristic and meaning in her life. Mise-en-scene: The use of mise-en-scene played a huge role in showing the audience the character’s lifestyles. This is very important because it gave a little bit of background to the story, without exactly knowing what is going on. For example, right off the bat, it could be said that the time period of this scene would be set in the 1980s because of the outsits and styles that everyone was wearing. There was one girl who was wearing a purple fringed jacket which was a huge indicator of this time. Another example is of the main character; she was dressed differently from everyone else at that bar because she had a more conservative outsit on. It did not scream “party” on it which could give people some curiosity as to why she was there. On top of this, when she went into the bar, she seemed to be uncomfortable and kept to herself. She walked straight back to the arcade and avoided anyone around her on the way. The lights were dimmed in the arcade, more than the main bar, and did not seem as packed. There was a man who dressed similarly to her and acted as awkward as she did, yet she did not appear interested at all. Editing: In this film, there were many editing techniques that were used such as cutaway shots, cutting in on the action, and shot/reverse shots. Cutaway shots were used in this film in order to portray a small insight on how other characters were feeling. For example, in the arcade when the girl left, instead of following her and showing what she was doing in that small period of time, the camera decides to stay there and show the viewers how it made the boy feel that she left. He was obviously upset and blamed it on himself that she didn’t stay. Cutting in on the action was used in the car crash scene in the arcade. The girl was looking at the game’s preview, then the camera cut back to the girl’s face to see that she was somewhat focused, then back to the game when the crash happened, and back to her again. When everyone saw her face again, she took a step back and looked distraught. Something from that game brought up a memory that she clearly does not like to have. Shot/reverse shot was also used in this film during the eye-locking scene. The character from outside with the purple fringe jacket that was arguing with a man, came into the bar looking around in a very frightful way. The main character sees that there is something wrong and looks at her. The other girl looks back and they both lock eyes for a bit until she decides to go sit next to her. This shot was used to give a perspective on what each character was seeing and somewhat thinking in that moment. When it comes to media ownership and funding, there are many issues raised by them in contemporary media practice. To start off, there are many parts that make uo the media and who owns what in order to make all of this possible. These organizations that control the others are called conglomerates and their main goal is to expand to the point of having ownership over many media properties to influence society. The problems with this technique is there could be bias among the platforms that influence the media, and if one aspect of the conglomerates fall, they all suffer.
Conglomerates create bias and influence to the media, which spreads it across the world. In order to understand how this can happen, we must takke a closer look at an example to better understand it. Disney is a huge conglomerate that is part of how the world’s media is run. They control movies, music, television, radio, parks and resorts, publishing, and consumer products. In these types of media, Disney needed to have many other publishing areas so they own many other channels and consumer items that would help benefit their overall company. For example, Disney owns the network Lifetime and ESPN; ESPN will air commercials promoting Lifetime movies which would be considered strange because it raises the question, “Why are they promoting a network that rivals them? Taking a closer look at that, because Disney owns both channels, they are actually not rivals and this helps increase the viewer ratings from ESPN to Lifetime. More people will have a chnace to see commercials from different places to help gain their interest. This whole concept is called cross-promotion: promoting one’s own stations through media outlets. Disney also owns ABC family and ABC and this process happens amongst those outlets as well. The reason why this could cause bias is because if so many platforms are showing the same things and promoting the same products, it will influence many people to get it. This also goes as far as even politics; if anything political is shown, it is most likely towards one side, which is bias and could be interfeiring with other people’s views and opinions. The other issue with conglomerates involves the fall of them. If one aspect of them falls, they all go down with it. Refferring back to the example with Disney, because Disney is the primary owner of ESPN, Lifetime, ABC family, and ABC, if Disney became bankrupt or started having trouble with any of their stations, all of thesenetworks would have a downfall and could be messed up forever. Disney is not the only conglomerate there is, another is New Corportation; this conglomerate controls stations such as all the Fox outlets where people get their news. If this station were to suddenly vanish and take a hige hit, many republicans that watch it will have to find another channel to attain information which could also lead to bias. This is because other stations may be more towards a liberal point of view and some people do not want that. In conclusion, conglomerates are what have media ownership and funding in contemprary media practice. There are some dissadvantages to them that incluse bias, and the rise and fall risk of many stations. In all, many companies such as Disney have made it far enough to be able to stay steady for a while. However, they definitely influence the media all around the world which can be bad for other who have a different popinion than them. The importance of marketing magazines is extremely prominent in today’s society. The use of print includes reading newspapers, journals, blogs, magazines, and many other sources of online or in-hand media. Although television has been becoming a popular way to stay informed about both products and news, media is still very much around and thriving. There are many reasons why people choose to still get their information from these locations and which types specifically target certain groups of people.
Print is a great way for a company to help get their name and business out to the public. Magazines is one of the biggest ways to get potential customers engaged in their products and services. When a corporation includes their ad and description in print, it creates credibility that allows the customers to know that this is serious and will help them become more interested. This also aids in creating an engagement between the brand and the customer; having a good relationship with consumers that are interested in an establishment is very important in keeping good business and marketing with them. Another great way why print is much needed is because it helps people destress and stay calm. This reason is more for the pleasure of people, but it is still key in the production and buying of it. Studies have shown that people often resort to reading and browsing through magazines in order to help them in stressful situations, and even to pass time without wasting it. By engaging in this activity, they are also keeping up with changing trends that help them stay up to date in terms of outfits, language, and popular craze. When it comes to the print of different genres and topics, magazines often have a target audience. By picking a certain group of people to grab the interest of, this helps in making that print’s profit better and those readers more attentive. For example, PEOPLE magazine targets teens and young adults; they are more absorbed in that type of content which is usually popular issues and celebrity news. Another example could be Women’s Health magazine. This targets women who are interested in learning more about health benefits of certain foods and exercises. It would not make much sense for men to read this print because they cannot relate as much to it. The reason having a target audience is so useful is because it helps sell more products in the actual magazine. This is because by making the theme more towards a certain group, they are expecting to hear about some amazing products that they could want, and this then helps that business grow. So, by having people enjoy and want to read through modern print, it helps aid to the growing of a business. Many company’s use magazines as a way for them to get their name out there and sell their products to people who would want it. Print comes in many forms and this is a great way to get information about virtually any topic a person would like. Marketing has found its way into this type of media and is a very good way to keep people intrigued in modern news, as well as do some business during these readings too.
This table of contents page was chosen because I feel it is a perfect fit for the vision I was going for. What I like most about this TOC is how it matches my cover in which the main picture is the center of attention and the phrases and content is on the sides. Both this image and my cover page would compliment each other very well. I also like how the numbers are much bigger than the text because I have a big number on the cover of my magazine that would fit this format. This is so far in the lead for how I create my TOC compared to the other contenders. This TOC inspired me when I first saw it and I really love how unique it is. The actual contents part seems really fun and different and it keeps the readers interested. I like how on the left there is a cute saying that also matches the theme of the magazine to let viewers further see what the main topic is. I could definitely add my magazine's catch phrase to that section or even another type of saying that could be one of my trademarks. Another thing I liked about this TOC is that just like the other TOC contender inspirations, the numbers are much bigger than the text which matches my magazine cover's format. I chose this TOC as a possible option for the layout of mine because I really like how there are little previews next to the topics. The pictures show a sneak peak at what the topic will be discussing and this would definitely fit into my TOC because I could add images of the food I will be talking about on that page. I feel like that would make my magazine even more enjoyable and keeping readers intrigued because they will get a sort of inside look on what they could be learning about. Possible article topics:
Fargo Notes Comparison: Notes Comparison: Similarities: Both my notes and the notes from Cambridge have some specific information on certain scenes. We both elaborated on why something is happening and what it could possibly mean. We had some pretty similar tactics when it came to the order in which the scenes were occurring. For example, they were able to put the notes in order of when it happened, which is exactly what I did too. This helps make the information much less confusing. Differences: One major difference I could find between the two notes is mine is not nearly as organized as the Cambridge one. I just wrote information as the scene was going instead of putting into categories. The Cambridge one was able to make it so people can distinguish between what they were trying to explain, while mine is hard to tell what I am truly talking about when it comes to the camera, miseducating-en-scene, sound, and editing. Although I also included some additional information beyond these topics, the Cambridge one added much more and made it more clear. It would be easier to understand what scene they were talking about compared to mine which is a bit sloppier. Fargo Responses Comparison: Response Comparison:
Similarities: There are actually many similarities in both mine and the Cambridge responses. We both included a ton of information that expands exactly what we put down for our notes. We were very specific on each scene that we were describing in regards to the camera work, mise-en-scene, editing, and sound. I feel that they were both very easy to follow and in the right chronological order. We both described everything well and I feel they were both overall very good. Also, the organization was very clean and precise; it was extremely uncomplicated and very comprehendible to anyone. Even if they have not watched the film they could still be able to understand our responses. Differences: I was not able to find many differences in these two responses. They were both pretty similar in how specific they were and how organized it was. Maybe the only difference could be I was able to add more examples that further made my claims understandable and easier to follow. |
AuthorGenevieve Shoats: AICE Cambridge Media Studies student. Archives
April 2021
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