Music Magazines Media Language

 Look carefully at the front covers of MOJO and RNR magazines. 

QUESTION: How far do MOJO and RNR use different media language to create different connotations? (CONNOTATION meaning: an idea or quality that a word makes you think about in addition to its meaning.)

Answer on your blog. This is a high-value question and should take all lesson to answer. You can use the class blog search engine for more examples of how to analyse music magazines.

In your answer you should have 2 paragraphs:

• analyse the media language in MOJO and RNR magazine. 'Media language' includes the placement of the main image, the type of photography, lighting, colours, fonts, how busy or restrained the cover is, the layout (such as alignment to the margins), how serious or playful 
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the media language is used differently in both extracts to create different connotations. Are there similarities in both covers? What sorts of audiences are they targeting? You could think about MOJO's rock aesthetic of living loud and dangerously compared to RNR's folk, rock, blues vibe. 

The RNR magazine cover is centred around the Irish singer Christy Moore. He is perceived as a calm and collected, wise older man and we know this because of his facial features (his small smile, his squinted eyes, and his wrinkles) and how his eye line is looking straight down the lens. The brown soothing background has been paired perfectly to go alongside the white text and the image of Christy Moore. This pulled quote "These days it's yoga, camomile tea and three Our Fathers" represents the mood of the magazine and similar extracts you will read inside the magazine. This particular magazine cover is very spaced out, so you can read everything clearly without it being overlapped. The most important text boxes are written in bold and been made huge so they are the easiest to read, and all the textboxes have the font Sans Serif, because this magazine is taken seriously.

On the other hand MOJO magazine is taking a different approach and the main artist in this magazine is the main member of the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl. He is a big bombastic man who loves rock music.  

 

MOJO 2019 Cover

 TASK:  Copy this MOJO 2019 cover into a new blog post entitled  MOJO: REPRESENTATION. Then write 4 points, one each about about the following.

How the producers have chosen to construct a version of reality that represents events, social groups and ideas to fit their purposes:

• MOJO wishes to attract a target audience that shares its reverence for ‘classic rock’ so constructs a version of reality that represents musicians as authentic heroes, striving for excellence

The messages and values conveyed and issues addressed:

• MOJO’s front cover associates musicians with quest, danger and struggle, celebrating the values associated with rock music of ‘living fast and dying young’
  

Neil Young is represented as a restless and a rule breaker. His front cover pose makes him look intimidating and how the light is shining brightly on his face it highlights his noticeable features, for example: the scrunching of his eyebrows to make him seem angry, and his pursed lips. 

How and why (e.g. to enable quick interpretation) stereotypes have been used, including anti-stereotyping / counter-stereotyping:

• MOJO’s selection of a cover photograph of a white male may be to fit the stereotype of rock musicians – this will enable instant recognition by audiences
  

• MOJO’s anti-stereotypical positive representation of older people as popular musicians. This may reflect the anti-ageism of an older audience

Which social groups are under-represented or misrepresented:

• MOJO’s front cover represents predominantly white male musicians in photographs, under- representing female musicians and musicians of colour

Popcorn Prep

 What's the difference between Diegetic and Non-Diegetic sound?

Diegetic sound is when the sound is coming from the film, for example: dialogue, sound effects, and surrounding noises. So when you are filming you are able to hear what's around you.

On the other hand Non-Diegetic sound is when the sound is added in through editing. 

Lego Movie Poster Campaign

 Analyse how gender has been represented in The Lego Movie poster campaign. Use the written handout to help you answer this exam question (10 marks). 

The majority of these posters are male dominated but the only poster that has a female Lego character on is Wyldstyle. Wyldstyle is not presented as a stereotypical woman. There are some elements of her that make her very feminine; she is beautiful and has perfect lips and eyes, but she is also very edgy. She has pink and blue strands amongst her black hair in a high ponytail to keep her hair out of her face whilst she is in action. In the poster she is slightly smiling looking devious as if she is up to something. Wyldstyle is perceived as a very non-stereotypical female because of her strength and her outgoingness.

Emmet is also seen as very non-stereotypical protagonist. He is a regular character and you would think he is the most unlikely person to be the hero. However he proves to himself that he is capable of achieving great things. He is not the most masculine builder. Usually 'the hero' is seen as a strong, physically fit, capable man but Emmet is a timid, sweet, afraid. But it turns out he was the chosen one and he saved everyone even though you wouldn't expect it. In this poster it shows Emmets vulnerability and his worry. His mouth is open like he is screaming and he looks fearful. His face completely contrasts to his outfit which is a masculine builder costume.

Whereas the very wise Vitruvius is seen as an old man who is smart and is a helping hand to the other younger characters such as Emmet and Wyldstyle. This poster portrays Vitruvius as a knowledgeable, grey bearded, elderly man who is very kind and wants there to be peace in the world however he will fight for what is right and the right thing to do is to defeat Lord Business. 

In this poster we can immediately realise that Lord Business is the villain by the way he is laughing and how his eyebrow is lifted we can definitely identify him as the bad guy. The main colour he is wearing is red and red can be the colour of anger and it shows us how angry he is especially the fact that the piece of headgear he is wearing is shaped like sharp teeth. Lord Business is certainly the criminal.  

Lego Regulation

 Task 3: Go to the BBFC site and research age ratings. Why was The Lego Movie (2014) given a U rating? You need to click on the Ratings info

In addition to the short 'insight' description the BBFC provides for use on posters and advertising (in this case 'Contains mild fantasy violence and very mild language'),

 This is an extract from the BBFC insight on the content of the Lego Movie: No one is seen getting hurt and the fact that all the fighting involves animated toy figures means that the fantasy nature of the violence is very clear. The Lego figures kick and punch at each other, while leaping around in fantastical style.

This film was therefore awarded a U certificate - meaning Universal. This means the BBFC feels it is appropriate for any age group.

Lego Industry

 

• Franchise - A  collection of media products all based on original creative work. 
•  Synergy - The promotion of linked products across different areas of media. So the Lego movie is using the DC Super hero's to be featured in their film, like: Batman, Wonder Woman, Super Man Green Lantern and Flash
• Tent-pole production - Its a film that conglomerates makes profits to fund other projects. 
•  Ensemble Cast - A big cast with lots of members, that has a role to play for everyone. 
• Conglomerate - A large (often multinational) business organisation that owns a number of different companies
• Vertical integration -  Where a single company (or merged companies) controls both the production and the supply of a product. 

Lego Movie Trailer

 Task 1: how does Emmet come across? How effective would this trailer be in promoting the film?

Emmet comes across as a very happy and easy going character. He is an ordinary guy but he is made to be the special (not by choice). All because this girl (wild style) believes in him. This normal guy became a hero and is a very good protagonist in this film because he is so ordinary he teaches you to reach for the hero inside of you like he did when he never believed he could. He is an immensely like able character, he will do things just to make others happy, for example when he buys a cup of coffee and it turns out the amount he pays is to much for a coffee but he is such a pushover he will just pay the money because he is not confident enough to challenge the man selling the coffee. 

This trailer is very effective in promoting this film because we want to find out how Emmet becomes the role of the hero and how he takes on that task. This trailer portrays the entertainment in this film which is shown through comedy.