Music Videos and The Big Issue

Monday 7th January 2019

The music videos in List A could be regarded as ‘mainstream’ as they come from commercial artists who have been signed by ‘major’ record labels. The three music videos all feature their respective artist(s) and are a mixture of performance and narrative, and raise a number of similar representational issues surrounding ‘street life’. 

Emeli Sande - Heaven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=883yQqdOaLg 

The music videos in List B are from alternative or less commercial artists. These three music videos do not feature their respective artist(s) at all, instead, with each music video celebrating the power of narrative and signification and a postmodern emphasis on intertextuality. The videos in List B each use very different representations to each other, but each contrasts clearly with the representations featured in the music videos in list A. (POSTMODERNISM TEXT)

David Guetta - Titanium ft. Sia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRfuAukYTKg 

L/O: To research and selected case studies for use of Media Language and Representation


Emeli Sande- Heaven 
Genre: R&B/ Soul/ Pop
Release date: 2011 (Released via digital download and 7" vinyl)
It was also the first release from Sandé's debut album, Our Version of Events, on 14 August 2011. The single was added to BBC Radio 1's playlist in June 2011. The song was also crowned record of the week by the station’s daytime DJ, Fearne Cotton. Heaven came from a conversation I was having with my producer Naughty Boy, we were talking about what it means to be good in this day and age, and how it’s harder for our generation because things move so fast, and how there’s so many influences and avenues, and he said, You just have to keep your heart clean. It was the imagery of a clean or dirty heart that inspired me, and we wrote it in about half an hour. I knew I wanted it to be my first song from the off. In 2012, She performed in both the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the London Olympics. She won two Brit awards at the 2013 ceremony. Best British Female Solo Artist, and British Album of the year. 
Digital spy said that the sing is a mixture if the paucity house beats, mellow strings (arranged by Cliff Materson) and Mark Ronson- esque horn sections. The song was also compared to Leona Lewis (Whom Sandé has written tracks for) and Yasin. One critic said that the song was "ticking all the good boxes in the modern urban music. Critics also said that the song "stunned" them when they heard the song. the single was released accompanied by a music video was directed by Jake Nava, who has previously worked with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj. It was shot in Bethnal Green, in East London where Sandé lives. "We wanted to capture a real British vibe and keep it really simple to emphasize the lyrics," the singer told Spinner. Throughout the video the music has scenes of her singing to the sky, and standing outside of a Cathedral, there are also many shots where Mary, Nother of Jesus' statue is seen in the video.

THEMES IN THE LYRICS:

Religion (Title, "I wait with good intentions") represented positively 

Hedonism ("Will you recognise me in the flashing lights? I try to keep my heartbeat...")

Guilt/ Regret ("Something's gone inside me, and i can't get it back". )
Drug Taking
Class
Ethnicity

KEY EVENTS (2011):

Homelessness was on the rise

You can link her song to the events that has happened around the world during 2011.

Came from a conversation with her producer Naughty Boy. It was harder for the younger generation because things move so fast.

David Guetta- Titanium ft. Sia 
Genre: House/ Electronic/ Dance
Release date: 2011
The music video is almost like a short film, they young boy is different to everyone else and thats looked down on in society. The lyrics do link to the song and video, however they do not tell the story. The lyrics of the song do link to the meaning of the music video "shoot me down, but i get up", and "shoot me down but i won't fall, i am titanium", also linking to the common phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones". The young boy does not back down and is stronger than all of the police officers combined. For the music video for "Titanium," the latest single off of his fifth album "Nothing But The Beat," David Guetta takes a dip into the cinematic and recruits "Super 8" star Ryan Lee for another supernatural tale. The supernatural scene and suburban setting recall "Super 8," J.J. Abrams' sci-fi opus released in June. 
Super 8 is a 2011 American science fiction horror film written, co-produced, and directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle Chandler and tells the story of a group of young teenagers who are filming their own Super 8 movie when a train derails, releasing a dangerous presence into their town. The film was shot in Weirton, West Virginia and surrounding areas. Super 8 was released on June 10, 2011, in conventional and IMAX theaters in the United States. The film was well received, with critics praising the film for its nostalgic elements, visual effects, musical score, and for the performances of the cast, in particular, both Fanning and newcomer Courtney's acting was cited, while also being compared to such thematically similar films as E.T., Stand by Me, and The Goonies. Super 8 was also a commercial success, grossing over $260 million against a $50 million budget. The film received several awards and nominations, primarily in technical and special effects categories, Giacchino's musical score, as well as for Courtney and Fanning's performances. 
KEY EVENTS (2011):
For the UK audience, the so called "blackberry riots" had taken place in August and shocked the nation. The riots that begun as a protest about the shooting of Mark Duggan in London had spread to other cities. The riots rapidly degenerated into widespread looting and the destruction of shops, with little real link to the original issue. The reaction of the media was revulsion at the violent and criminal actions of so many young people- there were 5 deaths, hundreds of millions pounds worth of damage, and over 3,000 arrests. In this sense, the video released in November 2011 may also have a layer of meaning for audiences. 

Wednesday 9th January 2019

L.O: To research & explore representation and cultural context in music video case studies.
Representation: understanding the choices that are made when it comes to portraying something or someone in a media product
Need to consider:

• how the management want you to see them?
• how did they achieve this?
• who is it aimed at?

Starter task: How has Rita Ora been represented in this 'official' wallpaper image?

• Pastel/pink colour scheme, connotes femininity, Ora is represented as overly feminine and the ideal woman - attracts attention from male audience. Neutral background contrasts and complements her - she stands out.
• Facial expression, pouting as well as position of hands/body, represented as sexual and passionate
• High key lighting makes her appear bright and youthful
• Good skin, airbrushed to come across as perfect
• Mise-en-scene (clothing) relatively modest with only shoulders revealed, modern fashion sense Ora is represented as fashionable
• Pink hair connotes femininity as well as rebellion 
• Slight low-angle shot makes her look powerful 
• Direct gaze connotes confidence

Creating an image

For the two case studies:

• Find a selection of official images for the year leading up to the music video release.
• Looking at them all, explain the image that they have and how this representation has been created. 

• Sandé is looking away from the camera shows modesty and shyness, the powerful stance with her head held high shows ambition, more realistic than most artists
• Dark colour palette, different to most artists, connotes simplicity and sophistication  
• Serious facial expression presents her as professional as well as confident
• Perfect skin, comes across as perfect
• Being on the cover of the big issue shows her to be caring and a down to earth musician
• In terms of mise-en-scene the clothing she wears is all black and not much attention is drawn to it, shows her to be a real artist and not a ready-made stereotypical pop star.
• Hairstyle is modern and young, not conventional for a female, connotes rebellion and the fact she is different to most artists.
• Mainly close ups, shows she is more than just her looks, it is more about her music than anything else.

Sandé rarely looks at the camera during the course of the video, there is only a few seconds of footage in which she uses direct address. 

Sandé repeatedly looks up to the sky, almost as if she is looking up to heaven, this shows that she is very spiritual and has strong beliefs.

Sandé is wearing black throughout the whole video, the mise-en-scene is very modest and isn't conventional within the pop genre, this shows her to be different to the majority of artist who are manufactured to the point they are not relatable to the majority of the population.

Wednesday 16th January 2019

L/O: How are the following areas represented in one music videos you have chosen from list A?

EMELI SANDE- HEAVEN:

Religion- In the music video she captures images of what her heaven is like. In the videos she looks up to the sky and sings up to the "heavens". There are other images and scenes within the music video which link to the religion side of this song. The fact that she walks and sings outside of a Cathedral or in front of some religious statues. The use of darker colours when down the ground and the bight sun and pastel blue sky when the camera angle is a low shot with a high angle. All of this can be juxtaposed because of some particular shots. There are some references to the "dark side" or to temptation and the devil. (OVERALL SHOWN POSITIVELY)

Class- Very much an absence of upper and middle class people and shows more of a lower class and working class of the public during the music video. This could be because of the issues going on in the country are the time of this video being filmed. Are shown in need and with some hope for them. Scenes and shots of these working class people are seen as depressing but with the lyrics of the songs makes people think that if you have your own heaven then everything will be okay. (REALISM SHOWN)

Ethnicity- In the music video Sandé uses different cultures and races within the music video. This could show the connection that there are so many different races and cultures living in the UK. What it also could relate to is the fact that her family has African roots and how she was brought up in the UK. People of different races to British are shown as worse off than others. (REALISM SHOWN)

Masculinity and Femininity- Although both genders are seen as poor and of a lower class in this music video females are shown more positively than males. A typical male would stereotypically be described as tall muscular and well groomed however, in this music video, the males are skinny and unkempt. There could be reasons for this or not but if you looked at the video as a whole both males and females are shown in a very similar way. The dark characters are male and worse off than the women in some shots. Both genders aren't seen as typical genders. (SHOWN UNEQUALLY)

East London- Know to be very rough and poor area of London. By filming the video in this area doesn't just show the standards of living here but also helps to raise awareness of the rise of homelessness everywhere, which is fitting considering during the time of this video being released homelessness was an increasing matter. The use of an area like this makes the music video seem real and shows the brutal truth of what our country is like at this moment in time. You can see the grimy and dirty streets of what East London actually looks like. Follows the typical stereotypes of East London by being very urban and street with the public shown in the videos. (SHOWN NEGATIVELY) 

Monday 21st January 2019

L/O: To research and explore intertextuality and exam style analysis 

Intertextuality: Is a literary device that creates an interrelationship between media products and create related understanding in the separate products. Such references are made to influence the reader, to shape how the product is seen. It add layers of depth to a product, based on the readers' price knowledge and understanding. 

Postmodernists claim that living in a media situated world we are immersed in media products 24/7. So much so, that the distinction between the real world of people and events and the media representation of the real world has become blurred, in some cases has become invisible. Media producers are copying copies, we no longer have any distinction between the real world and real things and media images of these things. Everything original has been made, all we now have is finding originality in mixing old ideas. These remixes are via what are called intertextual references- what we can also call "borrowed identity"

There are elements that we cannot remove our consumption of any media product such as a music video. These elements- the social /political climate; the current new output; our knowledge of the performer; the platform we use to consume the product- have an impact of the audience response and shape how we respond to the intended meanings of the product.

How is cinematography- framing, lighting, editing- used to construct the narrative alignment of the audience?

The majority of the music video uses close-ups of the super-powered boy to identify him as the main protagonist and set the alignment of the audience towards him. This creates empathy from the audience to the Boy and thus creates a connection. Close-ups of his face show the audience that he is upset and confused and therefore potentially scared.  The camera angles seem to create focus on the emotional and also physical state of the boy, highlighting his individuality through his powers and perhaps also representing the younger generation as 'un-tought' or 'unknowing'.The use of having a music video that looks like a film very much helps to tell the story of this boy and how it is very similar to the film "Super 8" which is reflected by the music video. By having the camera shots as mid angles makes us, the audience, feel like we are there in the moment. Eye Level Shots taken with the camera approximately at human eye level, result in a neutral effect on the audience.

How are enigmas used to manipulate the audience?

Creating suspense involves manipulating audience knowledge and expectations. You can manipulate these expectations to create suspense. The framing of shots ca also be used to manipulate audience expectations and generate anxiety, particularly if there is a threat lurking off-screen. The origin of the Boy's powers is perhaps the biggest enigma of the video. He appears to be incredibly powerful, but he himself is clueless as to how, enough so to supposedly destroy his high school. These enigmas create a lack of satisfaction and therefore leave the audience wanting more, possibly enough to have the audience re-watch the video with the possibility of finding other clues and hints towards the narrative that can help them understand what it is based upon.

How are mine-en-scene elements used to reference successful film franchises of the era?

The narrative taps into mainstream culture in its referencing of the fantasy franchises such as X-men and the Twilight series. 

The theme of the 'boy with powers misunderstood and hunted down' is common in the Harry Potter, the X-Men- especially in the origins offshoots where we see young people struggling with their identity and sense of being different. 

It taps into the themes and narrative of the iconic Carrie where the main character, pushed to despair and uncontrollable rage by the treatment of her by her classmates, wreaks havoc at her High School prom. though the narrative here is inconclusive, we see in the climax of the video a sense what had happened at the start of the piece where he is surrounded by scenes of the devastation of his High School. 

Themes of the confusion of growing up, our need to be accepted, our concerns of being different and how to behave are all captured in the narrative that applies the rise-en-scene of the fantasy adventure franchises so familiar to the 2011 audience. 

What elements make this an 'alternative' video? 

The costumes for alternative music videos are often not in the mainstream for how musicians usually dress. Unlike mainstream music videos where the people are involved wear things are considered "sexy" or trendy in the current time, music videos for alternative music is often more symbolic of feelings expressed in the music is often more symbolic of feelings expressed in the music also. Rarely "trendy clothing" is used on the clothes/ makeup, it isn't unatracttive either and is simply different than is often seen. This idea of alternative music video costumes being much more symbolic will have to be included and incorporated into my own music video production as it seem to be one of the more crucial aspects/ conventions of this music genre. The locations for shooting music videos is often vastly different, alternative and mainstream. A recurring theme throughout the mainstream is an optimistic "happy life" sequence and alternative is a much more "down to earth" setting. 

Wednesday 23rd January 2019

L/O: To explore the specific representation of chosen video case studies

TERMINOLOGY-

Social realism: is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique of the power structures behind these conditions.

Transcendance: existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level.

Cinéphilic recreation: Cinéphilia is the term used to refer to a passionate interest in films, film theory, and film criticism. A person with a passionate interest in cinema is called a cinephile, cinemaphile, filmophile, or, informally, a film buff.

Filmic: relating to films or cinematography.

Value-transference: A value transfer system refers to any system, mechanism, or network of people that receives money for the purpose of making the funds or an equivalent value payable to a third party in another geographic location, whether or not in the same form.

Using social realist representation of 'street life' to represent the authenticity and cultural currency of the artist in list A. 

The celebration of the transcendance of poverty and inequality aiming to transfer the value of transcendance to the artist in list A. 

The use of intertextual postmodern representations in list B videos to transfer the quality of the video itself to the image of the artists, e.g. the cinéphiliac recreation of Spielbergian 80s suburban America in the David Guetta video.

The use of messages and viewpoints in videos that aim to bolster the image of the artist and chime with those of the positioned audience, e.g. the very filmic representation of teenage alienation in Guetta's image and fits the large-scale nature of the song. 

NARRATIVE MUSIC VIDEO:

Green Day- Wake Me Up When September Ends

Genre: Alternative Rock

Release date: 2003

Target Audience: 14-30 year olds

Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong wrote this song about his father, who died of cancer on September 1, 1982 when Billie was just 10 years old. At his father's funeral, Billie cried, ran home and locked himself in his room. The song is largely unrelated to the storyline that is central to American Idiot. The single peaked at number six in the United States, becoming Green Day's second top 10 single. It also peaked at number eight in Canada and the UK, while reaching number 13 in Australia. The song was certified Gold in the United Kingdom for sales of 400,000. The song ended the streak of Green Day's three consecutive number-one hits on the Modern Rock Tracks chart ("American Idiot", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and "Holiday"), but it peaked at number two on the chart, kept from number one by Gorillaz' "Feel Good Inc." The song also made it to number two on the Adult Top 40 chart and the Mainstream Top 40 chart. This was the band's most successful song in the adult contemporary market, hitting number three on the Adult Contemporary Chart and their only song to appear on that specific chart other than "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". The line "seven years has gone so fast" is a reference to how Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt's band Sweet Children (which would morph into Green Day), was formed seven years after Armstrong's father died. This was originally slated for Green Day's 2002 compilation album Shenanigans, but Billie Joe didn't feel that he was in an emotional state to record it, so the song was held back and used on American Idiot.

PERFORMANCE MUSIC VIDEO:

Arctic Monkeys- I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

Genre: Garage rock, Indie rock, Post-punk, Punk rock

Release date: 17 October 2005

Target Audience: 14-30 year olds

I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor by Arctic Monkeys:  Rather than a mimed performance designed to fit the recording, this is a single-take, live performance designed to show the bands unique skill and energy when performing live. A key part of their sound, and one that translates across their whole discography, is lead singer and frontman Alex Turner's intricate and often rapidly delivered lyrics, sung in a distinctive strong Sheffield accent that their music became famed for in their early years. On the first album Alex Turner examined human behaviour in nightclubs and in the culture of the band's hometown, Sheffield. Turner describes "Dancing Shoes" as being about "people always looking to pull when they go out however much they mask it." These themes continued on the following album Favourite Worst Nightmare with the band still progressing as musicians. Songs such as "Fluorescent Adolescent" and "Do Me a Favour" explored failed relationships, nostalgia and growing old, while musically the band took up a more uptempo and aggressive sound. The Arctic monkeys seem to celebrate the fact that their band has just started out and that seeing them live is something worth celebrating. 

Why are different representations constructed?

Producers of music videos may promote the artist(s) to their fan-base (target audience) through elicit vale-transference to the artist(s) through representations other than those of the artist(s) for example:

Through artistic excellence and high production values, e.g. a highly cinematic in style narrative music video; or through more abstract, 'high art' expressionist videos (that may be live action, animated or feature digital CGI; or feature a combination of these elements) that appeal to the artists fan-base (target audience)
Through the use of glamour, for example featuring representations of the artist(s) through the use of performers (which may be raking, digital or animated) in 'glamourous' and/ or highly aspirational situations
through the use of performance and high fashion using highly skilled and elaborately costumed dance artists completing complex routines in sync with the beat of the artists track
Through constructed narrative representations that demonstrate an 'opposition to the status quo' in-order to elicit a feeling within the artist's fan-base (target audience) of loyalty to the artist(s) and of being part of a larger movement.

HOMEWORK (due 30th):

"Explain how representations in music videos are chosen to promote the artist(s). Refer to two of the music videos you have studied to support your answer" (10).

The music industry uses a range of media platforms to promote and market the media texts it produces. Music videos aim to:

• Promote new artists to an audience and maintain and audience focus on an existing artist
• Promote both album and single sales
• Promote an image of an artist or band that is exciting and dynamic

What I have noticed is that when studying Emile Sandé's Heaven, is her childhood and interests are shown in the music video. The lyrics of the song as well as some scenes of the music video link to her as a person. Whether it be her childhood or present interests. The music video was shot in Bethnal Green, East London, which is not usually known for being the nicest of places. By filming a music video here it shows the realism of the setting as well as Sandé. It shows that she is not fake or wants to come across in that way. Sandé is very much her own person and in this music video she doesn't big herself up too much or shows any sort of lack in confidence which could arguably inspire lots of people. What Sandé also does is that she goes against typical genre conventions by not following stereotypical pop music videos. She also includes her R&B and soul roots. During the time this music video was released, homelessness had seen a huge increase and in this music video they capture some parts of it to show the pubic the realness of the issue. There is very much an absence of upper and middle class people as well as different religions. Some of the scenes and shots in the video are of angel wings, Cathedrals and statues. This could represent the fact that the UK is very much a Catholic/ Christian country or that Sandé is either Catholic or Christian. What I can also see in the music video is that some of the shot types are lower to make it look like she is some sort of angel or religious figure as well as having a shallower focus in others where they are more up close to her face. However, in some other shots the camera focus are a lot harder and don't look as feminine as the one where she is in amongst the flowers does. In David Guetta's Titanium however, there are no real links to him or the co artist, Sia, in the lyrics or music video. This is nor unusual for a DJ as most music producers such as him don't usually include lyrics about him or scenes relating to him. The music video for this song was based off of the film "SUPER 8" which consists of a boy with supernatural powers and how he tries to cope with them and how people react to them when shown. What is shown in "Titanium" is the representation of the fear  of the unknown and the mistrust of someone who is different which in this case represents youths being mistrusted. This could arguably be about one of the artists (Guetta or Sia) but as they aren't shown in the music video their message reaches out to more people as they don't have a particular face to display. Both in America and England there is a lot of hiding and running from the social side of the world and how that if someone is different they are around upon. Artists are often creative all-around and want to expand their artistic vision into new mediums and tell their message in a new way. 

THE BIG ISSUE

 

Wednesday 30th January 2019

L/O: To research institutions and ideologies behind case study product

Loop Task:

What do you know about The Big Issue?

John Bird- founder

Started in 1991

Sold over 200,000,000

Non-profit organisation

Venders are the homeless or socially deprived

"Hand up, not a hand out"

Now a "Big Issue shop"

Invest and support other social enterprise projects

Written by professional journalists

Had its fair share of controversy. "For being overly commercial"

Target Audience: from mid to late 20's- 40's of working and middle class because of the type of wording and imagery used on the front cover on selected magazines

Beliefs and Values: Maybe empowering people

Representation: Front covers suggest its for a younger audience

Politically left of centre (labour)

The Mirror

The Guardian

The Independant

The Big Issue

Politically right of centre (conservative)

The Times

The Sun

The Telegraph

The Daily Mail 

The Daily Express

In a lot of mainstream newspapers, you can clearly see Gramsci's model of the social- political landscape of culture or society as being HEGEMONIC:

Of a DOMINANT IDEOLOGY that shapes the way most of society 'see' the world, themselves and others, creating a shared set of values 

What is the ideology and values of the publication is, how this is shown, and what that suggests about the target audience?

The Big Issue is one of the UK's leading social businesses and exists to offer homeless people, or individuals at risk of homelessness, the opportunity to earn a legitimate income, thereby helping them  to reintegrate into mainstream society. It is the world's most widely circulated street newspaper. The Big Issue Foundation is a financially independent charity. They believe in a ‘hand up and not a hand out’ and recognise that earning an income is a key step in a person’s journey towards stability and a better life. The Big Issue offers the incentive of earning an income; it means that they engage with a number of individuals who are not seen by other services or projects. They work exclusively with Big Issue vendors, people who are excluded from mainstream society, financially impoverished and disadvantaged in multiple ways. They seek to address the fundamental issues attached to social and financial exclusion through the provision of concrete support to change lives for good. The target audience can be suggested to be of working or middle class and aged around 20-40 year olds. This is due to some of the imagery and main storylines on the front cover which would attract more of an older audience than a younger one. The covers range from being 'funny' to having serious content shown which shows that this newspaper knows when to play around with their content and when not to. The magazine covers content from political views and discussions to Bob the street cat. 

Monday 4th February 2019

L/O: To identify the primary target audience for The Big Issue

72% of readers are ABC1

43% of readers are AB

A- Upper Class

B- Upper Middle

C- Middle Class

Loop Task:

 Recently had a rebrand and changed the political content 

What ideologies are represented in this cover and how has it been represented?

Follows the film by having indirect political references . The film King Arthur (British) was released in 2017 around the time when Brexit was announced. This could be shown by the words "why King Arthur is best for Britain in 2017" at the bottom of the larger font.  Or the two could be linked and  could represent England as "strong and stable". 

The bold fonts and colours link to the type face and words used. 

"Strong and stable"- the British film industry? 

Could possibly suggest that King Arthur would run the country better than Theresa May would.

Shows responsibility through their slogan, "A hand up not a hand out".

The big issue is young at heart, educated and loyal. Slightly more women read the big issue than men, while 61% of their readers are aged between 18-39 the other 39% are aged over 39.

Psychographic information might be your buyer's habits, hobbies, spending habits and values. Psychographics explain “why” they buy
Demographic information includes gender, age, income, marital status – the dry facts
Demographics explain “who” your buyer is

Wednesday 6th February 2019

L/O: To review exam style questions 

Promote: support or actively encourage (a cause, venture, etc.); further the progress of

INFROGRAPHIC POSTERS

Monday 25th February 2019

L/O: To analyse The Big Issue covers effectively 

IDEOLOGIES: BELIEFS AND VALUES

LOOP TASK: 

Shows that the target audience is of a range between 20-40 due to the topics of the articles

The hierarchy of the texts suggests the importance of articles. The cover lines give a brief explanation of the "top 100 change makers" of the 20th and 21st century

Focuses on topics as big as a Holocaust survivor and a righteous goal keeper from the 1908's. In a wide range of areas

The colours contrast but yet compliment each other (positive outlook)

They use puns and a play on word for the cover line "taking a stand for legal aid"

They celebrate social responsibility and making a difference

Positive outlook (cover lines (taking a stand for legal aid)

The bottom slogan connote a positive light due to the words "thinkers" and "creators"

The target audience would have similar or shared values. They would have a broad range of interests like the content of the magazine

Could suggest a political bias (left winged -"taking a stand for legal aid", "sign language rapper")

MODE OF ADDRESS: How the text speaks to the audience and involves them

DIRECT: The model looks directly at the camera, writer speaks to "you"

INDIRECT: Model looks away, writer addresses you as the "public" or "people" 

DIFFERENT MODES OF ADDRESS: Formal, informal, funny, serious, hostile, friendly 

This cover of The Big Issue consists of a civilian with an army helmet on showing the two opposites of a normal man and a solider. The hierarchy of the text is kept very central and above. This could be due to the lack of visibility of the main image. The use of the main cover line almost looking misplaced on purpose gives off a vibe that  the magazine is personalised to members who are in a war or who have family that are. By having the green hat brighter than the man and shown to obviously been photoshopped on can make it look like the man is in the background of the world. By this I mean that he is an average man living life normally and we can also suggest this through the style of clothing he is wearing. The magazine is very minimalistic however most of the big issue covers are just the same. The magazine as a whole is of a serious mode of address which can be reflected in the plain colouring of the type and images. It also is indirect of whom it is talking to. In this magazine they have different articles about being on the frontline, Roger Daltrey and more about war. The cover lines can appeal to anyone who maybe of interest in the war and who have been in one to see what life after a war is like and for one who may still be "fighting for futures". The content would probably be of a restricting age as the content may be quite distressing for younger readers. The use of having Roger Daltrey in the magazine could attract audiences of an older generation (40-60) to read this magazine especially as he speaks about the late Keith Moon. The magazine give off a cold and serious tone to the cover. Normal The Big Issue like to play around with their cover lines and include puns for a selective audience to get but in this case they haven't. This can show a serious side to the magazine which we may not have seen before. In this case this magazine represents normal working class men who were perhaps in a  war of some sort. It can represent a wider range of people who have been touched due to a death in a war or who have experienced a war in their lives. The use of black and white can be represented as serious and traditional which is suitable for a magazine on war. In this particular magazine cover The Big Issue includes subtle links to PTSD as they briefly mention that the public are still "fighting for futures". 

Wednesday 27th February 2019

L/O: DIRT and exam practise 

LOOP TASK:

ANALYSIS: What would you mention? 

Layout

Colour choices

Typography 

Content 

Images

Ideology- Standing up for rebellion. What happened to the spirit of rebellion

Intertextuality- The Sex Pistols (Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols is the only studio album by English punk rock band the Sex Pistols, released on 28 October 1977 by Virgin Records. The album has influenced many bands and musicians, and the industry in general). Known for their sense of rebellion. Part of the punk movement (safety pin).

EXAM STYLE QUESTION:

Analyse why The Big Issues magazine has used an intertextual approach to the referendum on its front cover. 
In your answer you must:

• Analyse the use of intertextuality to create meaning in the source 
• Make judgements and reach a conclusion about the advantages of this use of intertextuality of The Big Issue magazine. 

On the front of this Big Issue cover it shows four politicians as the group ABBA with referendum links within some of ABBA's famous song lyrics ("Knowing me, knowing EU"). This particular issue was released before the referendum on whether we would remain to leave was announced. From right to left we have Nigel Farage and Borris Johnson, both prominent leave spokespersons. We then have David Cameron, Britain's Prime Minister at the time of this release and on the far left, Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. By having Farage and Johnson look more silly than Cameron and Sturgeon help to represent that maybe leaving the European union is silly and unheard of meanwhile staying within the EU is shown through slightly more professional looking expressions on Cameron and Sturgeon's face. The use of making these political figures the singers from ABBA help to include the pop culture side of The Big Issue's audience as the chosen music group was huge during the 70's/80's. Audiences who enjoy pop culture as well as politics would enjoy this cover as they are almost making a mockery of them. We can also make a reference to the fact that we may leave the EU and that The Big Issue have used a European group which are well known to all countries. The use of 1970/80 references help to tie the referendum and ABBA together what with the globe disco ball, ballad box and ballad paper in the corners of the front cover. Although there are no cover lines on the front of this magazine we know what they content will be and The Big Issue credit their audience for this. They know that the readers are smart and have good judgements and also don't have to 'spoon feed their audience' for them to understand what they're talking about. The layout of the magazine makes sure that the four political figures stand out more than anything else to attract a possible new audience who are mainly political based. For a cover to be this well thought and make multiple links and references to something as big as ABBA is very smart of The Big Issue.