What have I studied so far for my case studies?

• The interactive websites for each of the three films. They are as follows: "The Holiday": http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/theholiday/, "Bridesmaids": http://www.bridesmaidsthemovie.co.uk/, and "Vicky Christina Barcelona": http://www.vickycristina-movie.com/.
• I also viewed the IMDB pages for each of my films in order to find facts, figures and statistics about my films. This has given me a background knowledge of the films I have been studying, and a first idea of the type of institution behind each of the films. (For example, I can see what the budgets and profits were for the films, and compare them to eachother.)
• I have read an online article about how Twitter saved Bridesmaids.
• I have read an artcile in Media Magazine all about Bridesmaids. It discusses features such as the narrative; how the film challenges audience expectations; how it challenges stereotypes of woman, and how woman are representde as very animalistic and masculine at certain points in the film. It also goes on to discuss how the film may be seen as cliched and predictable by many.
• I have looked at the social networking pages for each of my films, and disucessed why social networking is very important.
• With more rare forms of broadcast media, I have looked at a Podcast review for Bridesmaids.
• I have watched all of my films to give me a good background knowledge.

What do I still need to do to continue to research my case studies?

• Watch the DVD of Vicky Christina Barcelona again to familarise myself with it.
• Find some interesting facts about Vicky Christina Barcelona and The Holiday such as the twitter one about Bridesmaids. I need lots of intersting information like this to make my case study interesting.
• Look at the individual marketing techniques for each of my films in more detail. Look at the marketing on each of the platforms: print, emedia and broadcast. Why are the links to each of the platforms important? Why are there aspects of my case studies present in each of the platforms? How is this beneficial to the producer/institution?
• For each: why does the institution need to access the audience through new ways? How do they achieve this?
• What is the representation of woman in each of my three films?
• Need to make sure I would be able to write a brief outline of each of my media case studies.
• How do they aim to appeal to more than one audience/demographic?
• Look at past exam questions on the AQA websites (plus mark schemes for help) and make sure, for every essay that has come up in the past, I would have information to answer the question in lots of detail.

My realtiy TV show would be based around the idea behind "Im A Celebrity". It would involve two teams staying on an island/in a housefor the course of a couple of weeks. As with "Im a Celebrity", one contestant would be voted off from each team every episode. It would look at classes and the represntation of classes because the two teams would come from contrasting backgrounds. For example, one team may be the sort of class portrayed in "Made in Chelsea", and the opposing team would be made up of those from a similar class portrayed in "Geordie Shore". This would made it more interesting for the audience, because social tensions would be highlighted. This links to my next point of who the target audience would be. They would most likely be a younger audience, possibly accessing the show for diversion or personal identification (uses and gratif cations). They would enjoy it because they would gain an insight into the lives and values of a class they are not familiar with. The show would also most likely involve a sense of comedy which would make the show more enjoyable for the audience to watch. Each show may contain a game or challenge where both teams would go 'head to head'. It would also perhaps involve filming of their day-to-day camp experiences, giving it a true "reality TV" feel. It might feature on television post water shed, may be at 9:30. It would last for approximately one hour, and would run in series that would last a few weeks. Episode One might include an introduction to all the contestants, where they meet one another and have to assign "house jobs" to each other. The two teams might have to take part in a game (where they play as one big team to get to know each other) in order to win a weekly allowance. We would then see contestants from both teams going out shopping to buy weekly supplies. There would most likely be arguements caused by this scenario because the working class team might want to spend the money on very different things to what to upper class team do.

Lesson 1 - looking at reality TV and it's effect.  Analysis of trailers and reading of article in Media Magazine

 
Analysis of "The Only Way is Essex- Series 7" trailer:

"The Only Way is Essex" is a reality TV show based on the lives on people from Essex on ITV2. All of the trailers for each series of The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) are quite similar, but I have chosen to analyse the one for series seven as it is the most recent and therefore current. In this analysis, I will look at the audience, form (colours, music and camera shots), genre/ codes and conventions, and institution.

From watching the trailer, I would say that the audience are most likely to be accessing this television programme for the purpose of diversion (according to the uses and gratifications theory). This is because for the time that the programme is on, the audience will become involved in someone else's life. The fact that these lives are real perhaps makes it even easier for the audience to become emotionally involved in the goings-on. I also believe the main purpose for accessing TOWIE is diversion because it shows many short clips of a desirable life style. We see the stars in beauty salons, at bars, and parties, in expensive looking appartments/houses, and going out for lunch. The audience will be diverted from their own lives, and want to be part of theirs. They may aspire to have this life style. Furthermore, I believe the audience may access this trailer for personal identification (if they can relate to the characters or they look up to them), or for social interaction. TOWIE is a widely spoken about programme, and is often featured on Twitter a lot. Regarding a demographic profile, those who are interested in this programme may be interested in the activites featured: going to parties, getting their hair or nails done, going out for lunch with their friends etc. They may also be interested in make up, fashion and looking good. This plays a huge part in the programme and the lifestyles we see. According to the classification of empolyment, I would say that the target audience for this programme and trailer would be those in classes E to C1 or B. I think that those in any higher classes than this are likely to enjoy alternative reality TV shows like "Made in Chelsea" as they will relate to the life style more. However, TOWIE is likely to attract lots of people from lots of classes for different reasons.

The sound used in this trailer is mainly diegetic, as it is mainly speech. We see the characters interacting with eachother in the short edited clips used: the sound is primarily used for comedic purposes. A lot of what the characters say is humerous, and this is likely to widen their target audience pool. The colours used in this trailer are quite articfially lighted throughout. Most of the colours in the shots are bright colours which represent fun, vibrancy and positivity. This is how the institution want the programme to be represented. There is also a lot of pink featured which has connotations of feminity, fashion, love and beauty. The camera shots used in this trailer are most often mid-close up shots of the characters faces as they speek. This technique is used to introduce the audience to the characters as much as they possibly can in this short one minute video. The shots are close enough to see emotion and facial details, but are far enough away to establish the scene. We see the location and where the characters are, which gives us a sense of the sort of thing we may see in the show. Furthermore, quick editing is used in order to show as many sides to the programme as possible in a minute. The trailer is fast paced to keep the audience interested, and the short scenes allow us to see a mixture of romance, comedy, gossip and arguements, along with all the locations.

The genre of this trailer is clearly reality TV, and there are various codes and conventions used which help to tell us this. There is a sense of comedy in this trailer, and realtiy TV shows are often portrayed to be funny. Also, there isn't a "cliff hanger" or set story line which will grip us and encourage us to watch it. This technique may have been used in a police drama, period drama or soap, but it isn't used in reality TV.

The institution behind this TV show is ITV2- they are a wealthy institution and very well known right across the UK. Their logo features in the bottom right hand corner of the screen throughout the advert which shows they are eager for the audience to recognise them as part of this show. The graphics and the overall finish of the advert is very professional which shows that the institution have the money to be able to invest in good technology. They are connected to the digital age. Also, at the end of the trailer we see text which says "The Only Way is Essex, Wednesday and Sunday at 10". Below this is the institution's web address. This shows that they want to be connected to their audience. The webiste is most likely to be interactive, which is a good marketing technique. They are adapting to the changing needs of their target audience in order to remain successful.

I will finally look at how 'Essex girls' are represnted in this trailer. They are wearing lots of make up and are dressed in a very feminine way. Essex girls are often stereotyped to be "fake" and not very intelligant. This trailer maintrains this stereotype to a certain extent with the fashion, locations and things which they say, but they do try and erase the stereotype also. The locations help to do this: they lunches and bars and church help to make them seem more sophisticated and classy. Overall, they are still represented as typical Essex girls which is very much part of the appeal to the programme. It represnts a different way of life.

Year 12 Homework Thursday December 6th.  Answer the case study question below:

In your answer you should:
- Show how and why media institutions in your case study have been responsive to change,
- Support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms. (32 marks)

’It is not the strongest that survive but those most responsive to change.’ How and why do media institutions continue to change?

The question is asking us to write about how the institutions might change their marketing to a wider audience.  Another thing we could look at is how things are distributed and sold.  Additionally the question is asking us to think about how institutions have to change their image and also how they might need to change to keep up with new a digital Media.

1. The Hunger Games - Lionsgate - have had to use a lot of social Media for their advertising.  YouTube and Yahoo for example throughout the time it was being broadcast in the cinema.
2. UGC - websites and virtual worlds.  Website example www.hungergamesarena.com- people can make profiles and become citizens of the world.   Active audiences nowadays.  They have to change to build a community and also to engage with audiences who have access to the internet and who want to be more involved with the products.
3. Paranormal Activity 4 - twitter feed to interact with audiences.  Retweet positive messages that fans give - U&G theory of interaction.  Made by Paramount - a smaller institution, less money, less budget but the film did adapt to a changing of audience expectations. Showed people watching the film in test screenings so people can see others' reactions to it.
4. Audiences don't have to buy the DVD anymore; they can access it on Love Film etc.   Film companies might have to change the quality of their product to entice people with Blu-ray or High Definition. Bonus DVDS- Attack the Block behind the scenes. 
5.  Merchandise - might have to capitalise on selling this. Hunger Games outfits- (EXAMPLE of most expensive outfit you can buy).
6. Companies have to make films or extras available for ipads/iPhones etc. to allow people to access them.
7. Streaming on the same day as the release date.
8. Advertising and Marketing - viral marketing.  (FIND EXAMPLES FOR YOUR FILMS).
9. Using popular culture to promote a film, or using nostalgia to promote.   Institutions might have to move with their audiences so as more people become internet users and become Media literate, they have a larger pool of people to market to and to connect with. 
10. More formulaic films- franchises of films that all work in the same way and on the same premise.

My Answer:

“It is not the strongest that survive, but those who are most responsive to change”, is a very true statement which describes media institutions in the current day. They are required to change all the time, whether that be widening their audience, targeting their audience in a different way, advertising in a different way, changing their branding image, or selling their products in a different way. The institutions behind my case study products (Bridesmaids, The Holiday, and Vicky Christina Barcelona) have had to do this. I can link the statement strongly to these institutions.

Firstly, film companies have to make films or extras available for iPads and iPhones etc to allow people to access their product in different ways. Everyone accesses media for different reasons, therefore institutions have to adapt to this.

Secondly, institutions may have to move away from their original idea or ideologies as they move with their audiences. Doing this will mean that have a larger pool of people to market to and connect with as more and more people become internet users/ media literate.

Thirdly, institutions have had to adapt to the vast development in social networking in order to make their films successful. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are now vital in widening your audience pool, and successfully marketing your product. Audiences want to be more involved in products, and are keen to leave their opinions. This can really help a product to survive . This was definitely the case for one of my case study institutions: the institution behind Bridesmaids. After an initial back-lash against the movie, pre-release, the director took to Twitter which saved his movie! It was reported that Paul Feig spent days on Twitter collected opinions and responses to the trailer after he heard much negative feedback. This enabled him to give the movie the best start it could possibly have- being responsive to this massive social networking development meant that the film was very successful. In fact, it went on to gross well over $200 million in the USA, and was greatly successful overseas too. May be Twitter is the way to go!

Fourthly, institutions have to adapt and be willing to start to sell their products in different ways- not just the conventional! (e.g. DVDs). Films such as Bridesmaids have started to sell in many way including Blu-ray discs, through services such as iTunes and through film rental services such as Love Film. Many of the ideas and technologies were not available a couple of years ago, yet they are now a main player in the success of a film. Audiences are now more active, and want to access films through many different platforms and in many different ways. Institutions have had to adapt to this, and invest in new ideas.

This links to the fact that institutions may have to adapt by improving the quality of their product in order to entice a larger audience. I previously mentioned Blu-ray, but high definition DVD’s have the same effect. The creation of products like these mean that film companies may have to make their products to a better quality to ensure more people will put their trust in them, and buy them. Due to modern society, many people want the best they can possibly get, and aspire to be better.

Furthermore, advertising and marketing has to adapt over time in order to make a film a success. I can see this by comparing films within my case studies. I can compare “The Holiday” and “Bridesmaids”, as they are both high budget films made in America. However, “The Holiday” was released in 2006, but “Bridesmaids” was released in 2011. Between these two years, there was massive changes in the media industry, massive development regarding social media, and massive changes in audiences (e.g. how involved they are/ how the wish to access the product). Therefore, there were massive changes in the marketing. “Bridesmaids” had to adapt their marketing from what “The Holiday” would have done, it order to ‘survive’.  For example, “The Holiday” does not have its own twitter page- only some of the involved institutions (Universal Studios and Columbia Pictures) do. This compares to “Bridesmaids”. As well as being promoted by Sony, Bridesmaids have numerous Twitter accounts, including accounts set up by fans. Examples of these are “@BridesmaidsQ” or “@BridesmaidsSay”. Here we can see a massive development. “The Holiday was successful, as was Bridesmaids, but Bridesmaids would not have been successful if they hadn’t adapted to new ways of marketing. “It is not the strongest that survive, but those who are most responsive to change”.

Despite all of this, there were mainstream marketing techniques used back in 2006 which were still used in 2011, and are still used today. This shows that it is not always necessary to change in all areas in order to be successful. Marketing techniques used both then and now include interactive websites which both “The Holiday” and “Bridesmaids” have, soundtrack albums available on iTunes, DVD’s, merchandise, podcast reviews, and official trailers.

In conclusion, it is necessary for institutions to change and adapt over time, whether this be to reach their audience more effectively, change their branding, or sell their products in a different way. Some methods do stay the same for long periods of time, however.

What is communicated about the brand of apple in this advert?

What is communicated about the brand of apple in this advert?

The above advert is the Apple advert which was released in 2012- the advert was named "Bounce". There are many things communicated about the brand of Apple within this advert. Firstly, they are represented to be very well known and trusted. There is no speech or text in this advert. There is no information and no details about the product, which shows that the advert is more to maintain the brand than to sell products. They can already do this without a television advert. They do not need to pack lots of information into the advert: they just need to feature their newest product. They assume that their audience will go out and buy one of the three products featured in this advert without knowing any specific information about it such as the price or what it does. They also have the power to be able to advertise three products in one advert, without the success of one being sacrificed.

Secondly, they are represented to be very wealthy. Televsion adverts are very expensive to air on prime time TV- this would have cost the institution a lot of money. The fact that their advert is so short, so fast paced and lacks so much information proves that they have the money to spend on an advert which doesn't neccessarily do what other adverts do. The audience would probably not access this advert for surveillance (uses and gratifications), unless they wanted to see what the product looked like.

Thirdly, they are represnted to be very professional and connected to the digital age. The graphics which have been used are incredibly advanced. This shows that they have advanced technology and highly trained staff to create such a precise and professional advert.

Fourthly, they are represented to be very powerful. The song which has been used, before featuring in the advert, was not at all popular. They have taken a song which is not well known to play in the background of their advert, They know that this choice of music will not sacrifice sales, and they also have the power to make this song into a great success. It is a great advertisement for the song to be used on an Apple advert, and Apple are powerful enough to turn it into a success.

Finally, they are represented to be very in touch with their audience. The ipods which are featured in this advert are all different colours. Each colour will attract a different type of person, due to their personality and interests. This shows that Apple are very aware of what their audience want. They want their product to appeal to a wide range of people, and they want everyone's product to be personal to them. Therefore, they are connected to their target audience.