Media Homework - Connotations of Choice Album Covers

Connotations of Choice Album Covers

Connotations of Imagine Dragons - Hear Me

I think that Imagine Dragons' Hear Me album cover connotes some sort of supernatural activity and/or magic. The fact that the floating person is alone in a misty forest might connote mystery or secrecy.

Connotations of The Woodkid - The Great Escape

I think that The Woodkid's The Great Escape album cover connotes mystery as to his identity, this could be because the album is named The Great Escape and he is a criminal.

Connotations of Bowling For Soup - Fishing For Woos

I think that Bowling For Soup's Fishing for Woos album cover connotes that it is fictional because it is drawn as a cartoon. Or it could connote that they are having an unrealistic / surreal amount of fun.

Connotations of The Beatles - Abbey Road

I think that The Beatles' Abbey Road album cover connotes that the Beatle (2nd to left) is humble / honest, because he is wearing no footwear. It could also connote that everyone is unique as the artists are all wearing different clothing.

Connotations of Thirty Seconds To Mars - This Is War (Not the Tiger Cover)

I think that Thirty Seconds To Mars' This Is War album cover connotes that the entire album will be loud and in all probability rock music, which for the most part is true. The fact that WAR is printed in big letters fits in with the first track where a entire choir scream THIS IS WAR at the microphone.

Connotations of The Gorillaz - Demon Days

I think that The Gorillaz' Demon Days album cover connotes that the group do not think of themselves the way they are, instead thinking themselves as the cartoons drawn on the cover. This may also add a bit of an anonymous atmosphere to the album. The cartoons match the music well, allowing you to imagine them playing it.

Connotations of Coldplay - Prosekt's March

I think that Coldplay's Prospeckt's March album cover connotes that the music will be somewhat classical and moderately high pitched. The album cover is contrasted against the music because the music gives a sense of freedom where as the cover shows a battle in medieval times.

Connotations of Submersed - Immortal Verses

I think that Submersed's Immortal Verses album cover connotes fits the name as they are depicting the evolution of man but the wrong way round, perhaps you could see this as immortallity.

Media Homework - The Representation of Men in Rap Videos

The Representation of Men in Rap Videos

Hip hop presents a very rigid and narrow version of manhood - one that suggests that to be a "real man" you must be strong and tough, you must have a lot of women and money, you must always be in control, and you must always dominate women and other men.

If you do not live up to these ideals, you will be ridiculed for not being man enough. You will be called names like "soft, weak and wimp".

This need to conform to the narrow definition of manhood in hip hop is a trap for men, boxing them into a restricted, unhealthy style of manhood and masculinity.

I do not agree with the statements above, no matter what you do or how you behave you are still a man. The videos that state that you have to be strong, rich and have lots of women are false, they shouldn't tell you what you have to be like or what to look like.

There are lots of videos (not just music videos) that depict men as being big, muscly, tattooed, gangsters, which in most cases is far from the truth, take Bromley for example, I hardly see anyone who fits the description given in gangster shoots.

The sad thing is that 50 Cent is a dad and still tries to portray himself like the stereo typical council estate gangster. There are also lots of fathers who do the same thing, showing them selves not as a dad but as a gang leader.

However there will always be people who will say that the style of manhood shown in these films is the way things should be. They may argue that it is their culture and that you shouldn't judge them by the way they live, but this so called culture encourages violence and crime.

Also, another bad thing is that just because some people are like that means there are others who even though they are not, people judge them and assume that they are; vicious, rude, self loving and criminal. This way of behavior has created a stereotype that even though in most cases it is not true, people believe it and it will never be broken, only strengthened.

Powerpoint Presentation for Justin Bieber - Boyfriend

Jb boyfriend from yellafella247

Justin Bieber - Boyfriend

What Went Well?

• The first answers were detailed and accurate
• The images all went well with the text and background
• The background was colourful

Even Better If?

• The text near the end was longer and more detailed
• The Questions where in full sentences.
• If connotations were included.

Conventions of Lifestyle Magazines

Conventions of Lifestyle Magazines

Identify the Different 'types' of Content in the Magazine -

• Clothing
• Gossip / Interview
• Lifestyle advice
• Love life
• Fitness
• Pictures

Discuss the Layout of the Page. From Your Analysis What Gender and Type of Person is This Magazine for? -

Middle-aged women because of the content and the types of images. Also young women because they might want to catch up with events without watching the news. The magazine is laid out very simply to ensure quick and easy use of the contents page.

How Would Someone Hope To Benefit From Buying This Magazine? -

• Entertainment
• Improvement in fashionable clothing
• Conversation topics
• Home furniture and ornament advice
• Beauty products and fitness guides.

Media Homework - Music Research Task

Music Research Task

Rosana by Wax

I think that Rosana presents women in a bad way because throughout the whole video the scenes start off looking like 'Rosana' and wax are having sex but in fact they aren't. This could also be the video saying that "just because you assume something, it isn't necessarily true" but because of the artist being somewhat of a 'hipster' I guess not. The entire video is basically centred on the attractive actress or 'Rosana' (seen as an object of desire) and saying that she is "untouchable" and bragging that she is very sexy and they have sex all the time. The camera is constantly focused on 'Rosana' and reinforcing my point that 'Rosana is seen as a object of desire.

Roar by Katy Perry

I think that Roar shows Katy as in an animalistic way and tires to appeal to a male audience in this way. However, maybe the fact that she shouts or roars most of the song and she says she has the eye of a tiger (animalistic i know but also manly and aggressive) might contradict this.

Grading

3/12

D1

What you have here is good and you have responded well to the question. But there is a distinct lack of detail from the videos to explain your points. 

T: What you must do now is develop your points and fully explain them using multiple specific examples. Pick out all of the technical aspects (Mise-en-scene, editing, lyrics etc)

The Representation of Women in Music Videos

The Representation of Women in Music Videos

In many rap videos women have no identity except as sexual playthings and "eye candy"

These images do provide pleasures to some viewers. But the concern is that men may internalize the notion that women are nothing more than sexual objects waiting to be used.

These sorts of images are not unique to hip hop. Objectified female bodies are everywhere. They appear throughout our culture in films, advertisements, television programs etc. However, within music videos, this is virtually the ONLY vision of women available.

When women are shown in music videos, they are shown extremely sexually. This is a disgusting development of the 21st century. Ever since the 1998 hit Hit me baby one more time  music videos have changed from legs being the only thing shown to the point of near pornography.

These videos also cause other women to follow this career choice. It is  pushing women in general towards clothing that is getting progressively smaller and smaller. This turns into an ever-growing black hole when the smaller clothing makes men want more women in smaller outfits, and then that will contribute again to the degrading of women.

However some modeling women think that the fact men are so needy or obsessive about them gives them power. This in some cases is the truth but in others it is the complete opposite. A lot of women are convinced that modelling is a very successful path but in fact it can land you in debt, sexually assaulted and with bum and breast implants.

Grading

1/11

D1

What you have here is good and you have responded well to the question. But you haven't used any examples (beside Britney Spears) to explain what you mean.

T: What you must do now is develop your points and fully explain them using multiple specific examples. Pick out all of the technical aspects (Mise-en-scene, editing, lyrics etc)

Laura Mulvey Essay Planning

Laura Mulvey Essay Planning

In Christina Aguilera's video of "Dirrty" the use of the camera invites sexual gaze by...

Focusing on her breasts, bum and lips. It sometimes zooms in to her body and forces you to watch her dance and shake. This will promote the video to men and make women change their ideas of what type of clothing and attitude needed.

The audience views this video in a voyeuristic way because...

Everyone in the video is half dressed and the women are always in the centre of the camera, dancing sexually. There are several scenes in the video such as the one in the showers where it is just outright sexual and this is probably one of the reasons for the change of content in recent music videos.

The actors interact in a way that results in the female being seen as an object of sexual desire. This occurs when...

The second scene (out of the wrestling ring) is where Christina and two other video girls are dancing on separate podiums above the crowd and this makes her the centre of attention. Also in the shower scene the video girls are all crowed around Christina and always lower down than her.

In Jesse J's video of "Do it Like a Dude" the use of the camera invites sexual gaze by...

Closing in on her lips in the first scene, but in this video it tries to deviate from being sexual and successfully does this by putting spikes on her lips and quick aggressive movements. But in the end this video still has Jesse J in her bra and therefore could still prove Laura Mulvey right.

The audience does not view this video in a voyeuristic way because...

The camera takes quick shots and the movements are quick and aggressive. The separate scenes of the people in church-like building are mostly not sexual, they include people licking bottles and hacking meat, these being savage, masculine movements put you of of the video.

The actors interact in a way that results in the female not being seen as an object of sexual desire. This is because...

Jesse J makes the video in a way that makes her movements ugly and aggressive. The video is set in a dark, oppressive church-like building and the clothing and objects in the video are all dark coloured, further enhancing the oppressive atmosphere. At no point during the music video is Jesse J looked at in desire, in fact, there are very few scenes where Jesse is looked at at all. Although all this amounts against the stereotype, the video still follows Mulvey's theory because Jesse J can be seen wearing her bra and the camera takes sexual shots throughout the video.

Another Photoshop Tutorial - Magnet Cropping

Another Photoshop Tutorial - Magnet Cropping

Step 1-
Insert the image you want to crop (Shown in my last tutorial).

Step 2-
Hold down click over the lasso tool in the top left, the the lasso tool menu should appear beside it.

Step 3-
Select the last option that says "magnetic lasso tool".

Step 4-
Draw roughly around the item that you want to crop (It needs to be a different colour than the background otherwise it will not work).

Step 5-
Photoshop should force the crop line onto the edge of the colour, once it does, press the enter key and you will have cropped the image.

Grading


1/12

Green

Well done this is clear and well linked to your first tutorial. However images and print screens would really help you here.


T: Please use step by step images to help you really explain the process 

Hip Hop Honeys Presentation

Music, Money and Hip Hop Honeys Presentation

My TV Show Logo - High School VS Secondary School

My TV Show Logo - High School VS Secondary School

The TV Show idea is where a group of students from a school in the UK switch schools with students from the USA for a week and at the end they tell the viewers which they liked better and why, what was different and if given the opportunity would they switch.

Although I like my logo, I think it could be a bit better. The text colour could be better and the title looks quite bad.

Media Homework - Connotations And Denotations

Connotations And Denotations

http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/50-coolest-album-covers

Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast

Denotations:

• Fiery
• Demon
• Skeletal
• Giant
• Lightning
• Blood Title
• Red
• Storm
• Magic

Connotations:

• Fire means destruction
• The demon and the skeleton (possibly the "Iron Maiden") are staring at you which makes them scarier.
• There is some sort of storm going on in the background showing that the music will probably be rock.
• All the elements in the picture make it loud and energetic, meaning, again, that the music it is for is probably rock.

Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA

Denotations:

• Young Man
• Vest / T-shirt
• Jeans
• Patterned Belt
• Back to Camera
• Red Cloth in the Back Pocket

Connotations:

• Sex Symbol
• 1990's American Stereo-Type
• The back to the camera means it could be anyone.

The Strokes - Is This It

Denotations:

• Naked Woman
• Black Glove
• Black and White

Connotations:

• Sex Symbol
• Model

Queen - Queen II

Denotations:

• Shadow
• All Four Members In Shadow
• Only Heads Visible
• Gothic Title Font
• Bottom Member Has Crossed His Arms
• Eyes looking down nearly closed

Connotations:

• Shadow and title may show Queen as a Gothic band.
• The shadow suggests mystery.

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

Denotations:

• Hills / Mountains
• Black and White
• Lines
• Sound Meter? / Electrocardiogram?
• Simple

Connotations:

• Black and white, mountains - extremes
• Sounds and hills go up and down - Life's ups and downs.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Where Here

Denotations:

• Meeting
• Man on Fire
• Air Hangers / Warehouses
• Suits
• Sunny Day
• No Awareness of the Fire

Connotations:

• Ignorance
• Money / Business over life
• Business associates

The Who - Who's Next?

Denotations:

• Concrete Pillar
• Rubbish Dump?
• Unclear Faces
• Looking Away From Camera
• Wasted Landscape

Connotations:

• Harsh world
• Rubbish problems
• Ashamed
• Get on with it
• Humanised

Soulwax - Nite Versions

Denotations:

• Pink Stripes
• Brain Teasing
• Very Barely Visible Title

Connotations:

• The music is probably going to be pop
• Confused?
• Unclear?

Blondie - Parallel Lines

Denotations:

• Men in Suits
• Woman In Front Looks Cross
• Black and White Lines in Background
• 1960's to 1980's Look
• The Men Have Odd Shoes

Connotation:

• Black and white symbolises contrast.

Miles Davis - Tutu

Denotations:

• Black and White
• Shadow
• Face Visible
• Title African or Referring to a Skirt?
• Eyes Strait
• African American
• Pupils Are Big

Connotations:

• Reference to the Slave Trade?
• Defiance
• Big pupils suggest hope/happiness?