Deutschland 83 - Essay

Barthe's theory of semiotics can be easily applied to Deutschland 83, particularly through semantic code and connotations. There is a clear difference between use of colours in the East and the West, with the East portraying a much simpler and muted colour scheme, perhaps to emphasise higher levels of poverty. Even when there is high-key lighting in happy moments of equilibrium, the colours aren't bright which can emphasise the idea of a simple life before the disruption - linking to Todorov. Todorov's theory of narrative can be applied to Deutschland 83 because there is clearly a movement from one state of equilibrium to another. In the first episode, there is a clear equilibrium in Martin's life as he is happy as a soldier and quite content with his girlfriend and family. The equilibrium is most emphasised at the 7 minute mark, when Martin comes home and sees Anette, feeling genuinely happy and in love. Then, there is a period of imbalance or disequilibrium like most narratives, in which Martin has to face multiple challenges. He is taken to the West to act as a spy for the East, taking photos of documents and sending them as part of a deal that he and Anette will have somewhere to live in return. The disruption becomes clear when Martin's fingers are broken during a discussion about joining the party, indicating that he is no longer in control of his own life or body. Despite the fact Martin turns down the offer, he is injured and taken to the West while passed out. During this scene, there is no non-diegetic background music. This means that the sound heard is natural - almost silent - creating a sense of realism and eeriness. In this scene, the colour editing is also slightly blue-grey, suggesting a negative atmosphere. Despite the fact the narrative is in the 'disruption' stage, there are still multiple elements of humour. For example, when Martin is dressed in clothes from the West (at around 17 minutes) he looks quite out of place, just before making a dramatic escape and running. Action match cuts are used here to create a fast pace and tension, but it can be interpreted in a comedic way as it is such a dramatic and unexpected reaction for Martin to have, and makes him look foolish. Levi Strauss puts forward the idea that texts meaning is dependent upon (and produced through) pairs of oppositions, and that the way in which these binary oppositions are resolved can have particular ideological significance. In a sense, the West and the East can act as binary opposites, due to the complete different stages of development as well as their rivalry. Barthes (multi stranded narrative, connotation and denotation, enigma code)  the idea that texts communicate their meanings through a process of signification  the idea that signs can function at the level of denotation, which involves the ‘literal’ or common-sense meaning of the sign, and at the level of connotation, which involves the meanings associated with or suggested by the sign  the idea that constructed meanings can come to seem self evident, achieving the status of myth through a process of naturalisation. S. Hall. suggests the idea that stereotyping, as a form of representation, reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits which tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’ (e.g. through ethnocentrism). There is arguably stereotypes between typical people in the East and West, with their vastly different attitudes and lifestyles. Hall also suggests that there are different modes of reading (preferred, negotiated and oppositional). In Deutschland 83, it seems that the preferred meaning is rooting for Martin as an East German spy as it acts as an eye opener for East German culture and allows us to support someone who may have previously be seen as the antagonist in a different text, and supporting him on his mission. Neale’s genre theory is the idea that genres may be dominated by repetition, but are also marked by difference, variation, and change. Deutschland uses genre hybridity which is significant in standing out to the audience. It has elements of spy fiction, drama, thriller and comedy, and possibly even romance. This allows the show to attract a much wider variety of audiences, possibly being the reason for its success. Van Zoonen looks at the idea that the display of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture, and the idea that in mainstream culture the visual and narrative codes that are used to construct the male body as spectacle differ from those used to objectify the female body. The mise-en-scene reflects this as women's and men's costume are largely stereotypical - with women more often than not wearing dresses or skirts, and a large amount of men often in uniform. Deutschland presents a large amount of ideologies, including patriarchy. The audience is positioned as identifying with the male protagonist Martin, because of his flawed character, but also as sympathising with Lenora in her pursuit of her patriotic duty, although perhaps shocked at her manipulative and calculating methods. There is a primarily male perspective, but the narrative is driven by Lenora. Similar to this, the perspective is German but does not choose sides, and is also largely a white perspective with multicultural casting. The media language incorporates individualism through an individual protagonist, trapped by social forces beyond his control. Consumerism is a large element in the programme; explicit stories about the lack of consumer goods in East Germany are contrasted with material plenty in the West. It can be suggested that the show holds a pacifist viewpoint as the main disruptions in the series are related to the War. 

Minecraft - Essay

Create a 1000 word essay discussing the evolution of Mincraft.  As part of the essay you will address

·      How the ownership of Minecraft has affected the games evolution

·      How Minecraft is marketed to a variety of audiences

·      How users interact with the game including how they create their own content

The ownership of Minecraft has affected the game's evolution, mainly due to the fact that it is now programmed and coded differently. Markus (Notch) Perssons developed the game in 2009 (a grassroots game) as part of the small company Mojang, which only had about 12 other people working on the game, and then sold it for £2.5 billion to Microsoft in 2013 once it had made massive profits and become a popular game. In 2010 Minecraft was developed as a multiplayer game using JAVA code, which meant that Gamers were able to contribute to the development of the program eliminating bugs and facilitating multiplayer capability, which was likely a key reason for its success. The interaction means that the creators can take on board improvements and therefore are consistently making the players happy. With Microsoft, Minecraft is now developed using more complex coding with C++ which has made it possible to have better graphics, something that makes the game much more visually appealing than previously, and also helps the game to run better as it is less prone to glitches or bugs. It has also enabled multi platform access and therefore invites all players from all consoles to play, and not feeling left out. Ownership has also affected elements of convergence as Microsoft also own Xbox, and therefore they are able to promote their console as part of Minecraft if they choose to. It also means that profits from Minecraft can be invested in improving the Xbox and therefore they benefit economically. Also, Microsoft have launched newer more traditional programs such as Minecraft Story mode which has been successful in reaching a wider audience, particularly due to the different style which allows people who could be bored of sandbox to try a new branch of Minecraft. Similar to this, in November 2014 of that year, plans to work on a virtual reality version of Minecraft in Partnership with Oculus. Virtual Reality is a greatly successful advancement and therefore Minecraft's partnership was interesting, allowing people to get even more deeply invested into the world they are playing in. Oculus is a new and exciting advancement and therefore people are always drawn to games which have this partnership and Virtual Reality feature. 

Minecraft is marketed to a wide range of audiences due to its flexible nature, which allows for a variety of interpretations from different social groups as they play the game. 43.7% of Minecraft players were 15-21, based on a survey, which is fairly young but not as young as typically stereotyped. In society there are a lot of preconceptions about the game and that it is 'easy' and therefore it should only be played or enjoyed by a younger audience, however this is not the case in reality as the difficulty can be adjusted before playing, as well as a range of different versions of the game (realms, mods, story mode, survival or creative) which allows freedom for all types of gamers to enjoy. Minecraft therefore try to reach a wide range of audiences through their marketing and are clearly successful despite criticism it may get. Firstly, young people are reached with marketing with certain techniques such as the link to Lego. Minecrafts relation to Lego is important, as it is a form of media convergence. Lego fans may play Minecraft and vice versa, creating a bigger fan base which is typically young for Lego (though not always). Lego also created their own game similar to Minecraft, which they believed would be greatly beneficial to them despite taking profits off of a similar idea because it will direct players towards the original game, adding another element of convergence. As well as this, the Minecraft short movie was aimed at children, which is another way that they can become invested in the game and become bigger fans of it, buying more products and merchandise if they like the film. Minecraft's education edition helps to market the game towards students as well as teachers as it is a fun learning resource for a variety of subjects and programming, which can be used in lessons, but also promotes the game's other modes if the players become interested. Adults and teenagers can also be targeted by elements such as Minecraft Realms, which allows them to interact with other players and create their own servers. 

Users are able to interact with Minecraft by voting on polls about certain updates and features in the game. For example, which mob makes it in to ‘Minecon’, and requires voting and elimination. This can create a sense of competition and excitement in the community. As well as this, YouTube, Facebook and online fan communities has enabled Minecraft’s audience to have an active voice through detailed feedback and commentary on modifications and beta tests. As well as social media, there are also several forums in which fans of the game can talk about anything they want about it, and builds a further sense of interaction and loyalty among fans. It can also help people to build friendships and fulfil their 'personal relationships needs' (Bulmer and Katz) as they have a mutual interest in the game. Many YouTubers that play Minecraft are adults which can be very beneficial for Minecraft as it allows viewers to see what the game is like and understand that it is not just aimed at young people. Some of these YouTubers include 'CaptainSparklez', who created highly-produced parodies and music videos from Minecraft animation, which very often went viral and achieved over 100million views. Not only does this make the game look fun, but could even cause someone to want to become a Minecraft YouTuber for the fortune, and therefore may promote the game in order to fulfil their survival needs of earning money as well as entertainment (Hierarchy of needs, Maslow). As well as this, Youtubers such as The Yogcast or Pewdiepie (old videos) make content suitable for adults while Stampy or Sky does Minecraft may be more suited to children. This wide range of social media content benefits Minecraft because it encourages people to support the game. 

Radio 1 - Essay

Write an essay

Part (a)Radio 1 target audience is on the decline, discuss the reasons why audience numbers are dropping and the steps taken by the organisation to maintain (and or grow) its audience 600 words.  Discuss the role of technology in maintaining its audience

Audience members of Radio 1 have been dropping in recent years as a result of the youth losing interest in radio, and instead being drawn to newer social media platforms such as YouTube or Spotify. This is unfortunate due to the key demographic for the Breakfast Show being ages 15-29, a generation that no longer listen to much radio. Although it seems that the Breakfast Show has lost its massive following (now being at below 5 million listeners a week), it is actually succeeding more than other broadcasters such as Radio 2, likely due to having a much higher Facebook and Twitter following: On YouTube, Radio 1 has 3.5m subscribers compared to Radio 2’s (roughly) 40,000. Radio 1 has 2.5m Facebook likes compared to Radio 2’s (roughly) 600,000. Radio 2 may have higher listening figures for its live shows, but the reach of Radio 1 – particularly with viral content – is much higher on social media than it is for Radio 2, which is likely due to the young audience ironically. The Breakfast Show has taken some steps in order to maintain its audience, such as creating video-based challenges that are able to be posted onto YouTube after it is has been broadcast. This is a successful use of multi-media convergence as many people who do not even like radio may still find the YouTube video entertaining enough to convince them to tune in. On the other hand, radio listeners may subscribe to their YouTube channel in order to see exclusive clips; this therefore grows the audience for both the radio and their YouTube channel. This can also be linked to the 'listen, watch, share' strategy, in which the audience will hear the challenge on the radio and then revisit it on YouTube to fulfil entertainment needs, and then pass it on to others who may find it funny. In the past the Breakfast Show have played games such as 'Innuendo Bingo' and 'Playground Insults' which are similar to challenges that young people like to watch on sites such as YouTube or James Cordon's show, therefore the competitive nature of these funny videos mean that it is important to share them on many social media sites and get them shared. 

While Nick Grimshaw was the radio host, he had various social media accounts such as twitter (@grimmie) and snapchat on which he posted exclusive, funny clips. Posting entertaining, personal videos and tweets are important to developing an audience because it creates a sense of friendship, which help make the fan base feel included in the community. New host Greg James also has social media and twitter, which has likely had a slight impact on Radio 1 due to his previous following; fans of Greg James would likely have started tuning in to the show to hear more from him, another successful mode of convergence created by technology advancements. Technology has also allowed fans to be much more interactive with the show, which is exactly what Greg James is aiming for. He claimed that he wants listeners to 'engage, rather than eavesdrop' which is now possible in recent years, with new challenges such as 'Yesterday's Quiz' and fans calling in to request certain songs being introduced into the show. 'Yesterday's Quiz' is particularly successful as it encourages people to listen intently to the show, either during broadcast or on catch up so that they could have a chance at winning a prize. The option for fans to call in is very important to radio as it helps the platform to feel friendly and conversational, which is more enjoyable for the demographic. It is also common for the radio producers to look through social media, mainly twitter, while broadcasting so that they can read and respond to any tweets that they see. On the 5th December, James had a famous athlete call in to take part in the quiz too which is fairly important as celebrity endorsements are successful in promotions. 

Part (b) From your viewing 400 words (listening) of a radio 1 breakfast show program

Discuss the impact of Radio 1’s funding (from tax payers money) on its production content. (take into account the stations remit…)   

Identify examples from your analysis you must also refer to commercial radio stations Capital One or Radio X to highlight the differences

Radio 1's funding has an impact on the production due to the much higher budget that can be spent on the show. Instead of relying on advertisers, the show is funded by the public's payment of a TV licence, £150 per year per household. Due to this, Radio 1 are able to continue broadcasting all through the night, even when profits will be low due to most people being asleep. It also means that the show are able to introduce new artists such as Unknown T or Billie Eilish as well as the famous stars. It is part of the BBC remit to 'inform, educate and entertain' as well as promoting emerging artists and British songs. Over half of BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show's playlist usually consists of varied popular and emerging British music, such as Little Mix, George Ezra, Sam Fender and the 1975. It also means that the Radio can promote various amounts of competitions, being able to afford shipping and delivery costs of rewards for listeners who take part and win (despite Greg James' ironic joke that they couldn't on the 5th December). 

This is different to other radio stations such Radio 1's commercial rival, Capital. The Guardian reported that Both stations played a similar number of tracks – 1,068 (Radio 1), and 1,081 (Capital). However, Capital played the same songs fairly often, so that there were only 83 unique songs, compared with 443 at Radio 1. They had 49 unique songs in common, which is over half of Capital's playlist. This shows that Radio 1 are able to play more songs across the day with their high budget. It can also be compared to Radio X, which doesn't have a large amount of songs on its playlist. The daytime playlist features 14 songs, and evening playlist features 28, altogether 42. Though they likely do play more songs, it is evident that like capital they will have many repeats throughout the shows in order to appeal to their more narrow demographic, and lower budget.  

The budget of Radio 1 also means they can afford celebrity endorsements if they want to, which is very expensive considering the BBC have to pay for the visit, the flight and possibly a hotel too. Greg James does it less often, however Nick Grimshaw invited Demi Lovato along with other celebs onto the show as part of cross media convergence as she promoted the radio show and he spoke to her about her album and documentary. 

Jungle Book - Essay

•Create an essay which discusses the impact of technology on the production, distribution and circulation of the Jungle Book versions (1967 and 2016) version.

•Discuss the importance of technological developments in maintaining audiences

•1000 word essay

The development of technology has impacted the film industry and its many organisations, causing a huge increase in the use of spectacle which ensures that large companies remain dominant as they create high budget productions with expensive set design and post production effects in order to encourage more family viewing for blockbusters. 6 conglomerate companies own the majority of media; the largest of these being Disney. Walt Disney often uses techniques such as vertical integration and synergy to promote their films, partnering with many other companies in order to increase cinema revenue. This has decreased over the years as a result of streaming using Amazon, Sky and Netflix. 

The cartoon adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's book 'The Jungle Book' in 1967 pioneered the use of multi-plane cameras in order to create a better, 3D effect picture. Disney wanted to achieve better ratings than the previous film 'Sword and the Stone', so production techniques and storyline needed to be carefully considered. Cel animation was used, which is a technique that has been developing quickly throughout the years. Originally, a background and the moving character would be drawn separately and placed on each other, limiting the background's detail. This developed into the background being drawn onto every frame, which was tedious and took a long time. Then there was the idea to use a static background and a moving character, which developed into using coloured outlines and eventually CAPS (computer animated production system), partnering with Pixar. These advancements are significant as it meant that the 1967 development of the Jungle Book was able to use visually detailed and appealing animation which is much more successful with audiences, and stands out as Disney were the only company that used coloured outlines for a significant period of time. The crew featured one storyman, Bill Pete (later replaced by Larry Clemmons), a head animator and supervising animators who worked closely with Walt, allowing him to produce exactly what he wanted; a child friendly, fun story. 

In 2016, animation has become even more advanced. Pre-visualisation techniques can be used in order to show voice actors what is happening as they speak, allowing better acting due to a clearer idea of what is going on. ‘Motion capture’ and a blue screen chroma capture enable a much higher standard of visual effects, which MPC are responsible for. Adam Valdez discussed many techniques of production during an interview, such as designing the animals. The crew had to map out muscles that animals have that humans don’t, and make sure the face could snarl and yawn and growl correctly. Then create mouth shapes for speaking, testing until they found a combination of animal and human muscles that felt like an animal who happened to be able to talk. This level of detail in creating live action animals wouldn't have been possible without the technology available, using different layers to add more detail. This is successful, as audiences would likely find animals that had human muscles or actions fairly disturbing. They are aware that these animals are not real, and it is unrealistic of them to be talking, but despite this it needs to be as realistic as possible to keep people intrigued. There are also moments where Mowgli actually touches the animals, which is difficult to create without the high budget of 177 million USD. The animation of riding including the shoulder blades and other complex movement were created before the shot of Mowgli riding, using motion base set up. Hugging moments were done onset with a puppet, built exactly to match digital models of characters that were typically furry and the colour of the animal, which could then be tracked and matched to the digital versions. When Mowgli hugs his mother wolf, Raksha, his arm is digital, so that the fingers and fur could be rendered together.

Another important aspect is the distribution. The 1967 film was released in 1967 by Walt Disney Productions and created at the Walt Disney Studios. Similarly, the 2016 film was produced by Walt Disney Company and MPC, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. This is important as Disney are able to control how the film is distributed and gain more profits by using their own company, as well as using their own media channels to market the films. The film was marketed quite successfully, using dark elements in the trailer in order to appeal to adults who may have previously stereotyped the Jungle Book as a childish film. Favreau bounded onto a 7,800-seat arena at a Disney fan convention in Anaheim, Calif., and showed sneak-peek footage from his film. He hobnobbed with three “Jungle Book” stars on stage, including Neel Sethi, who plays the man-cub Mowgli. Thousands of movie posters were handed out. It is also true that Disney may have a larger female audience; therefore commercials on ESPN portrayed the movie as coming not from the studio that made “Cinderella” but “from the studio that brought you ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’” An extended 3-D trailer for “The Jungle Book” was attached to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which had an audience that was 58 per cent male. These techniques are useful because they establish new audiences who may not have initially wanted to watch the film, but also keep the fans of Jungle Book interested. 

Use of technology has also impacted film productions in terms of exhibition as the introduction of iMax made cinematic productions much more appealing to audiences. A typical film uses 35mm film limited to 6k lines of horizontal resolution, however iMax format produces approximately 18k lines of horizontal resolution. This means that the quality at the cinema has drastically improved and therefore caused an increase in cinema revenue, despite it still being voted the least favourite method of media consumption.