PREP: Analyse the representation of musicians in extract 1, which is from MOJO magazine

The magazine uses a monochrome colour scheme for the main splash and light blues and blacks for the text. This connotes seriousness and follows the MOJO trend of treating musicians with respect and reverence. As usual the musicians are presented as having had a hard struggle in their lives and Joni Mitchell claims her "gift was born of tragedy". 

Most MOJO magazines present male musicians on their front cover, but this one is an anti-stereotype and presents a female musician. Also contrary to most covers, the musician looks quite friendly and welcoming, whereas usually they seem to be placed upon a pedestal above the reader.   

PREP: Analyse the use of media language to create meaning in the online Observer home page. Give 2 examples from the extract.

The Observer home page uses a lot of media language to create meaning. One example is its colour palate. The use of royal blues and wine purples connote formality, intelligence and organisation. The dark blue header especially, creates a serious tone.

Another example is the layout of the home page. The way in which the articles are ordered on the page and the minimised use of photos, decreases the clutter and creates a sense of formality. It also connotes seriousness and professionalism.  

Study the online newspaper extract to revise exam Q. 9 (below): copy / paste the text below and identify all relevant articles or features that represent the newspaper's values:

1. The major use of newspapers is to offer a sense of knowing
what is going on in the world.The Observer knows that its readers are serious and interested in international affairs. This is evident in hard news articles about.....Brexit, Donald Trump and the riots taking place in Paris.  

2. The Observer meets its audience's need for a range of cultural, sporting and artistic news. It provides these with...articles about the 2019 Brit awards and about a new Oscar nominated film "Roma". 

3. The Observer does not shy away from 'difficult' issues that could make uncomfortable reading, such as...a Saudi teen's "long journey to safety" and a hunger strike taking place in an Iranian prison. 

4. The Observer has sections which are designed to appeal to
different types of readers.The Observer reflects the diversity of its readership in articles on...Business, politics and entertainment. 

5. Newspaper readership can still be used as a symbol of one’s social identity. The term ‘Guardian reader’ connotes a certain
type of social attitude and The Observer similarly reinforces
a set of social and political attitudes, and thus identity, in its
representations. For example, Observer readers like to think
of themselves as open-minded and this is reflected in the
Observer’s practice of allowing both sides of an argument
equally to be put when the newspaper is clearly on one side
of this argument. There is an example of this in....the  two separate articles about Dag Hammarskjold as well as opinion pieces on Brexit. 

6. The entertainment function of newspapers may take the
form of humour. It may take the form of diversion into
a celebrity world of ‘glamour’. It may take the form of human
interest stories in which readers are invited to sympathise with
the subjects of the article. Newspapers further offer games,
puzzles, crosswords and the like. At the higher end, sections
such as the New Review in the Observer may offer the pleasure of extremely well-written think pieces and literature reviews. An example of this is....opinion articles about Brexit and the article on Body Image. 

PREP: To revise for q.2 (4 marks), copy / paste each of the following descriptions into your blog post. Write either SB or TD at the start of each, to indicate either Avril or Wheatus. Some answers may refer to BOTH so put both initials.

SB: This video is documentary style mostly hand-held camerawork, de-saturated colour and fast-paced editing.

TD: This video has saturated colour, more controlled camerawork, slower-paced editing.

SB: This video consists of mostly montage shots.

TD: This video has more developed editing with cause and effect.

SB: In this video, the singer values rebellion, which is seen in the narrative.

TD: In this video, the singer values 'fitting in', conformity, albeit to an oppressive system, which is seen in the narrative.

SB: This video is set in LA, a big city, with its connotations of street credibility.

TD: The mise-en-scene of this video is American suburbia with its connotations of conformity. 

TD: This video is intertextual in its narrative (=it makes references to high school drama).
In this video, the singer performs to camera.

SB: In this video, real locations and 'everyday' costume for the performers connote a sense of naturalism.

TD AND SB: In this video, there is a sense of linear narrative (a story is told, in the order it unfolds).

PREP 02 MUSIC & NEWS question 5: How is media language used to reflect the genre conventions of a music magazine? Make bullet points below the magazine cover.

• The group, called "All Saints", shown in the main splash are presented as strong and rebellious 
• This is emphasised by the tagline "We always felt like outsiders. We didn't conform to the rules"
• The group are shown to be very important as they take up the majority of the page and are the main focus of the magazine. The name "All Saints" is in a big font to emphasise the group's importance
• Other famous musicians such as Paul Young and Steve McQueen are mentioned at the bottom of the page. 
• Sans-serif fonts used
• Colour scheme is fairly simple, yet professional 

Q1 Camerawork in Cuffs

PREP analyse how camerawork is used in the extract to create meaning


One way which camerawork is used to create meaning in this extract is through the use of shot-reverse shots during the scene in which the police officers are having lunch. These types of shots are used to help the audience build a relationship with the characters, as we get to see the character's reactions to the conversation. Shot-reverse shot is also used when the robber is threatening the PCSO. Here it is used to compare the size of the PCSO and the robber to create tension. 

Another way is through using Arial shots. Arial shots give a view of the world from above and is used during the police car chase. This gives a sense of scale and adds tension to the chase, so that we can see how far the police are from catching the robbers. 

Soap Opera screenshots

This is an example of a title sequence in a sop opera. The title sequence is always immediately recognised by the audience as is the music that goes with it. 

Soap operas often portray "real life" by using realistic mise-en-scene. This scene shows a very realistic kitchen with natural and realistic lighting. 

Soap operas often contain "relateable" characters and realistic family "conflict" and "issues". Teenagers might be able to relate to this schoolgirl and mothers might be able to relate to the mother. 

Soap operas are realistic to an extent but are often an over-dramatisation of real life. For example there is often "conflict" in soap operas, which wouldn't necessarily escalate to physical violence in real life.