MOJO Prep

 

MUSIC MAGAZINES: MEDIA LANGUAGE

Look carefully at the front covers of MOJO and RNR magazines. 

QUESTION: How far do MOJO and RNR use different media language to create different connotations? (CONNOTATION meaning: an idea or quality that a word makes you think about in addition to its meaning.)

Answer on your blog. This is a high-value question and should take all lesson to answer. You can use the class blog search engine for more examples of how to analyse music magazines.

In your answer you should have 2 paragraphs:

• analyse the media language in MOJO and RNR magazine. 'Media language' includes the placement of the main image, the type of photography, lighting, colours, fonts, how busy or restrained the cover is, the layout (such as alignment to the margins), how serious or playful 
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the media language is used differently in both extracts to create different connotations. Are there similarities in both covers? What sorts of audiences are they targeting? You could think about MOJO's rock aesthetic of living loud and dangerously compared to RNR's folk, rock, blues vibe. 

• The contrast between the red and blue in the Foo Fighters cover produces a more vivid and expressive character. Moreover, phrases like 'adventures' and 'war' portray them as more daring and determined than the. In addition, the serif font, combined with the more 'adventurous' language, suggests that they have struggled - 'we've been to...we've been to...' emphasises this, demonstrating that they are both experienced and unshaped by their'struggles,' presenting a different but still respectable figure than the RnRcover.

  One of the magazines has more going on than the other. Due to its various cover lines, graphics, and a very dynamic cover mount in neon colours with a lively cartoon image, as well as a very dynamic cover mount in neon colours. RnR includes a lot of cover lines as well, although they're all justified to the right-hand margin. They are all white, providing them a tranquil, ordered, and uncluttered appearance. The cover mount, however, has little visual play and is quite plain and streamlined.

  OJO's colour is vibrant, energetic, and lively, especially in the primary colours of the cover mount, which features a humorous skeleton. RnR, but in the other hand, chooses soft, dull browns with only red as an accent colour. Despite the fact that both magazines follow genre standards, they both feature a celebrity at the centre of visual appeal, and both magazines honour that star. MOJO accomplishes this in a unique way.

  In contrast to RnR's soothing, lowkey, folksy/olderly tone, MOJO does so in a more dynamic, assertive, rude way. This is because MOJO targets mostly to male rock fans, whereas RnR targets to folk fans. Despite the fact that both music magazines have a large number of articles, RnR is more organised and controlled.

  

POPCORN PREP

 Reaction Shot – this type of shot underscores key moments within the scene. At their most extreme, reaction shots can function as an exclamation mark; however, for the most part they enable the audience to work out what the character is thinking.

What is the purpose of a reaction shot?

Its main purpose is to show an emotional response to the immediately preceding action or words of another character in the scene, or to an event in the immediately preceding scene which may or may not involve another actor (e.g., an explosion, monster, empty room, etc.)

CUFFS: REAL LIFE

 How far does the extract try to create a sense that it is portraying 'real life'?

The police officers are dressed in costumes so that we can recognise them as authentic policemen, like police officers in real life wear uniforms so that we can recognise them. When Jake, Ryan, Donna, and Lino get together for lunch, they all wear the same uniform, which symbolises how authentic being a police officer is. They also drive police cars with sirens, which is stereotypical of cops because it is an important aspect of their profession. The entire wardrobe and mise en scene is incredibly authentic, and it helps the viewer figure out who plays who a more dominate role in the police force.

They are also shown in authentic settings with natural lighting, emphasising the fact that they are extremely real and present. The lighting isn't overly dramatic; it's always quite natural and realistic, emphasising how genuine these characters are. Their setting (Brighton) demonstrates that it is a very genuine and current day environment where we see ordinary people going about their daily lives, such as in the digger scene where citizens are fleeing. This is realistic because in that situation, people would generally flee a crime scene armed with a crow bar and robbers.

he usage of shot and reverse shot, as well as continuous editing, gives the impression that the scene is real and does not bring attention to its artificiality. The camera pans about the cast as if it were a real person standing there, panning and looking at what's going on. In addition, the camera is extremely close to the characters for example when there is police chase the camera runs closely behind this causes the audience to interact and emphasis with the people like Jack and Ryan due the camera manipulating us to almost think we are with them.

Depending on how an audience interprets the deployment of a strong female police officer, it may undermine the feeling of realism. This is due to the fact that strong characters are almost typically played by men. If Lino was the major person in that connection, Donna being healthier, braver, and on the whole better than Lino would be less sparkling and acknowledged.  This contrast the stereotypical role of the man always being more dominate and better overall.

those who empathise with the camaraderie of the police officers enjoying lunch and can see themselves in similar conversations may find the extract more realistic. They are polite and conversational, just like most police officers. Donna taunts Lino about having double lunch on Wednesdays and having 'Nona's lasagne stuck in your teeth,' making light-hearted remarks about his Italian ancestry. This is relatable for home viewers who can relate to the witty insults and banter. It also implies how true to life and pure the extract is.

 

MOJO

This is a poster of Neil Young that recognizes him by placing him in the centre of the picture, giving him significance. He is intended to appear friendly, compassionate, and sweet but not to crazy thanks to his tiny smile. Due of his long hair, he is made to appear hippy and alternative, as not many males have long hair. The vivid golden hour sunlight adds to this, emphasising how laid-back he is and how relaxed his music and attitude are. The musician is made to appear important since he is in the exact centre of the screen, drawing our attention to him right away showing his confidence and pride. In the background, there are also azure skies. here are also blue sky in the background, implying that he is a happy individual listening to lively music. The red/orange lighting on Neil's face is attractive to the eye, as it complements the red letters used throughout the magazine. Another image of an elderly man with a grey beard can be found here. He appears to be ordinary and uninteresting due to the use of dreary colours such as grey, black, and brown, as well as the plain lighting and the darkening of half of his face.

 The cover is quite busy, with a lot of information that is 'right in your face.' Neil Young is written in the largest type, implying that he is very essential and a vital aspect of this publication. The texts are well-organized and to the side; none of them conceal his face; instead, they go behind him, emphasising his importance. Most music publications have around the same number of cover lines as this one, but not all of them are as well-organized. "When the music calls, you go with it," he says, demonstrating his relaxed demeanour and willingness to go with the flow. "From harvest to barn: in his own field" This demonstrates that the magazine contains some humour because it is a pun about harvest. field of his own" suggests that he may be unconventional, with his own style and genre of music. The major colours are yellow and black since the lighting is yellowish, and the font is yellow and red to complement the lighting. Because there is little of it, yet enough to appeal to the naked eye, the accent colour is orange and black. There is a cover mount on this, which isn't usual of mojo.

Lego Industry terms

 Lego Movie Industrial terms

•  franchise: A collection of media product or films that all share the same fictional universe or have been marketed as a Series. The Lego Movie is a franchise as there is multiple Lego Movie films and even a video game to promote the film to as many audiences and platforms as possible
• synergy: Media synergy arises when the combined effect or impact of a number of media activities is greater than the sum of their individual effects on consumers. The Lego Movie uses synergy through linked products like the super hero cast from DC, mini figures.

•  tent-pole production: program or film that supports the financial performance of a film studio or television network. The Lego Movie generated so much money and was so successful it helped fund other films and video games that wouldn't make as much money like The Lego Movie game
•  ensemble cast: a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one which is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time. As the Lego  movie has multiple different famous actors. 
•  conglomerate:  media conglomerate, or a company that owns numerous other companies.
• Vertical integration: Is a process whereby a single company controls both the production and the supply. So TT Fusion, owned by Warner Bros, makes the video game.

Task 3:

Part 1

There are numerous of fight sequences in which the good characters take on various baddies, including Lego robots and Lego skeletons. The Lego figures kick and punch at each other, while leaping around in fantastical style and by no means does it include aggression or suffering.

  Very few of the blows are clearly seen to land
and all the action involves toy figures rather than humans. Occasionally the heads of the Lego figures pop off during fights and one character's head is knocked off. In addition, science fiction space ships and robots shooting laser beams at others, causing explosions and crashes. No one is seen to get hurt and the fact that all the fighting involves animated toy figures means that the fantasy nature of the violence is very clear. There is also extreme mild language like “butt and “bum” and “darn” which many parents would consider not offensive.

Task 3:

Part 2

The PEGI 3 game will not contain any inappropriate content, but it may be too difficult for younger children to master. On the other hand, some PEGI 18 games are fairly simple to play but contain features that are inappropriate for a younger audience. The Lego Movie game is somewhere in between these two ends of the spectrum
 because it has some mildly inappropriate context and some violence, such as Lord Businesses robots attacking Emmet, but no nudity, swearing, sex, or other highly inappropriate things, so it isn't as high as 18, which is on the other end of the spectrum. It's a 7+ because it's appropriate for persons who are older and more prone to bad behaviour.

 

 

 

 

We start with the Lego movie. Watch the official trailer here

Task 1: how does Emmet come across? How effective would this trailer be in promoting the film?

 

Emmets comes across a man who enjoys life and is full of energy and enthusiasm. We see this when Emmet wakes up and is excited about starting the day. We learn that Emmet does not have any physical abilities due to him struggling to do 4 jumping jacks. We also see that Emmet wants to fit in with everyone else so he buys coffee however he does not complain or make a comment about the coffee being overpriced due to him wanting to create a scene and stand out. Furthermore, we learn that some people perceive Emmett as stupid like when he showed Lucy his double couch idea and she thought it was awful showing some people think Emmet lacks in intelligence. We also learn that Emmet thinks he is not unique or special and thinks he has no heroic qualities and needs to be told what to do showing. He has no leadership qualities or independence as well.

The trailer is very effective in promoting the film as it displays Emmitt as an ordinary man and an unlikely hero. The trailer shows how good-humoured Emmet is and how he lacks in physically abilities which is ironic as traditionally heroes are supposed to be extremely strong and athletic. So, the trailer provides entertainment through a comedic aspect as Emmitt is the complete opposite to a hero due to him struggling to do a jumping Jack and not wanting to be special.  The trailer is also appealing to the audience as it provides escapism and allows people to have a laugh and a giggle. Emmet is also an unlikely hero as he does not complain about his overpriced coffee due to him wanting to fit in whereas Batman would have been the complete opposite.  The trailer also helps some people connect who feel like they are ordinary and inspires them to think they are special and can achieve things.