For our media production piece, we picked to create a music video which we based on the alternative rock genre. We created a band called Oblivion which consisted of three members, and chose the song Wake Up Call by Nothing But Thieves - we recommend this band, they are amazing. Anyway, our abstract music video is about different types of addiction and how they all lead to the need for a Wake Up Call. The idea of time is important as it emphasises how people can waste their life being caught up in a situation which they could simply escape from.
Here is the final cut of our music video, we hope you enjoy it.
Game of Thrones is one of
the most talked about TV shows globally. One of the reasons is because it
tackles taboos within society surrounding nudity and the portrayal of sex. The
taboo of sex has been around for a long time as it represses human primal
sexual instinct, and it has been enforced by many different cultural and
religious structures. Today, it still shocks us as audiences to see nudity in
its raw sexual nature and we feel uncomfortable watching it with other
generations. So, we can see why Game of Thrones has this shock factor element
which entices audiences to return to the show.
Season 1 of Game of Thrones
is statistically the most extensive when it comes to the levels of nudity (hence
why it is rated a TV-Ma). This infographic shows that the average number of
breasts shown in each episode is 5.6 – this is considerable when given that
only 2 full-frontal naked men were shown. Is this equal?
Modern audiences have
become desensitised to female nudity which contrasts the shock we get from
seeing a nude male. This shows that society as a whole has become more used to
the ideology that females are allowed to be sexually objectified for ratings
and views. In other words, sex sells. "I feel like there's a little bit of inequality between the amount of nudity that happens with women—this woman in particular—and that happens with the other guys" – Emilia Clarke This inequality is further represented by the character of Ros. Her character is not present in any of the books; however she was prominent through season 1. She is a prostitute and therefore known as a key character for sexual scenes. This may suggest that the screenwriters intend a hyper-sexualised story in order to engage audiences for something other than the fantasy plot. With reference to the theory of male gaze (Laura Mulvey, 1970s) Ros is the embodiment of an ideal female, and with her job as a prostitute, she is largely objectified as is literally used for her body. The writers probably made this choice to engage with their primary male demographic. As shown in the pie charts, the viewership of males has grown since the first season, maybe creating an expectation of the show as being more nudity driven and controversial.
The film made by
Disney shows such progression in the content and morals that the inject
audiences with. Zootopia’s main moral is that prey should not fear predator
because they are different and through sharp-witted commentary the audience was
exposed to the parallel storyline of modern race relations. Although, there is
many funny scenes such as the sloths working in the DMV which can relate to
many across America. The film follows the storyline of Judy Hopps who is a
rabbit trying to make it into a predator environment in that being the police
force of Zootopia.The rabbit
cop is trying to solve the mystery behind a string of strange disappearances
which leads her to a press conference where she is seen to revolt back to the
ideologies of her parents on predators, despite her getting to know the fox and
understanding he is not out to get her.
EVALUATION:
Firstly, Zootopia
opens with a young Judy Hopps in an elementary school performance the history
between predator and prey. Judy explains, the jungle was a place defined by
“fear, treachery, and bloodlust” where prey animals lived in a constant state
of primal fear of predators who hunted them. Within Zootopia the animals are
not to fear each other but live in harmony, conforming to the hegemony's views on society. However, it is shown in the film that there is still problems in social and
biological levels as some have better chances than others. This producing a complicated conversation about the ways that politics, prejudice
and class shape the how people relate to one another.
Though Judy comes
from a large family of country carrot farmers, she moves to the city to
become a police officer, a profession traditionally dominated by larger
predator animals and males mostly. While her family has to accept that she
wants to be a cop, they make a good point of warning her about the dangers of
the big city specifically biological differences that that foxes and other
predators have towards violence. While it’d be easy for Zootopia to lean on the
predator vs. prey binary opposites as the narrator suggests, the film actually
highlights the complicated the relationships between nearly all of its animals,
representing humans within society. For example, in the same breath that Judy’s father warns
her about killer wolves, he makes an off-handed comment about a weasel friend
who cheats at cribbage.
Additionally, when
Zootopia’s full plot kicks in, it’s clear that the film makers are not just
speaking to the movie’s target audience of kids. In the process of
investigating the disappearance of predators across the city, Judy and Nick
stumble across a series of attacks involving predators suddenly going ‘savage’–reverting
to their animal instincts and viciously attacking other people. Judy’s role in
the investigation legitimises her as a cop but she then becomes a mouth piece
to the cops by stating, ‘It may have something to do with biology,’ Jody
responds to a reporter during a press conference about why some predators are
suddenly turning savage. ‘A biological component, you know, something in their
DNA. years ago, um, predators survived through their aggressive hunting
instincts. For whatever reason, they seem to be reverting back to their primitive,
savage ways.’ The world of Zootopia is sent into a state of fear and it shots
through with elements of many of the real-world police-run press conferences
that have following dozens of high-profile shooting of black people in recent
years. Though Judy admits that the ZPD doesn't know the specific details of the
case, reporters focus on the few problematic statements she feeds them while
taking in visuals of rabid, muzzled animals that the police have detained.
Furthermore,
linking to the political state of America at the moment with the democratic leader
Hillary Clinton speaking of her ideology in the 90s of a “super predator’. She believed
that black crime in the 90s leaded children to become ‘super-predators. No
conscience, no empathy.’ This reflecting the news reports after Judy Hopps does
the interview as many prey (White Americans) share the view of the ‘super
predator’ and both events resulted in media frenzy as the hegemony went into
shock. Despite Judy knowing it is morally wrong to assume that all predators
are biologically destined to be dangerous, but as a police officer narrative that
is best for her to present to the hegemony. Zootopia, assistant mayor Dawn
Bellwether explains, is 90% prey and the people just want to be safe from
danger. Therefore, showing that corrupt political figures that many agree with
can gain power when moral panic takes place to which the media has controlled.
Moreover,
interestingly the voice of the Chief Bogo being Idris Elba shows that Disney as
an institution is not afraid of progressing and helping to remove the racial
stereotypes that stand in the way of some. More significantly as Idris Elba
stood against the Oscars and argued that more black actors should be nominated,
which shows that Disney did an honest job in covering social issues that hold importance to audiences.
Samantha and I are both fans of the current zeitgeist that
is the superhero-fiction genre. Though, it can be agreed that it wasn’t The Avengers or The Dark Knight trilogy that introduced us to this genre. We were
introduced at a younger age, growing up on superhero cartoons, films like the
first Spider-Man franchise and of course X-Men, the Marvel franchise that
started off the 21st century.
X-Men, in our opinion, is one of the most significant and complex
superhero franchises. It brings about ideologies of political conflict and the
mutants’ eternal struggle of being accepted as ‘normal’. In many ways, it
parallels society’s prejudice towards the unknown (xenophobia) as well as how
different mutants believe this conflict between humans and mutants should be
overcome. There is a debate between mutants that is symbolic of right wing vs.
left wing, militarism vs. pacifism, and other socio-political issues.
SEBASTIAN SHAW:
Mutants do not all belong to the X-Men. Stereotypically, audiences would expect all mutants to stay together and fight for the same reasons, using the same methods. However, some mutants have different ideologies to others; this of course causes conflict among mutants. Sebastian Shaw, the villain in First Class, believes that humans are a threat and are below mutants. He claims “We are the future of the human race”.
Sebastian Shaw is one of the characters who stands for the superiority of a certain race, the mutants, which symbolises a right-wing extremist character – he is for a social hierarchy, he is willing to kill those he sees as inferior, and in order to gain power. Who does that remind you of?
In this close-up shot, Sebastian Shaw is established as a villain. The low-key lighting and the gun shows his assertion of power on Magneto when he was a child. He wants to take over the world using mutants, and eradicate humans who he sees as the inferior species. From a Marxist point of view, Shaw is the bourgeoisie, asserting force on others in order to follow his ideologies. He can be interpreted as an extremist in bringing about his ideologies on the hegemonic mass of mutants, which means those who don’t follow him, as he claims “are my enemies”.
MAGNETO VS. PROFESSOR X:
Of course, this post can’t be complete without the ongoing ideological
conflict of Charles Xavier aka Professor X, and Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto. Magneto
is similar to Sebastian Shaw in that he believes in mutant superiority.
Charles, on the other hand, wants the mutants to live peacefully amongst
humans, without prejudice. In many ways, it can be linked to the Civil Rights
movements, especially as it is set in the USA. The mutants are symbolic of a
minority group, and Charles and Erik believe in different methods of fighting
for mutants. Charles Xavier is a pacifist, not believing in using violence at
any means, but rather would ‘fight’ for rights by educating humans and
believing that they can coexist in peace. However, Erik is all for embracing
what mutants really are, for example by always telling Mystique that he prefers
her ‘real’ looks. And what separates Erik from Charles is that Erik is willing
to use violence to reach his goals. Whilst fighting for the same aims, their
methods are completely the opposite. Their ongoing ideological conflict is
represented by the chess that they play throughout the franchise. This is
symbolic of their two juxtaposing beliefs. This motif is continued, to show
that Erik will never be changed by Charles; no matter how many times Charles
has told him that “There is so much more to you than you know. Not just pain
and anger.”
MUTANT VS HUMAN:
Then there is the conflict of mutants, who are the marginalised mass and the hegemonic mass, the humans, find it difficult to accept mutants. Some humans see mutation as dangerous because it is unknown to them, thus cannot be controlled by humans. Because they aren't humans, they are questioned of their human rights. The theme of prejudice runs in X-Men, whereby many humans stereotype mutants as dangerous, power-hungry creatures. Of course, characters like Professor X, and the X-Men squad prove that wrong - just because they have the 'X gene' does not take away their humanity. And this is similar to minorities, who have been seen as inhuman or inferior just because of their differences. Whether that be due to ethnicity, sexuality, gender or appearance. Hence why, the X-Men is complex in its portrayal of social, political and cultural difficulties which have and still occur in the real world.
Despite the generic first glance of
Pretty Little Liars, the show has many alternative readings which active
audiences can pick up on.
Pretty Little Liars
explores the life of four girls who learn of the tragedy of the leader of their
group, Alison. This event causing the start of what seems like a never ending force, that being '-A'. The TV show promotes the role of females within society as the
institution often depicts them as more powerful than adults and men around
them. Furthermore,
Pretty
Little
Liars
throughout the 6 seasons, so far, have worked well to inject audiences with
positive ideologies on things such as homosexuality where the show helped to
break down stereotypes.
EVALUATION:
In the poster for Pretty Little Liarsred coats are worn by all members. Thus, having intertextuality with two texts one being the American Revolution and the other being Steven Spielberg's
Schindler’s list. The red coats in the American Revolution were worn by the British
which fits with the political ideologies of America of being independent.
Additionally, it links with Schindler’s list in the black and white film
there is a blonde girl in colour wearing a red coat. This fits with the social
ideology of no war but peace that the hegemonic mass wants to achieve. However,
the poster shows that 'Liars Unite' meaning the war has not stopped but just begun as they can no longer live with 'A' in their lives. Furthermore, Pretty Little Liars shows a progressive representation of the female characters which adheres to the feminist ideology. As the show is so popular amongst teenage girls (C2DE audiences) it means it becomes a trend setter and forces other shows who cater for the same audiences to change from patriarchal ideologies of the past.
Moreover, in the trailer release for season 6Athe liars are shown in the mid shot with Mona in the background and a dark hooded figure. The hooded figure in the background links to the
ideology of xenophobia that the girls do not know what they are facing as the
character of A is unknown at this point. Xenophobia is shared with the
hegemonic mass as everyone wants to know who their enemies in life are rather
than being in the dark. Therefore relating with audiences, especially those that are teens as they have to face trolls on the internet daily. Additionally, the dark hooded figure could represent
the idea of Satan on their back as they have all lied, making it become a religious ideology of sin is wrong. Furthermore, the girls are shown in their
prom outfits which are all different which promotes the ideology of equality as the audience does not favour one of the characters due to their appearance.
Narcos has been a journey into the 1980s war on drugs and not only from a stereotypical American perspective. It sheds light on the thought process of Pablo Escobar's intentions for making Colombia great again, ironic we know. The NETFLIX Original gives both the DEA side and the Narcos side which allows the show to unfold with little bias meaning audiences can empathise with both.
EVALUATION: The NETFLIX adverts for Narcos are creative in a sense that they use real footage, which the TV show itself incorporates often to establish the documentary hybrid genre. In this specific trailer, a footage of Nancy Reagan from her Just Say No campaign is used to juxtapose the Medellin Cartel's exploitation of children as a means of defense. The repetition of the non-diegetic sound "Just Say No" is a binary opposite to each shot of the Cartel growing in size and gaining more power. We thought this trailer was one of Narcos' best, because it is short, yet captures the world of 1980s drug industries in South America. Hence why the intertitle contains a shape of South America made out of cocaine - it symbolises the main body of economy in South America.
NETFLIX uses character based print posters, which is conventional of the institution. (See NETFLIX Originals like Orange is the new Black). Narcos adhered to this convention, showing each important character as well as ideologies surrounding them. For example, Pablo Escobar's wife is presented very stereotypically of a submissive, religious wife. She is holding the cross necklace, which represents her Christian ideologies and how women were bound to a man through the religious vow of marriage. Tata Escobar, Pablo's wife is constantly by his side even after his affair and his crime, which symbolises the vow being more important to Tata than Pablo's notorious behaviour. She is the embodiment of patriarchal oppression on this poster, and NETFLIX makes sure that the audience sees this straight away.
Before we embark on our blog life, here are some get to know us questions.
1. -Natalia
2. - Samantha
MY FAVOURITE FOOD IS... 1. I THINK MY FAVOURITE FOOD IS SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN FROM DRAGON KING. OR TESCO'S CHOCOLATE CROISSANT... I PROMISE I AM NOT BASIC.
2. I LOVE DOMINO'S PIZZA DESPITE MY WHEAT INTOLERANCE. I JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH - BUT TBH, ALL FOOD IS GOOD. (NATALIA AGREES) I LIKE TO RELAX BY... 1. LISTENING TO ASMR AND THE XX. OOH. I CAN'T FORGET THE LUSH BATHS. 2. I RELAX BY WATCHING REALITY TV. DOES THAT MAKE ME A BAD PERSON? AND MY CAT (AND QUEEN) JINX. IF I HAD TO PICK.... TV SHOW: 1. SUPERNATURAL. THIS IS REALLY DIFFICULT SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD SHOWS EG. GAME OF THRONES, BREAKING BAD 2. PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, BUT I'M FALLING SLOWLY IN LOVE WITH NEW ONES (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK AND PRISON BREAK) MUSIC GENRE: 1. DEPENDS ON MY MOOD. AS DEFAULT I SAY ALTERNATIVE-POP-ROCK. 2. ALTERNATIVE ROCK. GUILTY PLEASURE: 1. THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE KYLIE JENNER'S SNAPCHAT AND BRITNEY SPEARS. 2. BINGE WATCHING YOUTUBE, EATING FOOD THAT'S TERRIBLE FOR YOU. AND THE KARDASHIANS. YOUTUBER: 1. NONE, IT ALWAYS CHANGES. 2. HELEN ANDERSON VIDEO: 1. YOU'RE CORRECT HORSE 2. TASTY'S WHOLE CHANNEL.
