1A structure

Paragraph 1
Introduction to product
Brief synopsis

Paragraph 2
Introduction of what was done
Research methods, websites etc

Paragraph 3
Comparison to similar products

Paragraph4
Problems encountered and how it was resolved
Codes and Conventions

Paragraph 5
Research of similar products (trailers)
How the build up of ancillary texts contributed to the main product

Paragraph 6
Conclusion - what was learnt over the course of two years

Evaluate A2 production in terms of narrative theories

For my A2 Media Coursework, we had to produce a music video. We chose a song by Meaning in Masterpiece called “Never Again” which is of an alternative genre played mainly with an acoustic guitar. We sparked a few ideas for the storyline and narrative from when we first heard the song. The group decided that we wanted it to represent a sad and depressing atmosphere in which the audience feel sympathy for the protagonist (Jake). We also wanted scenes of Jake playing the guitar in synch with the song as a parallel narrative. It was made slightly easier for us as Jake already knows how to play the guitar and was able to mime and pick up on the song quite quickly.

The lyrics helped us to think of a basic idea to what we wanted to portray to our audience. It shows Jake confused in his life as a girl keep appearing and disappearing throughout the video. As an audience, we have no idea who she is and this creates an enigmatic effect amongst us. We intended to capture Jake’s ‘day out’ and how emotionally scarred he is with the thoughts of this girl who keeps appearing and disappearing, allowing us as audience to make our own assumptions. Levi Strauss can be related to our product as there is a 'constant creation of conflict/opposition', in this case, the difference in colour. The use of black and white presents his mood and the atmosphere, and the colour at the end to show his present life and him literally ‘moving on’.

In comparison to other music videos that were similar to ours (eg Coldplay and James Blunt) we noticed a few codes and conventions used in their videos in which we decided to implement in ours. They seemed to have slow edits, slow movement and a simple narrative/storyline. In one of Coldplay’s videos – “Yellow”, he is seen walking on a beach, stressing how simple music videos of this particular genre can be. However we subverted to this as we wanted to bring something different to our audience, by having a complicated storyline with fast cuts where needed and rewinding to make a difference to the typical music video. Slow edits are evident in our music video, as our chosen song is slow. This subverts to similar products on the market, as discussed before.

A narrative theorist that our product can relate to is Roland Barthes and the "enigma code". The enigma code is that the narrative will establish enigmas or mysteries as it goes along. We see the appearance and disappearance of the antagonist which creates questions that remain unanswered until the end of the music video. The use of black and white also brings to attention on what the current tense may be and whether things are set in the past or the present.

Both Propp and Todorovvs theories suggest that there is a protagonist who is the hero in the narrative. It can be said that in our music video, Jake plays this part. The antagonist can be said to be the girl in which he keeps seeing therefore conforms to both of their theories. However there is no villain or 'princess' present, in which this subverts from their theories too. It can be argued that he needs 'saving' from himself as he is confused and broken and needs to escape his mind.

In conclusion, it is clear to see that our music video consists of many narrative theories, both conforming and subverting from them. The codes and conventions are clear and apparent for our audience to refer and relate to. Our music video brings something new onto the market, with unexpected scenarios; creating difference and uniqueness which is what most products aim to achieve nowadays.

How my skills have developed since AS media

Development of skills from AS to A2 on Prezi

THEORIST	IDEA	ARGUMENT	APPLICATION TO OUR PRODUCT / OTHER PRODUCTS
Berger 1995, Hoynes 1997	The Magic Bullet Theory	The "Magic Bullet" theory graphically assumes that the media's message is a bullet fired from the "media gun" into the viewer's "head"	We used mixed stereotypical codes and conventions of a thriller/drama hybrid to direct at our audience in order for them to capture the what we were trying to portray.
Blumer and Katz	Audience Gratification Theory	Escapism - Escape from everyday problems and routine, Personal Identity - Seeing yourself reflected in texts Personal Relationships - Finding a connection with someone in a text Surveillance - Keeping up to date with news and current information	Our product may relate to some of these theories as they may be going through similar situations regarding relationships or seeing themselves go through a similar situation (personal identity & relationships)
Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet (1994)	Two Step Flow Theory	That informal, personal contacts were mentioned far more frequently than exposure to radio or newspaper as sources of influence on voting behaviour	If we consider the film Inception, there were many views on that as it was something different on the market. Some liked the confusion and enigma it brang and therefore could have recommended it via word of mouth (part of the two step flow theory) Others may have read reviews on websites and magazines which has an influence on a person to watch it.
Abraham Maslow	Maslow's Hieracy of Needs	Often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid, with the largest and most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-actualization at the top.	Sympathy and vulnerability towards the protagonist.
Denis McQuail (1987), James Lull (1990), Richard Kilborn (1992)	Uses & Gratifications	DM - information - finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world. Personal identity. Integration and social interaction - identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging (social empathy). Entertainment - escaping or being diverted from problems. JL - offers a typology of the social uses of television based on ethnographic research. RK - offers a few common reasons for watching soaps e.g. regular part of domestic routine and entertaining reward for work, identification and involvement with characters and a kind of critical game involving knowledge of the rules and conventions of the genre	DM - may relate or identify themselves to our product or they may want to escape from problems in their everyday lives by watching a genre they haven't seen before or enjoy that particular genre. RK - similar reasons to DM. May watch a film as they deserve a break, 'entertainment' and 'reward for work'
Hans Robert Jauss	Reception Theory	Reception theory is a version of reader response literary theory that emphasizes the reader's reception of a literary text. A text (book, movie etc.) is not simply passively accepted by the audience, but that the reader / viewer interpret the meanings of the text based on their individual cultural background and life experiences. In essence, the meaning of a text is not inherent within the text itself, but is created within the relationship between the text and the reader.	An extension of Stuart Hall’s theory. A viewer can interpret our product depending on how their lives are lived. For example some may feel sympathy towards Beth as they may assume she is a vulnerable and innocent character, whereas someone else may think she doesn’t deserve happiness.
David Morley (1980)	Nationwide Audience	Nationwide was a popular news/current affairs magazine programme which had a regular early evening slot on weekdays from 6.00 to 7.00 pm on BBC1. It followed the main national news from London and included human interest stories from 'the regions' as well as a 'down-to-earth' look at the major events of the day. Morley conducted qualitative research with various participants from different educational and occupational backgrounds. He observed different responses to a clip of its budget special to see whether they would construct dominant, oppositional or negotiated readings (the three categories of readings proposed by Hall).
John Fiske	Television Studies	Fiske disagrees with the theory that mass audiences consume the products that are offered to them without thought. Fiske rejects the notion of "the audience" which assumes an uncritical mass. He instead suggests "audiences" with various social backgrounds and identities enabling them to receive texts differently.
Stuart Hall	Encoding & Decoding Theory	The media encodes messages within texts for audiences to decode. The audience does not simply passively accept a text and decode these messages according to their lives and what is relevant to them to interpret it in the way they want.	Encoded messages are in our film opening in which the audience can decode to what they want it to mean for them. For example, someone going through a breakup may decode the message in a different way to someone who is single, as it is more relevant to them.

Audience Gratification Theories