Ed Sheeran and Eminem locked in a battle for the Christmas number one

Ed Sheeran's Perfect remains the front-runner for this year's Christmas number one, but Eminem is closing in fast. The rapper is a surprise new entry at number two in the mid-week chart update with River, a song that dissects a toxic relationship.

According to the Official Charts, Sheeran is still ahead on pure sales, but Eminem is getting more streams."You couldn't call it one way or the other without being wrong," charts expert James Masterton told the BBC

I have chosen this piece of news to demonstrate masculinity within the music industry, to represent how singers fight for compatition to get the top of the charts, and for fame and fortune.

In my opinion, competition is a good thing because it drives creators for development and improvements to be the best. Therefore this masculine battle demo shows the competitive side of men.

Controversy around Karen Gillan's revealing costume in Jumanji

Jumanji is a new fantasy-action film which is going to be released on the 20th of December 2017, the directer is Jake Kasdan. There has been a range of controversy towards Jumanji due to Karen Gillan's revealing costume, she plays the role of Ruby Roundhouse.

As shown by the trailer she is represented as a look alike to Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, due to her revealing and inappropriate mise-en-scéne. But there has been reports that this controversy is actually deliberate to raise a point in the film and its meant to relate to the narrative of the film. 

Additionally, Karen Gillan was completely fine with the costume because she says there is a reason behind it, as shown by the quote below:

I have chosen this piece of news to demonstrate the over sexualisation of woman across the media and film industry, even if its meant to has a reason behind it. This piece of news could link to my exam and course work to represent how woman are expected to dress inappropriate to suit a movie.

In my opinion, if Karen Gillan is fine with it and accepts the meaning behind it, i think this if acceptable and people should judge the movie before they have even watched it. 

Who won The X Factor 2017?

Rak-Su has been announced the winner of The X Factor 2017.

Rak-Su is a boy band who beat Grace Davies, who is a solo female artist. Rak-Su managed to get to the top spot and will now release Dimelo with Wyclef Jean and Naughty Boy. Dermot O'Leary announced the news in a live final that saw Little Mix, P!nk and Sam Smith perform.

Simon said: "I want to say first of all congratulations to Grace who is really an outstanding artist" adding "Obviously to the guys, Rak-Su, you are gentleman, stars and to everyone that voted thank you.

I have chosen this piece of news to represent how different ethnicities are not judge or seen differently with X Factor, therefore they won. However, this victory for Rak-Su could suggest that Grace Davies didn't win because she is female, and she wasn't represented in a masculine and popular light, unlike Rak-Su. Therefore this piece of news could be used as a reference to show and suggest how men overpower woman in most or all cases.

In my opinion, i think Grace Davies had more potential than any of the members in Rak-Su, but they did attract more of a audience with their own songs which were fun and exciting in comparison to Grace Davies sad and slow songs which she also made, but she did have the superior voice.

Former TV presenter John Leslie charged with sexual assault

John Leslie (aged 52, 22 February 1965 ) is a Scottish former television and radio presenter he was the Wheel of Fortune and Blue Peter star. Leslie has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman in an Edinburgh nightclub.

John Leslie is alleged to have put his hand up the woman's skirt. She is a 26-year-old woman who was on a hen night when the alleged incident took place at Atik in the city's Tollcross area. There is reports that it occurred at an event to mark the club's re-opening in June.

"Police in Edinburgh have charged a 52-year-old man following a report that a 26-year-old woman was the victim of a sexual assault at a nightclub in the Tollcross area on Sunday 25 June."

I have chosen this piece of news to represent that wealthy and privileged men sexually assault woman and think that they can get away with it. Additionally, this assault could link to my exam because it demonstrates that men sexually abuse young and vulnerable woman.

In my opinion, this is unacceptable and he should be charged and sentanced to prison time so that he learns that this isnt right, and so other men see him as a example. 

Gone Too Far

The comedy-drama film Gone Too Far(2013, Directed by Destiny Ekaragha) is a British Nigerian movie, with a small budget of only £200,000, which is a very low budget for a movie. It stars OC Ukeje, Adelayo Adedayo, Shanika Warren-Markland and Malachi Kirby. The production of the film was made up of a range of people and companies; Cimematography was done by Stil Williams, editing by Anna Dick, production company was Poisson Rogue Pictures and distributed by FilmOne Distribution. 

Gone Too Far has a range of themes, such as masculinity, crime and family. Masculinity if defined as qualities or attributes which are regarded as characteristic men. Throughout the film masculinity was a frequent theme which carried the narrative and story. For example, the main character Yemi, which was played by Malachi Kirby, was a strong and independent character who is reflected by masculinity. Furthermore Yemi was represented like a tough and "cool" male, like most of the other male characters to show dominance. On the other hand,  Iku, who was played by OC Ukeje contrasts the masculinity stereotype to resemble the culture in Nigeria , which is seen as opposite in the UK from most of the characters prospective. 

Crime is a minor theme which scatters Gone Too Far. Violence and fighting was used to make the film more dramatic and exciting. Furthermore crime was effectively used as humour throughout the film. In one scene, the two brothers are stereotypically suspicious when entering a shop, which resembles theft, therefore the guard searches one of them to find a misplaced product. This is to humour the audience and move on the story with some conflict.

In conclusion, Gone Too Far is a comedy-drama with a low budget, which uses a range of stereotypical characters to illustrate a common day within that area and culture. The film uses crime as humour to keep the audience interested, additionally, conflict and violence is a theme to carry the narrative along.

Weekly news- Aled Jones denies 'inappropriate' behaviour

Aled Jones is a famous Welsh singer and presenter, he was in TV shows such as Songs of Praise, Daybreak, Escape to the Country and more with his fragile reputation. He is a 46 year old father of two and yet, he has been accused of "inappropriate messaging and contact".

Sexual harassment news has been a concurrent theme throughout the past few months. And Aled Jones has now be accused. He has apologised for any disturbances which the allegations may of caused, he is "deeply sorry". But Jones strongly denies all of the allegations to a certain state. He has been accused of inappropriate messages and behaviour to a woman, but he "apparently" accepted his poor behaviour but still denies sexual harassment or inappropriate contact.

I have chosen this piece of news to demonstrate how often men in the media sexually take advantage of woman, especially in recent news. Furthermore, this news could link to my course work/exam because it represents how men negatively view woman; as objects which they can just sexually abuse when they please.

In my opinion, i wouldn't be surprised if the accusations towards Aled Jones were correct. But at the same time, sexual harassment is unacceptable in any case, and if Jones lied, he should be charged or punished so that he and others understand the consequences of sexual harassment.

Course Work Mood Board

Weekly News- Jimmy Fallon emotionally pays tribute to his mother

Jimmy Fallon is a famous American comedian who was born in 1974 at New York. He hosts a popular comedian show called Tonight Show. He had to cancel lasts weeks episode so that he could be by his mother side, until her very last breath.

Jimmy Fallon's mother was named Gloria Fallon and she died at the age of 68 years old. Jimmy Fallon described her as "The best audience" and adding, "She was the one i was always trying to make laugh". And Jimmy Fallon has a close relationship with his mother, as suggested by this quote below:

Jimmy Fallon paid tribute to his mother by emotionally sharing a story about him and his mother:

"When we were little, my mum would walk us to the store - me and my sister - and we would hold hands. And she would squeeze my hand three times and say, 'I love you,' and I would squeeze back, 'I love you too.'

This can be viewed through this video below:

I have chosen this piece of news to highlights the heartwarming relationship between Jimmy Fallon and his mother. Furthermore this news could link to my course work because it represents how men view their mothers, suggesting a positive/negative relationship which could reference stereotypes which my course work explores.

In my opinion Jimmy Fallon was being sincere about his relationship with his mother, and he just wanted to pay tribute by sharing a personal experience which represents Jimmy Fallon's respect and love for his past away mother.

Comparison between Moonlight, SkyFall and Kingsman

This report explores the representation of class, masculinity and gender in film franchises with specific reference to Skyfall, Kingsman and Moonlight. Throughout my research investigation, i have produced this report which highlights how films have profited from controversial representations and basic stereotypes about everyday people. Although these films have a range of similarities, they do contrast from one another in certain representations.

Masculinity is a continuous theme throughout old and modern films, but James Bond films wouldn't even exist without it. SkyFall(2012) which was directed by S.Mendes is a prime example of how masculinity is over exaggerated to make James Bond save the world in every single movie.  Masculinity is the backbone of James Bond. All of their films stereotypically represent that white English men are privileged and upper class  with their wealth and power, alongside their line of woman following them. This poorly represents how general people live in England. On the other hand, Kingsman(2014) which was directed by M.Vaughn, takes a different standpoint from the spy film genre. Their view on masculinity is contrasted compared to Skyfall, and the main protagonist "Eggsy" is represented as a lower class teenager with low expectations. Therefore Kingsman's representation of masculinity is suggested to be opposite to Skyfall. But this is not the case, due to the upper class which makes up the entire Kingsman spy organisation. On the other hand, the drama romance hybrid film called Moonlight(2016), which was directed by Barry Jenkins, has a unique representation of men and masculinity, due to its ventures to other views which contradicts to typically stereotypes. This is gradually explored through the main protagonist, who is a homosexual black male named "Chiron". This character breaks the stereotypical and controversial views on masculinity which Skyfall and Kingsman fail to comprehend.

Furthermore, the representation of woman throughout films are limited to objects and damsels in distress. This is suggested in Skyfall due to the gradual increase of  woman which James Bond has slept with through the course of the film. This is a common and overlooked theme in all James Bond films since the start of the franchise. Similarly, in Kingsman the relationship between Eggsy and Princess Tilde is simply limited to a controversial sex scene at the end of the film. Additionally, Tilde is also represented as a damsel in distress due to her imprisonment, which relates to a princess locked in a tower, waiting for a strong male hero to rescue her. In addition to this, Moonlight also limits woman who sell their bodies for profit. This is presented by Chiron's mother Paula, she is a drug addicted who actively sleeps with men for money, to then buy more drugs. This gives the audience the impression that she is a prostitute who wants to live like that, but it also suggests that she has no other choice. In contrast to this, Kingsman represents woman in a different light aswell, the Kingsman Spy Roxy, is represented as a independent and strong woman who fights for what she believes in. She is equal or even better than Eggsy, which suggests that Kingsman represents woman in a range of prospectives.

Irish stand-up star and BBC quiz show panellist Sean Hughes has died aged 51.

Richard Bucknall, his former agent and promoter, said the "formidable" comic died in hospital on Monday and would be remembered for his "superb wit".
Hughes was a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks on BBC Two and had his own Channel 4 sitcom, Sean's Show.

Fellow comedians, including Al Murray, Katy Brand and Jason Manford, have been paying tribute to the performer, who was also a writer and actor. In 1990, Hughes - then 24 - became the youngest person to win the coveted Perrier Award - now known as the Edinburgh Comedy Award - at the Edinburgh Festival.

"I was told that I had won the Perrier award as I walked off stage after another sweaty performance," Hughes later wrote in The Guardian. "The judging panel rushed on to the stage to congratulate me.

"'Will it go to his head?'. I doubt it. If the panel had made it 10 minutes earlier, they would have seen two people walking out of my award-winning show."

Nica Burns, director of the awards, remembered him as "a huge talent" and "a very good writer" who had "instinctive timing from day one".

Weekly news- Rapper Nelly arrested over alleged tour bus rape

The popular and famed Rapper Nelly, aged 42 with the real name of Cornell Iral Haynes Jr who is most known for his US number one hits "Hot in herre" and "Dilemma" has been arrested after allegations from a woman who accused him of raping her on his tour bus before a concert close to Seattle.

Police reported that they arrested Nelly after a woman called emergency services around 3:50 to report the rape. But Nelly denies all of the claims and now has been released.













Rapper Nelly tweeted on social media "I have not been charged... therefore no bail was required" adding "I was released, pending further investigation."

In addition to this, the rapper also tweeted "I am completely innocent," he said. "I am confident that once the facts are looked at, it will be very clear that I am the victim of a false allegation." And he said "beyond shocked that I have been targeted with this false allegation".

Kim Kardashian is expecting a new baby

Kim Kardashian-west said that she and Kenya west are expecting a new baby after the end of a trailer for the new series of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, she says to her sister Khole "we're having a baby"

In season 14 of Keeping Up With The Kardashians there was a clip, Kim is speaking to Khloe in a video call.

Kim Kardashians: "What happens every time I say, 'Guess what?'"

Khloe Kardashians: "The person's pregnant?"

Kim Kardashians:, "We're having a baby!".


Kim Kardashians has already have 2 children, daughter North, four, and son Saint and now she is scheduled a third, this is seems the case and she has not specifically confirmed it, but she has not denied it.  

Black Mirror- Comparing Season 1 Episode 2 and 3

Black mirror episode 2 consists of a futuristic world where lower class people's lives are limited to riding exercise bikes to slowly gain credits to purchase food/drinks and other luxury supplies. The main protagonist is a black male who is presented as a simple worker who's job is to continuously ride a exercise bike until the dawn of time alongside similar workers, but he gets to know a woman who's dream is to get on the singing competition show. The main protagonist gets to know her, and selflessly donates all of his credits to her so that she can live her dream. But things go side ways and the woman does the singing audition and the twisted judges think she is a good singer, but she is a better 'attractive object'. This demonstrates the working class in the future, and how they are used for the higher class in entertainment and energy. Alongside this, it shows that the black male is selfless and kind, so he help the 'damsel in distress' by giving her the possibility to reach her dreams, but this doesn't turn out for the best.

On the other hand, episode 3 is world where everyone is connected, and everything is recorded through people's eyes. People have got implants in their brain so that they are able to recall all of their memory's and display it on screens to share it. This demonstrates a world of which people are monitored but at the same time no one in the episode is living in poverty, every has large houses and brain implants. Furthermore, in comparison to this in episode 2 it shows people forced to ride bikes for their entire lives, but in episode 3 everyone is living in luxury with mind blowing technological advances. Alongside this, in episode 3 all of the wealthy people are white and there was hardly any other ethnicity which owned or used advanced technology or had fancy houses. This could show a stereotype that white people more successful. In contrast to this, the main character for the second episode was a black male, but he was represented as a caring and determined independent man who wanted to rescue the woman. Furthermore, this shows a stereotype of woman as seen as damsels in distress due to her needing his help and his rescue throughout the episode.

Weekly news- Strictly beats The X Factor in first ratings clash of 2017

Competition shows have spread like wild fire across all TV since the 21 century. They have become insanely competitive and popular with millions upon millions of live viewers every episode. Competition shows raise and fall each year, as shown by Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor.

The new live TV episode of Strictly Come Dancing has overthrown their TV rival, The X Factor. Strictly Come Dancing had an average of 9.3 million live views on BBC One on Saturday night, on the other hand X Factor's audience was a miserly 4.8 million in comparison.

X Factor overlapped Strictly Come Dancing for a whole 45 minutes, which decreased X Factor's views drastically. This suggests that X Factor's audience doesnt seem to find the show appealing and would rather watch another show. X Factor's audience has had a steady decline, views fell by 1.5 million on last weeks episode, its the lowest opening viewership since 2004.

This could slowly result in a lower popularity for the X Factor because its genre of competition is getting matched by other shows like The Voice. This could present to dawn of other entertaining shows like Strictly Come Dancing 

A2 Media Course Work

Jordan Russ


Explore the representation of how women in video games are seen as damsels in distress with particular reference to Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us and Tomb Raider.

My research investigation explores the representations of women in video games with particular reference to Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us and Tomb raider. Throughout my research i have concluded that most video games stereotypically limit female characters to basic side roles. Additionally, game designers still manage to over-sexualize their bodies, whilst minimizing their personalities; to helpless damsels in distress who are "designed as stereotypically feminine"[1] . Furthermore, my research indicates that in some cases, video games challenge stereotypes but this is rarely the case.  Although video games have massively developed and changed throughout the the 21st century, they still feed off female stereotypes, making them irresistible to their target audience.  

Video games have only been out for 60 years, movies have been out for over a hundred years and music has been around for countless generations, and yet video games make "More Revenue Than Movies and Music"[2]. Video games have been influenced from the ever-changing world of which we live in, to a point where video games use, but challenge female stereotypes to suit there game and audience. This can be reflected by the video games ‘Bioshock Infinite (2013)’ and ‘The Last of Us (2013) ’. Both of the main female characters in these games are first represented as damsels in distress, and yet both characters challenge this stereotype by surviving on their own in most cases in later parts of theirs games. On the over hand, in the game ‘Tomb Raider (2013)’ the main character is a strong and independent female character who isn't limited to any stereotypes. 

Video games take advantage of female stereotypes in a range of ways, either by following them, or by stretching the controversial views of them to entice player's interest. This is gradually represented in the flexi-narrative first person shooter ‘Bioshock Infinite’ where the player controls a stereotypical strong and brave male named Booker Dewitt who is the 'hero' that rescues the damsel. Booker Dewitt is opposite  compared to the main female character "Elizabeth", because she is suggested to be a scared and harmless female, who requires a male to save her. But the game slowly reveals that Booker Dewitt is the person who needs rescuing in the end.

In Bioshock Infinite, Elizabeth does first appear as a stereotypical women who is attractive and feminine but througout the course of the game she  overcomes those stereotypes and develops into an independent super-power who triumphs over any challenges in her way. For example, she murders and kills enemies who apposes her, even though she previously fled from the first sight of violence. She visually transforms from a “princess” trapped in a tower to a ruthless killer who fights for revenge against her farther. The princess stereotype links to the book ‘Critical reading: Media and Gender’[3] where it states that woman tend to mainly be limited to basic characters and damsel roles, like a princess in a fairy tale. For example; Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella Etc. All of these fairy tales demonstrate a damsel in distress female character which Elizabeth represents.

Women are over sexualized in most character roles throughout the media, especially in video games. For example, stated in the book ‘Critical Reading: Media & Genders’[3] they are stereotypical represented as ‘Barbie dolls’ who must fill out certain characteristics. This includes: white, attractive, impossible thin, long legs, large chest and fashionable. This brief list highlights the limitation of character choices for females. This over sexualisation view on woman links to the damsel in distress stereotype within Bioshock Infinite. The main character ‘Elizabeth’ is presented as a princess trapped in a tower, locked away by her evil farther. Although she challenges the female stereotypes throughout the game, she suits the over sexualizing stereotype list which the previous book entails. Even though she may fit into that stereotype bracket, the game does demonstrate that she challenges and contrasts the damsel in distress stereotype throughout the course of the game. This can be suggested by the images below, they demonstrate how Elizabeth has changed from innocent to cunning from the start to the end of Bioshock Infinite. The mise-en-scéne in the first image suggests a "cute" and innocent young girl with her life ahead of her, due to her slight smile and bright outfit. On the other hand, the mise-en-scéne of the second image suggests that Elizabeth is emotionless, with her cigarette and colourless outfit, which is opposite from her previous clothes. Although her outfit is dark, she wears a red bow tie which may link or symbolise her bright past.


 The poor representation of woman in the game could be due to the limited number of woman who made the game. The developers ‘2K Games’ of Bioshock Infinite have a majority of males working in the company, "14% of people working in the UK games industry are women" [4]. In addition to this, the image below shows the Bioshock Infinite front cover, it gives a complete contrast between the male and female main characters. This is due to the placement and emotions of Elizabeth and Booker. Booker; is the main character on the cover and he is represented as a strong, independent and deadly looking man wielding a shotgun, and he doesn't even seem distressed at all compared to Elizabeth who looks fragile, distressed and scared. Additionally, Elizabeth seems to be fleeing helplessly into the background whilst staring at Booker Dewitt in awe as he bravely stands his ground protecting her. 




















In contrast to this, within the game ‘Tomb Raider’ the main character is female, and she is represented as a“intelligent, butt-kicking, gun-wielding, sexpot, ready to take on whatever comes her way” as stated by "Representation of Gender in Video Games"[5]. As shown by the image below, Lara is opposite to Elizabeth because Lara stands strongly within a dark and spooky cave whilst getting bashed by waves and wielding a deadly bow. On the other hand, throughout every game of Tomb Raider, her outfit is over sexualized, revealing and tight alongside her ‘Barbie’ like features. This is suggested in the game cover  below because Lara's outfit looks dirty, rough and ripped. This may suggest that she has been struggling to survive with all odds against her. But the game designers may have deliberately presented Lara as this to draw a male audience, due to a attractive and young female on the front cover. The limited representations of Lara Croft could link to the limited female to male ratio in the company who actually produced Tomb Raider, perhaps the male developers just made Lara Craft a "dream girl" just to appeal to them and their audience, “the best of both worlds; adventure and pleasure”[5].




Throughout most video games, ethnicity is limited and represented poorly. Within Bioshock Infinite, the main protagonist characters are all white, but there is one black female character, named Daisy Fitzroy who is a strong and determined female character who inspires people to fight for freedom and hope against the racist leader who thinks that black people are linked to "criminality or poverty"[6]. Daisy Fitzroy is adverse to Elizabeth because Daisy is instantly represented as a fighter, who does anything to achieve what she believes in. This demonstrates that Bioshock Infinite represents black females as a more determined and capable ethnicity in comparison to the delicate and peaceful white females such as Elizabeth. 



In the zombie-apocalypse world of the thrilling third person game ‘The Last Of Us’ women are mainly presented as independent fighters who can be just as good as any man who wants to stay alive. This game pulls the player in through the use of its unique and devastating environments, and corresponding genres of a thriller game with elements of sub-genres like a horror game. The player mainly controls the male character named Joel who is somewhat of a father figure to a young female main character named Ellie, even though Joel was just hired to smuggle Ellie to another location. Ellie is started off as being represented as a "vulnerable, but capable"[7] damsel in distress who relies on Joel in order to survive, but she turns out to be more than that later in the game. But in addition to this, another female character challenges the damsel in distress stereotype, this character is named Tess. She is a ruthless and unforgiving smuggler who stands up for herself no matter what. She cold bloodedly kills a man because he gave away her stash of guns to a rebel organization named fireflies, behind her back. And Tess destroys the infected with swift ease. Tess is also seen as heroic due to her last moment, where she sacrifices her life to buy time for Joel and Ellie to escape ruthless soldiers. She shoots two experienced soldiers for the price of her life. This overhauls the stereotype of how women are seen as damsels in distress, in video games. Also Tess is similar to Lara Croft in Tomb Raider due to her combat abilities and determination to achieve her goals. They are both independent women who can rival any man, which contrasts the damsel in distress representation which they may face. Additionally, Tess's bravery could forecast the character development of Ellie, it could represent what she could eventually become. Tess could be seen as a role model to Ellie and even the female audience in which they can do if they beat the damsel in distress stereotype. 

In contrast to both of these games, the intense and graphically advanced third person shooter game ‘Tomb Raider’ truly emphasises how women could possibly do anything to survive and thrive in a remote and dangerous island, inhabited by vicious murderers and psychopaths. The main character who the player controls is named Lara Croft, she is a skilled and talented shooter with a bow, pistol, machine gun, and anything she can kill someone with. Lara Croft pushes the boundaries of women stereotypes and makes her victorious in any situation. Throughout the game she is not the one who needs to be rescued, she is the person who rescues, helps and dominates on the island.

Although she is breaking the damsel in distress stereotype, she is presented as over sexualised through the use of her revealing and tight outfits which gradually become torn and battered. This links to her as being represented as an object then an independent hero. But other than that, throughout the game she is highlighted as a strong and intelligent woman who can do anything which is necessary. In addition to this, in intense parts of the game, dark lighting is used alongside scattered fires to create a chaotic atmosphere. Furthermore, the range of fast space non-diegetic music, which plays in combat, makes the fights more tense and thrilling. Even Though these elements in the game are used to make us feel frightened and scared, Lara Croft gets past all of it, which dismisses the damsel in distress stereotype completely.


In conclusion, my research has uncovered that video games require female stereotypes as a backbone to do further character development throughout the course of the game to show to the player how they have evolved and changed for the better or for worse to ensure that they can learn and survive. Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us equally challenge the stereotype of how women are seen as damsels in distress in video games. Both games do this by slowly revealing them as more confident and independent characters who don't require men for their accomplishments within the story of the game. This can be demonstrated in Bioshock Infinite. Elizabeth is seen as a damsel in distress when the player is first introduced to her, but the player witnesses Elizabeth turn from a princess to a ruthless killer who doesnt need a male hero, only herself. Although these two games show that women can overcome the damsel in distress stereotype, Tomb Raider doesn't even consider that stereotype and makes Lara a survivor who kills and destroys anything in her path to reach her goal. In my opinion, i think that video games cant help but stereotype women because most of the developers of the games are male, so they do not completely understand how to design females without these stereotypes in mind.

Bibliography

[1]  Damsels In Distress: Female Representation in Video Games
https://www.hastac.org/blogs/ezobel/2014/03/06/damsels-distress-female-representation-video-games

[2] Investing in Video Games: This Industry Pulls In More Revenue Than Movies, Music
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/investing-in-video-games-this-industry-pulls-in-more-revenue-than-movies-music-cm634585

[3] Critical reading: Media and Gender
https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=rWT4AAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP14&dq=Critical+reading:+Media+and+Gender+book&ots=aVdVyR8LAA&sig=GOzzx39sdJSUb4pnEYL7vllnvew#v=onepage&q=Critical%20reading%3A%20Media%20and%20Gender%20book&f=false

[4] The video game industry has a diversity problem – but it can be fixed https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/15/video-game-industry-diversity-problem-women-non-white-people

[5] "Representation of Gender in Video Games" 
https://mattdent123.wordpress.com/games-on-representation/tomb-raider/
[6] REPRESENTATION: CULTURE & PERCEPTION
https://perception.org/representation/

[7] ENDURE & SURVIVE: WOMEN IN ‘THE LAST OF US,’ PART ONE [IN-GAME]
https://femhype.com/2015/07/07/endure-survive-women-in-the-last-of-us-part-one-in-game/

Jordan Russ

Representation

Representation of Gender in the media
Within the media genders are stereotyped and simplified. This is suggested in the comedy TV series "The Simpsons", throughout the series the Simpson family is stereotyped because the character "Marge" is stereo-typically the stay at home mother without a job, and "Homer" is the unintelligent worker who drinks beer. This presents a representation that the media limits the genders into categorizes, especially in the Simpsons.

Representation of Ethnicity in the media

Representation of ethnicity is most of the time racist and stereotypicical. This is also shown in the series "The Simpsons" through the use of the character "Apu". This is a indain character who owns a corner shop and has a strong indain accent and he has a large family. This is a sterotype which shows that the representation of ethnicity in the media is more or less racist.  

Representation of Age in the media
Representation of age in the media normally limits the older generation as people who cant maintain themselves and cant function normally. This is represented in the comedy TV show "Community" through the use of the old character "Piece". This character is a old fashioned man with a bad back and poor hearing. This is a stereotype which makes old people seem weaker then younger generations. 

Representation of Events in the media
-BBC News
-The Sun

Representation of Issues in the media
-BBC News
-The Sun

Representation of National/Regional identity in the media
-Get out-Moonlight

Audiences : how different audiences are positioned
-Guardians of the galaxy
-Rogue one

Audiences : why audiences respond differently to media texts
-Family Guy
-Get out

Report

When creating my preproduction i did a range of research to learn and understand what is a thriller film and how are they presented. Firstly, i watched a 1991 thriller film named "Silence Of The Lambs". After watching the film i analysed and research information on what makes a good thriller film. I reviewed examples and conventions alongside analysing the structure and technical codes within thrillers. From my research i have found that thriller films contain a range of themes. This includes but not limiting: crime, romance, death, action, fear, violence, mind games and countless more. Most of these themes were included in the thriller "Silence Of The Lambs" and other thrillers which i have reviewed. In addition to this, thriller films contain a range of editing and technical codes. Whilst researching, i have found that a range of camera angles are key factors to provoke the audience in understanding the narrative. Close-ups of characters faces emphasis the character's emotion, making it more intense for the viewer. Likewise, a wide-shot could be used to display the atmosphere of a room making the audience feel more immersed in the film. Alongside this, the narrative and structure of thriller films are similar to one another. Each thriller film contains a antagonist in some way shape or form which makes chaos or disagreements, the protagonist is the hero of the film who defeats the antagonist and saves the day, likewise in "Silence Of The Lambs". Commonly, the structure of a thriller film includes a first conflict with the protagonists and antagonist which then later on follows a main conflict which brings the film to an end.

           "Silence Of The Lamb"

"The Figure"

I have watched a range of other films and TV series, these media text has influenced and informed my preproduction storyboard. From watching the TV series "The Walking Dead" i have learnt some key features of lighting and sound effects. Throughout this series, lighting is used to create the mood and atmosphere, making it more immersive. I have chosen to mainly have moody lighting in my storyboard to make it look more mysterious and appealing to my audience. Likewise, the choice of camera angles in "The Walking Dead" has informed me to use certain music in particular scenarios. Using slow and quite music in the background creates tension which makes the audience on edge about what is going to happen next. Alongside this, the comedy TV series "Community" uses a certain  mise-en-scène. I have used mise-en-scène to build narrative, my storyboard includes certain props to form a appealing story line. In the fantasy world of the TV series "Game Of Thrones" a range of editing is used to also create tension and narrative. From this series i have learnt how to effectively use a fade between scenes to represent time going by, and i have been informed on how to successfully use cuts between scenes.

My thriller film's target audience is young male/female teenagers aged 12+ and people who are interested in thriller films. Targeting a thriller film at this audience can come with a range of factors which had to come in consideration when designing my thriller film's poster and DVD cover. For example, most teenager targeted films have streamlined and easy to follow/understand narratives. But on the other hand making it too simplistic can cause difficulties, it could make them feel like its insulting their intelligence or it could just cause them to be uninterested. To resolve this there needs to be a balance, to successfully appeal to my target audience. Alongside this, teenagers appeal to a protagonist who is the same age as them, so that they can relate. That's why the main image of the DVD cover and poster are of a female teenager. When developing my film, i needed to consider suitable rude/offensive language and violence so that the film is still interesting and intriguing to the audience. After taken all of this into consideration my film must connote to the themes of violence, mystery, death and paranoia to efficiently attract my target audience.

"The Figure"

"The Hole"

"Red Riding Hood"

My production which is a DVD cover and poster of a thriller-horror hybrid film is titled "The Figure", my production has a range of strengths and weaknesses. Firstly, a strength of my poster takes advantage of technical codes like lighting. My main image is powerful and eye catching, through the use of it's piecing choice of colours of black and red, these colours suit my thriller theme. The red represents blood and violence and the black represents death and mystery. In addition to this, another strength of the main image is that it is bold, making it stand out from everything else on the poster. I used this choice of colours because of the many other thriller films which used this colour scheme, such as the film "Red Riding Hood". As shown in the "Red Riding Hood" poster, the colours of black and red is effectively used to suit the thriller theme. This poster influenced my poster design, the idea of using this type of colour scheme and layout is very appealing to my target audience. Likewise in the poster "The Hole" it uses dark colours to make the main image stand out. In addition to this, the choice of both of these posters having a main character displayed as the main image is another factor which i have used in my poster. The burst of colour also used in the film poster "The Hole" suits the usual conventions of a thriller, but meanwhile it still uses darkness to emphasise the main image.

"Dead Silence"

In addition to this, the theory "Levi-Strauss" of binary oppositions made me notice the opposition of villain VS hero is a often theme used in most thriller films. My film's poster has elements of this theory, alongside themes of paranoia and mystery.

Furthermore, my title was inspired by other DVD posters, especially the poster "Dead Silence". The choice of the faded and mysterious font emphasises the thriller theme and appeal to the target audience. My thriller film  took this into consideration, i used a worn and corrupted look with my title, this style perfectly suits the thriller theme and also looks creepy, mysterious and compelling which appeals to my target audience. Likewise, my choice of font used in my text was influenced by "Dead Silence"'s title, the blurred font connotes confusion and mystery. Furthermore, i decided to design my main character within the shadows and mist to suit the titles name, this connotes the feeling that the character is being watched or stalked. On top of this, the placement of the title is regarded from the "Dead Silence" title, both my and the "Dead Silence"'s title is placed clearly but both of them are damaged which suits the horror-thriller theme. Furthermore, the damaged/eroded title represents the idea of conflict or violence and the colour scheme of red and splatters of blackness illustrates death and danger. 

On my DVD cover i took advantage of including an review and star rating to illustrate to the audience the type of film it really is. Likewise i used reviews and star ratings on my poster to intrigue the audience and make them curious.
In addition to this, the reviews are from trustworthy sources which suit my target audience age range. This idea was instructed by the poster previously, "The Hole".

Although my DVD cover and poster have identical main images, they both display a young teenager which suits my target audience, making them able to relate. But both images are unique and different, the poster presents the main protagonist with elements of evil and a hint of death or violence. But on the other hand the DVD cover makes use of lighter colours which represent are more protagonist feeling to the audience but with a twist of mystery. These conventions was from the range of colours used throughout the posters previously viewed. Both of the deathless stares from the poster and DVD cover connotes the themes of a horror-thriller.

For my poster and DVD cover i included a tagline of "The shadows are watching" this tagline further resembles the thriller and paranoia theme. This was inspired by the "Moonlight" poster, its tagline is "This is the story of a lifetime", its tagline is more mysterious and intriguing, this shows that my tagline could use some improvement. In addition to this, the font and placement of the "Moonlight" tagline is small and doesn't draw your eye from the main image. My tagline for my poster stands out and draws the audiences attention, this is a weakness which could use improvements. Likewise my DVD's tagline is more hidden but it does still stand out through the use of its white font.

My poster also includes social media coverage through the use of the twitter, Facebook and Snapchat icons and hashtags along the bottom of the poster. These websites help audiences follow the film and find further information about it. This suits my target audience especially the Snapchat hashtag appeals to the teenage audience. Furthermore, i included the text "Coming soon" to make the audience create hype on the release of the film, and the audience could use the social media hashtags to follow updates,

With reference to your own detailed examples explore what affects how an audience may respond to a media text.

The target audience of the  TV series "The Walking Dead" are teenagers/young adults, aged 16+ who are interested in action and violence in a show. Someone who isn't the target audience may not decode the show correctly, so the action and violence may seem inappropriate to them. unlike people aged 16+ because they are able to decode the show and understand what is happening in the show. In addition to this, language and mode of address will seem alien and wrong to other audiences. For example, an older male may not understand the colloquial language used throughout "The Walking Dead", but teenagers will understand the choice of lexis. However, technical codes are also used to position the audience in an appropriate angle to particularly present a scene. For example, first person is to show a character's point of view, making the audience experience what the character is experiencing. On top of this, the choice of music will make audiences react differently.  

On the other hand, "The Walking Dead" contains a substantially large amount of blood and gore, particularly  in season 7 episode 1 were two main characters were slaughtered in front of their own friends. A audience who has a cultural belief of non-violence may respond negatively to this episode, making them not decode the show correctly to what he producer coded it about.

Likewise, in the comedy TV series "Community" the target audience is teenagers, the show appeals to their audience through the use of the theory personal identity. This theory will make the audience gain pleasure because they can relate to the show. In addition to this, the show can be used for social interaction, so that the audience can use the narrative of the series as experience in their own lives. But if a different audience watches the show, they may not decode it in the same way as the teenagers; causing confusion and misunderstanding. In addition to this, other viewers may be negotiated readers who only interprets some of the show. Through the use of the gratification theory of: entertainment and diversion, the target audience consumes the show to escape from pressures of everyday life.

Furthermore, culture/ethnicity groups may find some of the humor in "Community" offensive because they are oppositional readers who do not agree with the ideology of the content. Likewise, age differences can cause them to not decode the show correctly. And the use of minor language and sexual content can make the older generation feel uncomfortable.

In the movie "Doctor Strange" it guides the audience through a confusion and complicated fantasy world, the movie's target audience is 12+ so it contains no contain which is too graphic or rude. Although it has a young target audience, older people may not understand or interpret the movie to what the producers hoped for. For example a 63 year old man may not understand the narrative correctly. Likewise different cultures can cause people oppositional reading where they do no agree with the ideology of the movie.

Stereotypes Of Men and Older Woman In The Media

In a TV series called "Community" there is a main character named "Abed" who is a young man who is stereo-typically socially awkward. This is first presented in season 1 episode 1 when he continuously talks about irrelevant topics. However the young male stereotype is that all men are strong, do all the work, do sport, messy and spend to much time on the computer. This character doesn't follow any of these stereotypes expect "to much time on the computer" this emphasises that in this TV series men are not typically and deliberately stereotyped. In another TV series called "Big Bang Theory" young males are the majority of the cast, and all of them are stereotypical: awkward, intelligent and do all the work. Unlike the young female named "Penny" who was presented in the first couple of episodes, she was the complete opposite to the men.  

In the TV soap opera called "coronation street" older woman are stereotypical mothers and house wifes who look after their children, do chores and make dinner. Unlike the other men on the show who "important" task. Also in the show, the middle aged female character "Michelle Connor" is a woman who desperately desires a child but in the TV she loses a child at birth. This raises a stereotype that all women should be mothers. The TV series, Brothers & Sisters, broadcast from 2006 to 2011 by ABC (USA) and a year later by Channel 4 (UK) with quite high audience rates, starts when the patriarchal figure, William Walker, dies of a heart attack and two female figures around their sixties come centre stage: his wife, Nora Walker, and his long-term lover, Holly Harper. Once the patriarchal figure disappears, the female characters regain visibility by entering the labor market and starting relationships with other men. In that sense, both protagonists experience aging as a time in which they are increasingly freed from social and family constraints. However, their roles as nurturers keep on bringing them back to the domestic space in which they are safe from being involved in uncomfortable and unsuitable situations. Drawing on previous studies on the representation of the older woman in fictional media, this article intends to discern to what extent stereotypes related to the older woman are challenged through the two main protagonists of a contemporary TV series.

Explore representations of older people in the media today

TV Advert

In today's TV adverts across the media, older people normally are side characters in the background who stereotypically read news papers and stare into space such as the advert "Direct Line". Likewise in adverts about technology, they tend to use an older person to represent how difficult and outdated a piece of technology is, such as a phone or TV provider. So they simply have a older person using a old device and have a voice over saying how bad it is, then briefly after they present their new device with a young man using it and they carry on how "amazing" it is.

TV Drama   

In most TV dramas older people are stereotyped as:grumpy, slow, deaf, wise, never go anywhere and they doesn't know how to use technology. In addition to this, they are never normally the main character, unless if it's based in the olden times but never modern. Also in TV dramas older people are the "wise" people who know everything, meaning young people ask them for advice and guidance and not other young people. 

Programmes

In programmes such as the soap opera "Coronation Street", have a mixture of old people who seem to have be on the show for their entire life are stereotyped. These older people in the show never seem to go anywhere apart from the square and the local area. On top of this, in the show they hardly know how to use technology and they still use phones which look like bricks. All of this emphasise how older people are seen as in our everyday programme, even very popular shows.

Factual TV

In factual TV older people are represented as people who always need help and assistance with tiny problems, also they are show as needy and fragile. In addition to this, they are seen as higher priority people who receive extra help even if they don't need it.

   

Audiences

Audiences Positioning
Most media texts are created to organise audiences in a certain position in similarly to the particular text. Audience positioning effects the relationship between the audience and the text. The media text's produces encode the text with a number of indicators which the audience decode. Depending of the audience , they will decode he same text in variety of ways and with then have a different reactions.

How do media texts position audiences? 
By the use of technical code in-bedded in the text. In a video text, the camera angles and shots used move the audience in a certain position. For example, the use of a camera angle such as a close up; can emphasise an expression of a characters face. This expression could be sadness, resulting sympathy from the audience. A certain point of view shot positions the audience as a character and makes the experience events from that particular perspective. Media texts can also position audience in close ups which can make them feel scared and uncomfortable in horror or thriller films. Likewise, media texts can position audiences by using mode of address, colloquial language in young teen magazines positions the intended audiences to relate to them and interest them. On top of this,  media texts position audiences through the use of construction of the text and of the audience within the particular text .

Preferred Reading – This is when audiences respond to the product the way media producers want/expect them to.


Negotiated Reading – This is when a member of the audience partly agrees with part of the product .e.g Film, documentary, TV programme.


Oppositional Reading – This is when the audience are in complete disagreement with the product’s message or setting.

Uses of gratifications theory
Entertainment- A certain audience which is targeted by the entertainment will view the media text to experience literal reality but can feel involved in a different world that is completely fantasy and made up. For example. Star Wars is a is the reality of that a world is cmade through technical codes , narrative and characters

Social interaction- Certain media texts are discussed by the audiences as they currently happen, this is referred to as "water cooler" TV. The audience will view the movie, programme, series or even video game. To then discuss the experience to other people.

Personal identity- Audiences will gain pleasure from certain media texts because they are able to compare their own lives with those feature in the text. For example, series include "Community" can relate to the audiences experiences because the narrative can suit that own life at college.

NEWS- Crime in London rises

'Huge concern' as teen moped crime in London rises















The BBC have stereotyped these criminals as "teens" even though they have not been identified, alongside this, the BBC in the UK as "teen moped crime" as shown by the title and the image shown above. This poorly represents teens through the use of bold and eye catching image, it highlights the threats which people in London could face. Also shown in the image show that the "teens" wear black clothes http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38294358 https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/20/violent-crime-in-england-and-wales-rises-police-figures