MOJO QUESTION ON REPRESENTATION AND ON MEDIA LANGUAGE

Pick one recent MOJO cover from the MOJO website 

Copy the cover to your blog. Write an analysis in two paragraphs: media language and representation.

The magazine I have chosen is the October 2020 edition of MOJO of The Beatles. The language of this cover has a very light-hearted and fun feel to it. The central splash has a fun pull quote from The Beatles as they talk about no longer being naïve and they seem excited about that due to the exclamation mark. The central splash caption talks about their 'first masterpiece' re-enforcing the fact that they are, and will always be, legends in the music industry.

The representation of this cover depicts The Beatles as not just a group of musicians but also as a group of close friends - almost brothers. They look like they are brothers as they are all dressed very similarly, they have similar facial expressions and they are all standing quite close together. They are all wearing brown or black clothes which match the colour of their hair as well as the colour pallete of the 60s and especially 70s. They are also in front of quite a dark background but all of their faces are well lit. They all have somewhat serious facial expression with John Lennon and Paul McCartney having a slight smile. This could suggest that they are serious musicians but they like to have fun with their music. All of them are facing away from the viewer apart from Lennon who is look right towards them; this could suggest that Lennon is the unofficial leader of the group and also because he is the most famous out of the four. Also, the cover has a very 70s theme due to the colours and fonts. The central splash font is the classic Beatles logo in a browny orange colour which is also dotted around the page.

THE TOWN OF NO RETURN

The episode was well-received; most striking in the oppressive and poignant atmosphere created by the derelict school and airfield abandoned since war.

The Inebriated Gremlin: skin creeps, disturbing, hostile people, frosty reception, forced laughter, inhospitable.

Bedroom: chipped enamel basin, tarnished metal bedstead, tattered curtains and towels, a lumpy, ill-made bed, and a flypaper choked. Visitors don't seem welcome, oppressive atmosphere, unsettling.

DETAILED MUSIC VIDEO PLAN

 Song: SAME THING - The Kid LAROI

The narrative of the music video is that the boy(Asa) finds out about all of the things his girlfriend (TBC) is doing behind his back. For example: with friends/other boys (Matt and Ollie), avoiding Asa, ignoring Asa's texts, etc (need to think of more). However, it is soon revealed that Asa is okay with this as he does the exact same things as her.

I will have a small range of locations including:

School (find a few places which wont have many people) - for when the girl is avoiding Asa, performance

Nighttime street - performance

Storyboard:

Other ideas: 

Social media (many followers) montage

Expensive bags/clothes

Tickets to concert

Standing by fast car (green screen)

Mocktails

SAME THING STORYBOARD MOCK UP

 

THE AVENGERS OPENING 5 MINUTES

Today we watch the opening 7 minutes of our tv drama text on Clickview and relate what we learned last lesson about: 

• audience pleasures (why audiences enjoyed watching it). What is their relationship like?
• how Emma Peel is presented (including why her representation reflects the 1960s when it was made). Listen to what she reveals about herself.
• how John Steed is presented (including why his representation reflects the 1960s when it was made). How does he come across?

In the opening scene of 'The Town of No Return' there is an establishing shot of a beach as the camera pans towards the sea. In the sea, there is an unrecognisable being emerging from out the water. This immediately grabs the audiences attention as they are intrigued to find out what the being is. Once it has left the sea, the audience realise that the being is actually a sort-of bin bag and in that bin bag is a respectable looking man who seems to be unphased by what just happened and carries on walking up the beach. This is quite a humorous scene as even though the man just emerged from the rough waves of the sea, surprisingly none of his clothes are wet or even damp. Soon after, we are introduced to John Steed as he rings the doorbell of Emma Peel's flat. Once he rings the bell, a giant eye opens on the door and Steed seems to be able to talk to Peel through it; this would have been amusing to a 1960s audience as it shows the quirky technology of the future. This also represents Peel as she is young and likes to use new technology whereas the older generations may want to stick to the technology that they are used to and trust. 

Once Steed enters Peel's flat, we find Emma fencing in a skin-tight outfit and a fencing mask; this shows that Peel is athletic and physical. After Steed and Peel briefly talk, Peel mentions that the coffee is 'over there' instead of offering to make one for Steed and serve him. This would have been unusual back then as in the 60s a woman was expected to offer and serve the man, however, Peel instead tells Steed to make the coffee himself which shows that Steed and Peel are for the most part equal. When Steed is making the coffee, Peel is practising fencing beside him. Steed takes this opportunity to criticise Peel's form as he tells her 'not enough flexibility in the wrist' and 'weight on the wrong foot'. This shows that even though Peel is almost equal to Steed, he still bosses her around and criticises her, although he just calls it 'friendly advice'.

I could having also written about the following but it is only a 10 marker: the fencing around the room, the tap on the backside, the sexual tension, the article for 'The Science Weekly', the furniture, the politeness of Steed (putting down the china), the double entendre, and the fact that Steed booked everything without telling Peel.

IDEAS FOR MUSIC VIDEO

Ideas:

Social media (many followers)

Expensive bags/clothes

Tickets to concert

Standing by fast car (green screen)

Avoiding Asa

Ignoring text from Asa

Mocktails

Locations:

School

Nighttime street

Concert? 

MUSIC VIDEO RESEARCH

 Possibly making my own song but some other options/inspiration are:

- Time Flies - Drake

- Butterfly Effect - Travis Scott

- Same Thing - The Kid Laroi

- What's Poppin - Jack Harlow

- Fast - Juice WRLD

- Wishing For A Hero - Polo G

- Fade Away - The Kid Laroi, Lil Tjay

Music Video Inspiration:

- Y.O.U - Luh Kel

I like the mix of performance and story in Luh Kel's music video so I would like to do something like that. I think the song I am going to choose is Same Thing by The Kid Laroi if I decide not to make my own. I think Same Thing will go well with Y.O.U's type of music video as it has an element of story telling in it which I would like to incorporate.

CUFFS MOCK QUESTION 2 (10 Marker)

PLAN

Ryan: can handle tricky situations (beach), leader, experienced (chosen for jake)

Jake: new (newly recruited), inexperienced, jumped the queue (chief inspectors son)

In the opening shots of Cuffs you are introduced to Ryan. He is seen driving to the location of which he has been called to, to break up a fight. You see him in his police car and talking over the intercom. He seems to know what he is doing as he is using the right call signs and terminology. Once he gets to the location (a nudist beach) he tries to stop some drunk men from harassing two naturists. He seems the handle the situation quite well as he separates the groups for a bit, however, a fight breaks out and ends with Ryan being punched in the nose. Despite that, he is shown to be a good leader and quite experiences, probably the same reason he is chosen to train Jake soon after in the episode.

Whilst the fight was happening, an assembly was being held to introduce all of the new recruits to the police force. It is being led by Chief Superintendent Robert Vickers as he says a speech about the risks and rewards of being a police officer. At the end of the speech he brings forward Jake Vickers, his son, and welcomes him to the force with a proud smile on his face. Jake steps forward confidently also with a smile on his face as he believes he is ready despite the fact he may have less training than other rookies joining as well as he jumped the queue due to him being the Chief of Police's son. This makes him inexperienced and unprepared for the day-to-day life of a police officer.

CUFFS MOCK QUESTION 1 (5 Marker)

 

     PLAN

Beach sounds, seagulls to show location

Action/rock music

police chief speech

juxtaposition to unflattering situation at beach

shouting at officer while chief talks about respect

'positive daily interactions with the public' gets punched in the face

but he is also seen to be good at his job and knows what he is doing

In the first few opening minutes, you are introduced to the setting and one of the main characters. The establishing shot begins with a helicopter shot of the sea and the sound of waves crashing and seagulls squawking which gives the viewer an idea of where the show is set until Brighton pier is revealed and  viewer knows the exact location. There is also some non-diagetic rock music playing as we are introduced to Ryan. This action music makes him seem like the hero of the show and so the viewers already know he is one of the main characters. Over the music you can hear the voice of the chief of police as he says a speech about the rewards and challenges that come with being a police officer. A lot of the speech juxtaposes with the action which is happening on screen as Ryan is called to sort our an altercation on a nude beach. For example, the chief of police talks about how the officers have the respect of the public, while, on-screen, Ryan is getting punched in the nose and shouted at by some drunks.