MUSIC MAGAZINE - REGARD

 

02 NEWSPAPERS

 

If you access The Observer print edition online, you can access added features. What are they?

Online readers can access multiple features that physical Observer readers cannot. Firstly, online readers are able to make comments on articles and stories that physical readers can't do, which makes The Observer a much more interactive paper. Also, online readers have a much broader selection of articles as they can access older stories which normal Observer readers can't do unless they've already bought previous issues. Also, in the online versions of the newspaper, there are tabs across the pages (which you can also see on the front pages of the issues above as the green numbered tabs) which may perhaps give more information, or may take you to similar articles if you click on them. This gives the online reader more choice to go further in depth on the articles they are most interested in and a much more detailed, personalised and informative newspaper each week, compared to a normal Observer reader who buys the physical print..

This is The Observer's Twitter page. What do you notice?

The first thing I notice is the fact that the caption says 'tomorrow's front page'. This tells me that if you are a follower of The Observer's twitter, then you get early access and allows you to see what articles will be appearing on the cover, making you feel more up-to-date than the general population. It also gives you the opportunity to decide whether you want to go out and buy the issue, from what the front page has on it. Also, I notice that people have the ability to like, comment and share (retweet) the posts. This makes the readers of The Observer feel like they can interact and have a say in what is written about in the next paper - for example, the comment on the photo above shows a person stating their opinion on one of the articles.

CHARITY POSTER

RESEARCHING WHAT MAKES A POSTER STANDOUT

 

01 PROMOTING THE LEGO MOVIE

The uses and gratification framework, outlined by Bulmer and Katz, identify 4 main audience pleasures.

In my view the most important audience pleasure offered by the Lego Movie Video Game, relates to escapism, diversion and entertainment. It is a very active audience pleasure as a game player, as you are invited on quests and to undertake tasks, positioned as the hero who has to solve problems and complete missions to prevent Lord Business from taking over. The video game is set in a fictional world which means the player can escape from their everyday life into this new world full of heroes and creatures. The Lego Movie Video Game offers a menu of about 50 different characters which you can become and it allows player to immerse themselves in the action, rather than being passive.

The Lego Movie Video Game allows players to engage in a battle to save the world and to be on the side of everything that is good, creative and right. The archenemy throughout the game is Lord Business. There are a variety of heroes, eg. Emmet. For younger plays, Emmet is a very accessible avatar as he isn't a superhero; he is a nobody like the average younger game player. Someone who needs the support of his friends, with luck and skill, will battle through and save the day. Female players would find that the ability to play as female characters is empowering because characters such as WyldStyle are strong, independent and superior to other male characters.

Another really important audience pleasure in gameplay, is that it is a co-operative game that you can play with friends. Equally, all video games are the subject of enthusiastic conversations between the game players as it is a shared experience and the Lego Movie Video Game offers a great deal of humour as well as action. This is sometimes known as the watercooler experience which us when people enjoy talking about being fans of any particular media, eg talking about a concert, or a tv program. People who play the same video games enjoy that sense of community with like-minded people.

03 CREATING MEDIA

The first part of today's session is planning how to take forwards my hip hop music video under lockdown at home. I came to these decisions:

• I will approach family members to act as cameraman and discuss suitable filming times outdoors, indoors, in the garden - at the moment my brother has agreed to help me film during my lunch hours and my mum has agreed to help when she can.
• Montage sequences: I started today by making a practice photo in PowerPoint using 'remove background', featuring myself as performer against a school locker hall background (below). By doing this I learnt I should wear more colourful clothes as I feel like I don't stand out enough from the background. By knowing wear my video will be set, I am able to adjust the lighting to fit the scene, e.g. indoors - bright white lights, outdoors - softer yellow lights.
• A series of such images could be cut to the beat. Therefore, is the montage sequence likely to go with a 'quiet' (slow) bit of my lyrics or a 'busy' (fast) bit? That decision will affect what I shoot and how I edit my clips together. For example, when the chorus is being performed, the camera can move rapidly in multiple directions and be edited on beat, however when the verse is playing, the pace can slow down and the narrative can be told.
• Greenscreen: I have the possibility to use my greenscreen at home, the OCR board will allow found images in the circumstances. I could use it to place myself in ideal locations for my music video such as school halls. It allows to be film in locations that I otherwise wouldn't be able to use in llockdown.
• I will re-imagine my music video so that I am able to do it in the lockdown conditions. E.g. new storyboard and selection of camera angles/movements. I will have to think of new locations which I can film at that I am allowed to go to.