carriemarplesmedia

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I am watching Breaking Bad

132 others are also watching Breaking Bad on GetGlue.com

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how it all started

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"Nothing wrong with a man taking pleasure in his work. I won’t deny my own personal desire to turn each sin against the sinner." - Se7en (1995)

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Maleficent 2014

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Psycho poster from We Buy Your Kids

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X-Men: Days Of Future Past releases a Sentinel blueprint

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Sharon Maasland’s poster for TAKEN

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anyone doing film & media production at sheffield hallam??

looking for people on the course!

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50 Unreliable Movie Narrators

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My showreel.

This is the first showreel I made so I used long clips of my work to show more of a narrative flow and detailed examples of my work.

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A few examples of my documentary photography.

A college project I did in 2011/12 based on the local market in Chesterfield town centre.

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A logo I designed as part of an ident unit at Chesterfield College.

I chose a colour from the colleges colour scheme and used this vibrant blue to capture audiences attention. It's bright and appealing to look at.

The font also matches the target audience - students. (16+)

The font is edgy and different and will appeal more to this audience.

I animated this also.

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Successes and Failures in On Screen Graphics.

In this blog post I will be discussing some of the successes and failures of ident design using clear and detailed examples and evidence to back up my opinion/point.

The first ident I decided to look at was an MTV ident. In my opinion, this ident is a failure. I will go on to discuss why it is a failure but firstly, here is the actual ident I am discussing.

http://beohm.com/identica/mtv/mtv2009windykiss.mp4

To me, the ident doesn't really have much corporate identity. The only factor that reminds us that this is a certain MTV ident is the MTV logo in the top corner, and again at the end. Without the use of the MTV logo, I probably would not even recognise it at all. I think having a distinctive ident suite should be an important factor as you want to be recognised. This MTV ident is more obvious as it's a lot more to the point and highlights the fact MTV is about music. http://www.theidentgallery.com/player.php?id=MTVLIVE-2012-ID-DANCEFLOOR-1

This leads me on to branding of content. So obviously, the logo isn't really clear until right at the end which is poor branding. An ident should really try to focus on the channel rather than a try-hard effort to look "cool" because it doesn't look professional or make you any more interested in the channel. I do think however, the music of the ident slightly informs you as it's quite modern, just like MTV. I do't think the branding of this ident stands out enough and should be a lot more clearly put considering MTV is a large, popular channel and you should be able to recognise it straight away.

The ident is aimed at teenagers aged between 16-25 because of the programmes on the channel but this ident doesn't even appeal to me and I'm in the target audience age range. The reasons it doesn't appeal to me is because I feel that MTV have let themselves down and created a boring and cheap looking ident which lets down their reputation. The ident doesn't capture the viewers attention like a BBC One or Channel 4 ident. Previous idents for MTV have been impressive and well made and appealed to the right audience, whereas this one doesn't at all and looks like it was made in a rush. The ident at first glance, makes little sense which makes for a failure of an ident anyway. Looking at idents from other channels I noticed that they all relate to the channel in a clear way with clear messaging. Specifically, BBC One. Their suite of idents have recurring themes within them, such as the circle, clear branding and various other factors. To me, the MTV ones are all random which is why I feel that this paticular ident doesn't make sense.

The colours within the ident look really poor. Specifically, the black & white. This looks grainy and almost as if it shouldn't be black and white at all. There's subtle hints of colour on both the actors but by doing this, we can't tell i it's intentional or done on purpose. If they had used a silhouette theme and made the actors completely black, I think that this would have worked a lot better and look more well done.

The animated colours (the yellows, pinks, oranges) look too harsh against the grey background which makes it almost hard to watch. I would have perhaps used calmer colours to go with the music and modern theme for example: blues and greens. I think the colours do stand out but still look confusing and I don't think many people will understand.

The technology for this ident should be extremely professional due to MTVs popular name. If they want their idents to be successful they should use their technology to a professional TV standard just like their TV shows to convey the message that MTV create immaculate, HD productions rather than rushed and cheap looking. Th lighting techniques can be easily is interpreted as we don't know if they're trying to make it black against grey and if not, the lighting should have been brighter and not as shadow-like.

I think to understand the desired tone for this ident, you have to look in depth which most audiences won't. The tones I picked up on were: MTV is aimed at young people, adding some colour into their life by using fresh and appealing programmes and that it has a lasting effect on you. This could have been clearer for a non visual audience. Because of this, I don't think the audience appreciate the desired tone. I do however, think this ident with some improvement could work well and entice viewers.

The next ident I looked at is a definite success.

Film 4.

I think this ident is definitely a success as it really interacts with the audience and engages you with it's shocking theme and reminds you that Film 4 is obviously, a channel that plays a lot of films. I will go on to discuss my reasoning as to why I feel this is a success.

Here is the ident:

http://www.theidentgallery.com/player.php?id=FILM4-2008-ID-CRASH

What I first pick up about the ident is that it instantly identifies as a film channel by using an action film theme by using the old fashioned classic cars crashing into each other, just as you would expect in an action film. The colours used in this ident have a sepia effect which reminds me of watching an action film. The use of the blue and red cars really contrast with each other and stand out, it almost looks like a clash between good (blue) and bad (red) which is another element to an action film. The background looks vintage and by making it look sepia, the focus is directly on the cars. The quality of this ident looks high budget and professional, contrasting with the MTV ident I previously analysed. This ident shows brand loyalty also, as it shows throughout this ident that Film 4 will screen classic films that are well known and also show them in great quality. 

What impressed me also, is how the logo of film 4 acted as a split screen to see the crash from various different angles and tempo. I think this was a brilliant way to use their Film 4 logo on screen without ruining the footage by putting a simple logo right in the middle of the screen, which distracts you. The text based information is limited but effective as we still recognise the Film 4 logo. Similarly to most idents, the only text based information usually is the logo. This is a good thing because if they were to use lots of text on this ident it would distract the audience away from this well made and creative ident. I do however, feel that the Film 4 font that is used doesn't match up with the idents. To me, the font should be quite simple and exciting whereas, the font here looks quite bland and square.

I personally think that this ident appeals to the target audience (18+) as it uses elements of the action genre which are popular and successful. I think by using the ident in slow motion people are more likely to take notice and be amazed by this in depth car crash they're seeing. In my opinion, I feel that the audience watching this ident will appreciate the desired tone as it tells them what kind of film they'll be watching in a clear way and also brands the content so the audience realise the channel and become interested in other films it plays. I looked at other Film 4 idents and noticed a recurring theme of idents that match a paticular genre of film. I thought this was a professional and creative thing to do as it gives the audience information on what they're about to watch through an ident. This is successful to me as it tells me if I'll enjoy the film being screened. The information on screen doesn't bombard you with things you don't need to know and is simple with the information, in a way that a non visual audience will understand. Overall, this ident is incredibly successful, professional and clearly a lot of preparation went into it.

Moving on now to the 3rd and final ident I have analysed. 

This is the ident currently shown on Comedy Central which is my final ident analysis.

http://www.theidentgallery.com/player.php?id=COMCEN-2012-ID-ANAGRAMS-1

I think this ident is a success.

First of all, I noticed that the ident was funny and had comedic value which was successfully shown through the anagrams in the ident. For a channel that shows a specific genre of comedy TV shows I think it's important to highlight this within the ident, similarly to the Film 4 ident I previously analysed. By showing an ident that is funny, it creates brand loyalty as they're telling you they will show a range of spefic, funny and comedic shows that will appeal to the target audience.

The target audience (16-30) will like this ident as it stands out and has an exciting and unusual way of telling you what channel you're currently watching using quirky on screen text which again, doesn't overload you with information so you're enticed to watching the channel. The audience would probably understand Comedy Centrals desired tone because it definitely relates to the channel and it's easily recognisable. One downside to this ident would be the colours as they're 3 block colours (red, black and white) which work well but they sometimes look boring and could be a bit more 3-Dimensional. The colours represent the channel however and make it stand out.

Although the graphics are animated, they look simple yet high quality which again, could represent the channels high quality programming with the quirky and unusual edge. This ident is easy to watch and the graphics on screen are readable which is an important factor within idents. The text needs to be the right size so the audience can read it clearly and also needs to be the right colour and I think the white text against black works well with this and is simple and easy.

In conclusion, I think within every ident there are successes and failures. Within this report I have discovered how in depth idents can go and figure out more about their use. I have analysed in detail 3 different TV idents and broken down what makes them a success and failure. I will use this information when creating my own ident to make sure it's a success. 

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Blog number 4

Response to feedback.

In response to my feedback I have edited my blog and should now have covered all the feedback I recieved.

For my first point, I separated my blog into 3 separate entries to make it easier to read and follow as the blogs were very mixed up originally. I have expanded on the modes of address by explaining other options and modes. Also I have made sure I refer back to the audience I have identified so now that will be more in depth.

For the second, I have developed my discussion towards a passive/vulnerable audience being exposed to the film and the effects this can have and how it is portrayed in the media. I have also added more detail to my examples. 

For the third, I have offered more detail in my current examples and mentioned more points in my comparison. Also I have added more critique to my review so it's more detailed. 

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Blog number 1

The film I am writing about is Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction is a Crime-Thriller film by Quentin Tarantino and was released in 1994 and distributed via Cinema. Pulp Fiction is based around 4 different narrative stories which all link in with each other. These stories are:

- The diner robbers

- The 2 hitmen

- A Gangsters wife

- A boxer

The construction of the film is complicated as it uses 4 narrative structures. The film however uses a 3 act structure because each narrative includes a beggining, middle and an end. The 3 act structure starts with introducing the characters, goals and then, drama, problems and conflicts then, resolving and closure. The end of Pulp Fiction has no unanswered questions as you piece together each narrative to make one big story. Other structures include: Classic narrative structure which includes, clarity, unity, characters, closure, unobtrusive, craftsmanship. Also, Todorovs 5 elements which are based around order so Pulp Fiction would not use this.  In the 4 narratives similar language is used. However, in the narrative of the 2 hitmen, religious references are used and they are complicated. The film uses a lot of swearing too because it's violent. Also, racism is used by one of the main characters. The images and scenes in the film are quite strong too due to the genre of the film so there's a lot of violence used.

As the audience we are observers and this is the mode of address. We observe each separate story and we do this because of the camera angles and that the narrative doesn't include us. Addressing the audience is selection and construction of content and Pulp Fiction speaks directly to the intended audience. The audience most likely to watch Pulp Fiction would be Males over the age of 18. This is because the film focuses mainly on older males, which the majority of are white and because of the age certification on the film itself, which is an 18.

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Blog number 2

There are 2 types of audiences, passive and active. The active audience interprets the film and has social enforced factors and the passive audience takes the film at face value and is influential. There are 3 readings a film could have. These are: -Preferred. Dominant, Created the media product. -Negotiated. Questions the intentions of the producer. -Oppositional. Recognises the dominant reading but rejects it and give it another meaning. Pulp Fiction has a Preferred and Oppositional reading. Quentin Tarantino intended Pulp Fiction to show gangs and Gangsters as cool and stylish and that this way of life is good which is the preferred reading. The oppositional reading of this is that Pulp Fiction is too stylistic. People may think this because the film has complicated language and and narrative which will make people read the film differently to what is intended. These readings are based on how people will react to the product itself and due to some of the violent content in this film it may have many different readings. People may have reacted badly to the hit men narrative due to the violent scenes, especially when Vincent (John Travolta) accidentally shoots a black character. If a media product can be interpreted in more than one way by using Preferred, negotiated and oppositional then this is the Reception Study which is a media theory and Pulp Fiction fits into this. Another media theory is cultural competence. Cultural competence is: - Awareness of ones own cultural worldview. -Attitude towards cultural differences. -Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews -Cross cultural skills. This will be used in the hit men scene as religious references are used and also racism however it is used within the same race. It's very important to have a good knowledge of cultural skills to prevent you getting offended by the content. Knowing about other religions and being aware of them will help with understanding why the religious references are used. Hypodermic Needle Model. Passive audience. This assumes all people will react uniformly to stimuli based upon their basic biological instincts or needs however, we all react differently. This does not apply to Pulp Fiction as you cannot react uniformly based upon needs or instincts as it is such a detailed film, I agree that we all react differently so this theory has many limitations to it and does not go into detail and to watch this film you have to be an active audience. Uses and Gratifications theory. When an audience seeks out a media product it does so in order to gratify a need or to use the media for some kind of gain. It gives power to the audience but has limitations. I think anyone who is an active audience who likes the genre and the content of the film will seek out a media product, such as Pulp Fiction as it's a really popular and well made film which will be highly recommended. However this theory has limitations and Pulp Fiction does not give any power to the audince except how it is shot, which makes you feel as if you're there with them, witnessing the events. Reception Study. The reception study is based on 3 key ideas. - A media product can be encoded in more than one way. -There can be more than one possible reading of each product. - Decoding the meaning can be difficult. I think this study is important and definitely relates to Pulp Fiction as the film can be encoded in more than one way and we all react differently to what we see e.g. some people may suggest that this film is too stylistic and not understand Quentin Tarantinos aim of the film so this will make the audience take the film in the wrong way and find it hard to understand and create different readings. These are the most important theories however not all of them would be applied to Pulp Fiction. Media affects can seriously affect a films reputation. With the film having such a violent nature, if a younger audience is exposed to this then this could cause controversy in the Media and questions would be raised about the film and if it's suitable to watch. Some films can be blamed for peoples actions also when infact this is just from the Medias perspective. Pulp Fiction is not suited for a young audience anyway as the scenes are incredibly violent and show drug use which is only acceptable for an older audience to watch who would not be influenced by the scenes. This is why my predicted target audience would be for older males.

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Blog number 3

Pulp Fiction really stands out to me as a Crime Thriller as everything about it is different and unexpected. It stands out from other films of this genre which I feel is due to how complex the film is and how it also uses Comedy. A film I would compare Pulp Fiction with is Sin City which is a Crime Thriller released in 2005 which has a similar narrative structure and is based around more than one story. I think films with more than one narrative make you feel more engaged but can also be hard to follow and make you lose track of what is going on. Quentin Tarantino wanted the film to be literal as in he wants you to look at gangsters in this way and the glamour of it which not many Crime Thrillers show. The technical construction of the film really impresses me as it is so well thought out considering it has 4 different stories going off. However, I feel like this can be too complex at times as it switches quickly between naraatives without really getting a sense of what's happening/going to happen. A good knowledge of language is highly reccommended as it's ofen quite detailed and seems to aim at more of a Middle Class audience who have a good understanding. The spoken language in the film is often offensive and quite strong which is expected due to the genre and the storyline itself which is based on violence. The religious references add a really strong affect to the film as Jules Winnfield (Samuel L Jackson) repeats a bible quote before he kills someone I think this could be seen as offensive to religious people as the quote is taken literally and murder takes place. In most of the other scenes the language is easy to follow and understand.  However, with the use of some racism it gives the film an issue of representation towards race. Even though the racism in the film was between 2 people of the same ethnicity it may be taken the wrong way because of Quentin Tarantinos ethnicity, which is white. Another issue of representation is gender. In Pulp Fiction there are 2 female characters. These characters are shown to be weak and controlled by the males and also have really minor parts in the film. I also think that to enjoy Pulp Fiction and understand it you need to be an active audience and quite mature to understand some of the language and violent scenes. I think the film highlights violence too extremely also as it happens constantly throughout the film, even though the film expects violence and lot's of it I think that it's shown a little too often which makes it often gruesome and even harder to watch the certification for this film is an 18 which I feel is necessary. I think the films initial reading promotes this lifestyle too openly which will have bad affects if taken in the wrong way and if it is held responsible for an audiences actions. I think the film can definitely be seen as too stylistic and people probably won't understand the intention.