02 Music and News Q.4 Bob Marley

 Refer to Extract 1 in the insert. Analyse the representation of Jamaican Reggae music and

musicians such as Bob Marley in this MOJO front cover. (5 marks)

In the MOJO magazine cover of Bob Marley, he is represented as a kind and open person. The natural lighting used on the artists face and the broad smile and body language help to convey this idea of openness. Reggae has been presented as very exoctic and vibrant, with the colours of reggae being used (red, yellow, green). These colours are closely associated with reggae music, so if people didn't know who the artist was, they could guess the genre of music he produces. This form of music is a counter stereotype as it is usually rock musicians presented on MOJO magazines.

The magazine also talks about the struggle of artists, in true MOJO fashion. At the top of the magazine 'Bowie, the lost album' and 'From gang war, to love' This shows the darker side to the music industry and how the artists have struggled in their carreer, in true MOJO style, a stereotype they have built up over the years.

02 Music & News Q.4 MOJO Magazine

PREP for year 11 TUESDAY 22 January and for Year 10 WEDNESDAY 23 January.
MOJO Another quick and easy revision prep, worth 5 marks. Base your analysis on MOJO's March 2019 issue. the exam question won't have the covermount (free CD) so don't refer to it.







The MOJO magazine utilizes the use of a monochromatic colour palette with accents of blue. These bland colours connote a serious tone and the blues could reflect the music artists modernity. This idea of the monochromatic colour palette is reinforced by the choice to make the main splash, Joni Mitchell, a black and white photo. The use of the phrase 'The angony and ecstasy' can also hint towards the idea of her potentially traumatic music life. There is also an atmosphere of seriousness and importance with the use of a sans serif font for the main splash title.

The main splash is also a bit unusual, as the world of rock is mostly male dominated, which is shown through the other stories inside the magazine on the sides of the cover. This is a counter stereotype to the MOJO magazine and can suggest that Joni is a pioneer for women in the patriarchal world of rock. This idea is reinforced by the orderly block capitals of the main splash 'JONI MITCHELL' as it connotes a masculine attire

Exam Q.8 Revision

PREP
To revise the 'media language' question, you focus on the layout. It is a quick and easy question, worth 5 marks and only 2 examples needed. Please copy the question onto your blog and write the 2 examples taken from the recent Observer online. The answers below will help you.
Exam q.8 (5 marks, write 1/2 a page; give 2 examples)

The Guardian Observer homepage uses a variety of media language techniques in order to present the themes of the newspaper. One of the ways the Observer portrays this is through the choice of colour palette. The Observer uses royal blue colours with the Burgundy accents. These colours connote a sense of urgency and importance regarding the newspaper, implying that the newspaper will tackle hard news and won't shy away from thesse topics which it doesn't.

Another form of media language used is the layout. The layout of the news articles are also very ordered, speparated into categories. They are also alinged in columns and separated by a box outline. This means that it is easy to the eye and creates a atmosphere of importance and suggests that it is a serious newspaper.

Exam Question 9 Revision

1. The major use of newspapers is to offer a sense of knowing
what is going on in the world.The Observer knows that its readers are serious and interested in international affairs. This is evident in hard news articles about.....Brexit and Donald Trump and Labours plan to topple Theresa May.
2. The Observer meets its audience's need for a range of cultural, sporting and artistic news. It provides these with...articles about the 2019 Brit awards and Dua Lipa topping it.

3. The Observer does not shy away from 'difficult' issues that could make uncomfortable reading, such as...a Saudi teen's "long journey to safety". They also openly talk about the serious crimes committed on parole soaring to 50% and the Irainian hunger strikes. 

4. The Observer has sections which are designed to appeal to
different types of readers.The Observer reflects the diversity of its readership in articles on...Politics, Education, Entertainment and Business.

5. Newspaper readership can still be used as a symbol of one’s social identity. The term ‘Guardian reader’ connotes a certain
type of social attitude and The Observer similarly reinforces
a set of social and political attitudes, and thus identity, in its
representations. For example, Observer readers like to think
of themselves as open-minded and this is reflected in the
Observer’s practice of allowing both sides of an argument
equally to be put when the newspaper is clearly on one side
of this argument. There is an example of this in....the two separate articles about Dag Hammarskjold as well as opinion pieces on Brexit. They also mention the 'Yellow vest protests' and the riots in Paris.

6. The entertainment function of newspapers may take the
form of humour. It may take the form of diversion into
a celebrity world of ‘glamour’. It may take the form of human
interest stories in which readers are invited to sympathise with
the subjects of the article. Newspapers further offer games,
puzzles, crosswords and the like. At the higher end, sections
such as the New Review in the Observer may offer the pleasure of extremely well-written think pieces and literature reviews. An example of this is....various articles on Body Image.

Year 11 PREP: MUSIC VIDEO Q.2

Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag and Avril Lavigne - Sk8er Boi
PREP: To revise for q.2 (4 marks), copy / paste each of the following descriptions into your blog post. Write either SB or TD at the start of each, to indicate either Avril or Wheatus. Some answers may refer to BOTH so put both initials.


This video is documentary style mostly hand-held camerawork, de-saturated colour and fast-paced editing.
Sk8er Boi
This video has saturated colour, more controlled camerawork, slower-paced editing.
Teenage Dirtbag
This video consists of mostly montage shots.
Sk8er Boi
This video has more developed editing with cause and effect.
Teenage Dirtbag
In this video, the singer values rebellion, which is seen in the narrative.
Sk8er Boi
In this video, the singer values 'fitting in', conformity, albeit to an oppressive system, which is seen in the 
narrative.
Teenage Dirtbag
This video is set in LA, a big city, with its connotations of street credibility.
Sk8er Boi
The mise-en-scene of this video is American suburbia with its connotations of conformity. 
Sk8er Boi
This video is intertextual in its narrative (=it makes references to high school drama).
Both
In this video, the singer performs to camera.
Both
In this video, real locations and 'everyday' costume for the performers connote a sense of naturalism.
Teenage Dirtbag more so than Sk8er Boi, as Avril wears 'rebellious clothing' which is uncommon
In this video, there is a sense of linear narrative (a story is told, in the order it unfolds)
Both

Media Revision: Music Magazines

• The font used for the main splash is Sans serif, meaning without serif. This is a very modern representation and suggests that this magazine is very up to date and focuses on modern music news. The 'All Saints' font is also in a stencil style which could bring in the idea of masculinity and military style, i will link back to this later.
• The dress code for the band is also very masculine. This could hint at the masculine appeal they band has, or the opposite and how they are modern women and don't conform to the traditional views of women. They are wearing a basic set in terms of colour palette and it is mainly black and white. This could be reflective of the magazine cover too as it is similar to the colour palette used there.
• The group that are the main splash are very assertive in their pose, almost military and they stare at the camera intently. This could connote ideas that they don't conform to the rules of society and they feel different from everyone else. This can be further reinforced by the quote pulled from their interview 'We always felt like outsiders' and 'We didn't conform to the rules'. It is also obvious they are the main part of the magazine as they take up the majority of the space on the page and the font size for their band name is also the biggest on the page, in contention with the magazine logo.
• The layout to the magazine is also very grid lined so this can further strengthen the military style of the band and their way of representation. The grid lines also hold structure in the front page, making it easy to find stories contained within the magazine.
• Other musicians are mentioned at the bottom of the page such as Paul Young and other special interviews are also made clear to read. This can help to still attract readers that aren't so much interested in the main splash but are fans of the music magazine, We Love Pop. Situating this at the bottom of the page, it makes the interviews easier to locate, however the font size is relatively small so it has been made apparent to the reader that We Love Pop doesn't think they are as important as the 'All Saints' are. 
• The magazine also shows other music celebrities and important people in the music industry to help to further draw potential readers in as they are trying to show the wide variety of music and musicians they incorperate into their issues.

Cuffs Exam Question 3

How far does the extract try to create a sense that it is portraying 'real life'?

• In your answer you should: analyse aspects of the extract giving detailed examples 
• judge how far these aspects create a sense of watching 'real life'

In the extract, 'Cuffs' there are many different ways that they make the scene look 'realistic'. One of these are certain cultural references. In the opening scene of the extract, there are two policewomen. One of them is wearing a hijab. A hijab is a Islamic piece of clothing and with this they are not only bringing realism, but also adds diversity to the cast and the series as a whole. There is also use of natural lighting. This also adds realism, as the lighting is not unnatural, that being there is no external or obvious lights used in order to make the scene look as though you are there with the actors.

The scene location is also very important. In this extract it is a shopping center and a motorway in Brighton. Some people who watch the programme may know the location in real life, and/or visited it. The scenes in the extract also portray real life events and struggles that many people face on a day to day life. They don't attempt to censor anything unless it is direct violence or a 'bloodly' scene.