Mest 1: Blog Feedback

MEST 1 FEEDBACK DECEMBER 2016

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·         You are really up-to-date with all your work which shows that you are spending the right amount of time on the subject and aiming for the highest levels. It is also clear that you enjoy engaging with the Media outside of the classroom which will help you so much as we approach the exam topic and you want to push yourself. You also choose to focus on a wide range of different genres and text types (from more dated texts like Speed, to more modern franchises) when you are choosing media to analyse which shows breadth as well as depth.

·         Your blog is in depth, detailed and consistent in its level of accuracy but you now need to focus on your media literacy. I really enjoyed reading the analysis of media texts that you have chosen but more in depth analysis will really push this up to A level standard. You need to be really careful that you say HOW texts link to media theories rather than just giving narrative examples to show that they do eg for the Lord of the Rings, you say that there is Equilibrium and give an example in the narrative but you need to take this a bit further – how do you know this is equilibrium and why is it like this at the start? What does this offer as an appeal for the audience?

·         Your literacy levels are getting a lot better which shows your hard work. Your use of media specific terminology is impressive considering that you have not studied Media at GCSE- well done! A tip - when you are engaging with higher level media texts such as the factsheets that we have read and used to answer questions, don’t be vague and general with your points but be really specific.

EBI

·         You are still missing a tiny amount of work that needs to be added to your MIGRAIN index- I think it is only the work on the Fact sheet for Audience and your Photoshop work on Representation (important as you may not have done this before and need to practise these skills for your coursework at MEST2).

·         Applying theory is a really important skill at A Level so make sure that you are trying to bring in the theorists that we have looked at, as often as possible and applying them accurately. Get into the habit of putting all your media language into bold text so that I can see the progression and check your accuracy.  

·         Sometimes you are a little vague –always think of the WHY eg when you are talking about Waterloo Road and answering the David Chandler questions, you say that you find the ‘genre intriguing’ but you do not go into enough details. What are the conventions of this type of genre? Is there anything subversive about the example you have given (anything unexpected for the genre)? Are the representations dominant? Try and use ALL the theory that we have looked at as often as possible in all your work now.

Audience Pleasures: The Battle Of The Christmas Advert

John Lewis AD 2014

John Lewis AD 2015

John Lewis AD 2016

Sainsbury's AD 2016

Heathrow AD 2016

Very AD 2016

Aldi AD 2016

M&S AD 2016

1) Which do you think is the most appealing and why? Try to use some of our audience theory in your answer. 

In my opinion, If I had to pick the top three it would be John Lewis 2014 with Monty the penguin because it uses the innocence of a child to bring a toys happiness. Also,the heathrow advert has a warm family feeling- the idea that Christmas is't only for children but for all generations. Finally, the M&S advert as is quite uncommon to see  Mrs Claus, also the fact that it is based on family love and we get a child's point of view

2) Are there any audience pleasures that two or more of the adverts have in common? Choose two examples to illustrate your point.

In some of the adverts including John Lewis, Aldi and Heathrow  they bring objects to life. For example John Lewis a toy penguin, Aldi a carrot and Heathrow teddy bears.This also makes more children involved making them want something animated.

3) Choose a different advert and identify the target audience for the advert. Answer in terms of demography and psychography. What tells you this?

This is the Christmas advert to Littlewoods 2016. This is a very family orientated advert with a little humour. In terms of demography, age group could be seen as for teenagers, children and adults from the products that were shown. The advert has a middle class, very typical looking family (mother, father children, and grandparents) which is what you would expect during Christmas. In terms of psychograpgics, the two families that cross paths  look as if they both live similar lifestyles (middle class, good income) with each of the family member mimicking the other (different genders- so it is targeted towards both genders) therefore they had similar attitudes and values - the parents,the grandparents, the children both had toys and the teenagers both had headphones. This tells us that Christmas is for everyone, every family.

4) Why do you think Christmas adverts, in particular, often use emotive language and narratives to appeal to a wide audience?

Christmas adverts use emotive language to capture their audience. Christmas is a time for family and friends so this language gives the audience Christmas spirit and a warming feel to be around those we care about. The more welcoming and relatable it is towards the target audience the more successful.

5) Choose an advert with a narrative and, just for fun, apply one of our narrative theories to it. Why does a narrative have a place in an advert? 

This is the Christmas advert to Sainsbury's 2014 which in my opinion was very successful. They reinforce the idea of sharing with others and bring in the aspect of true events to life.They used the idea of the Christmas Truce during world war one to make it more relatable in terms of the history that brings everyone together. The audience develop an attachment with the characters in the story and is heartwarming in the way that in a war zone Christmas can bring them together.