News Task

1.Explain you role/responsibility within the team and the task. What were you required to do?

As part of the editorial team, my role was within the home page of the Mirror Online. I had to find pictures, headlines and section links for two news stories; Meghan Markle's american wedding theme and the freak weather in the UK. I also needed to provide the skin that went on the background of the webpage.

2. For one media form, describe the codes and conventions you chose to follow and explain their intended impact.

For the article titles, I tried to keep in the style of the mirror online by using puns and punchy lines such as "The american dream wedding" and "ice attacks". The usual attempt to be dramatic and add either scandal or humor to an article was what I tried to convey.

3.Explain how your choices reflect the real newspapers values and target audience

My choice of skin was a coca cola advert, displaying their newest products CokeZero and CokeLife. I chose this because as a mainstream newspaper, the ad would appeal to their middle age demographic (the chief shoppers in the household) and also the younger generations who would be more likely to consume fizzy drinks. The CDE readership also means that the readers would likely have less disposable income, and so would be more responsive to a cheap product.

4.Explain how your team adapted the news across the three different media forms an the reasons behind your decisions.

We knew that online would have minimal text, as it usually requires you to click on the article to read it. We knew for the print version there would be more copy on the front page, so tried to include that. For the social media, the emphasis for Instagram is more on the image itself, as its audience is more aesthetically focused

5. In hindsight, s there anything about your teams outcomes that you would adapt or improve?

I think overall as a team we worked really well and didn't have any problems communicating. Personally, in the online section i think we should've been more careful with measurements of pictures when printing out as we had some blank space around some of the writing which looked unprofessional. I also think we needed to be more aware of the colour scheme as a whole rather than our individual sections, keeping in my the red masthead and left wing (red) outlook and coordinating the colours more with that.

Minecraft Pocket Edition Gameplay video for Youtube

1. How I did it

I filmed myself on the ipad camera while watching the video I used, in order to coordinate my speech with the gameplay. I then inserted this into the top right hand corner as most of these videos do. I watched some videos on youtube to prep for how I was going to speak and describe the game. Most of the videos I watched are very casual and often funny, appealing not only to people that need to see how the game is played but also making it interesting.

2. How my video might attract the attention of Mojang/Minecraft and how it might influence them.

Firstly, being a female gamer, a minority of the Minecraft community, my video might be interesting to the company. I also tried to make my video fun and relate it to my own tastes, like focusing more on how my house would look and be arranged. I would hope Minecraft might also be interested in my style of gameplay, going back to basics with no mods, and also thinking about using these kinds of videos at beginner levels as well as professional.

Billboard Cover Shoot

Summarise the music celebrity you have created. Include name, music genre, personality and how they are being used to comment on contemporary celebrity.

The music celebrity I have created is called Pilly Talm
er, she is a new rising star who is taking the charts by storm. Her music genre is pop/rock and her music takes inspiration from 70’s stars like Madonna and Blondie, this is also reflected in her image, style and personality. In her Billboard cover, she is used to comment on the traditional styles of music and how the idea of celebrity has been reimagined for a modern audience and held in esteem similar to a queen or aristocrat history.

Evaluate how you have constructed the representation of your celebrity through your cover image and cover headline/text (denotation/connotation of text and image).

I have used a representation of old and new through the clothing and accessories. I used a headpiece similar to Victoriana headdresses that gives an idea of formality and solemnity. I further emphasised this by keeping the exposure high on the camera to give my skin the pale and bright quality often seen in Renaissance/Victorian paintings. For my pose I kept my face neutral and my back stiff to give the impression of regality. I wore costume jewellery, (earrings, bracelets etc.). I then contrasted this with the new by wearing a branded Adidas top, giving the idea of current, sporty casual style in contrast to the rest of the image.

Analyse how far you have used and/or challenged stereotypes of gender/race/age/sexuality in your cover.

I think I’ve challenged stereotypes surrounding age a lot in my cover. Most people would expect a new and young star to appear full of energy or sexualised on a cover. I tried to use the concept of old and new to say something about how maturity and elegance shouldn’t just be reserved for older musicians. Rather than the usual stereotypes of rebelliousness or naivety, I really wanted to emphasise the fact that age has no bearing on talent.

Reflect on the production/editing process. Are you pleased with the end result?

I think the editing process went smoothly as I took precautions in the actual shoot, (such as making sure there were no wisps of hair). Overall, I’m pleased with the end result as I think it conveyed my theme and music artist clearly and looks realistic as an overall magazine cover. I think the use of colour and slogan would certainly grab attention on a magazine stand.

Identify what is successful about your shot? What would you have done differently in hindsight?

In hindsight, I think I rushed the planning process, thinking too much about the kind of star and image I wanted to portray rather than how I was actually going to o it. Instead of trying to show a contrast between old and new, I think I should’ve gone the whole way with the Victoriana style theme, adding my outfit and other props to it. The “new” could have come really from the fact I am clearly a young star and it is obviously  a modern cover – maybe by trying to be more subtle I would’ve made a larger impact. I also would have like to play around with colour schemes as overall mine didn’t all match up. I would have preferred a red/gold/black scheme that would fit with the theme better than the pinks/whites/purples I ended up with.