MEST1 Cross Media Study ..

How are representations constructed across the 3 platforms?

How are characters/stars in the film represented in:

Print Media, print promoting the Ill Manors album produced by Ben Drew. On the album, Plan B's sitting on a wall with a hoodie, straight away that connotes street life and young youths which are some dominant sterotypes of how teenagers are portrayed in the media nowadays; however in other print products when Plan B wears suits and is dressed smartly he's represented in a more formal, well mannered man. Plan B has a cigarette in his hand which he is in the middle of smoking, the producers used Mise-en-scene though props really effectively here as it represents Plan B as a hoodrat, maybe someone who hasn't done well in life, someone of a lower class. Towards the ending of the film Plan B's shown driving the taxi, the audience don't see his full face but just this eyes  (cameo) which is unfortunate as the characters facial expressions say a lot about their character however it still creates excitement and enigma codes. 

Broadcasting media though interviews doesn't really represent the actors in their characters but who they really are. Riz Ahmed and Anouska Mond speak about their roles in the film and how they were portrayed. In the film Anouska's represented as a prostitute, prostituting for money to then go and buy drugs thus creating stereotypes of women who live in council estates and wearing revealing clothes which makes the audience think females nowadays are represented in that negative way. Riz's a young male in the film whose a drug dealer but you can tell from the way he is he's been forced into all of this maybe from his upbringing. All the male's in the film are represented as the dominant characters and the woman are used and abused by them, this is a dominant representation for men to be more powerful than woman and woman are below men.

E-media, teaser trailer which is promoted on YouTube, Youtube promotes both the film and the album which is cross promotion (synergy) to attract a wider audience to both the film and the album. The teaser trailer has a link which takes you to Plan B's music video which then gives the audience a chance to find out more about the institutions of the film. As the trailers a teaser, it's only 10 minutes long however that's really good because it attracts the audience to want to watch the film in the cinema to then find out what the film is about (narrative). Towards the ending you see police men handling a bunch of loud teenagers which is  a dominant representation of how teenagers are represented, loud and dangerous. 

Now look at what values and ideologies are communicated within these representations

Ben Drew uses his film to put across his message about young teenagers and society not caring about them because they're brought up in less wealthy areas such as council estates with no education. From interviews with Ben Drew the audience get to understand his ideas and values for the film the audience get to understand whys he's represented the characters in a certain way. He also explains why he made the film, to make a difference in society, because of the media young kids are portrayed in a negative way. Plan B uses his film to create awareness of council estates and to prove that most of the stereotypes made about young kids from the media aren't true.

Now think of how the film communicates with audiences across the 3 platforms

Ben Drew uses his characters to communicate with the audience as many people from the audience can relate to the characters, a lot of the stereotypes in the film have been broken which is what Plan B wanted

to achieve. All most all of the characters in the film come from poor backgrounds and are from a working class background which is exactly what Plan B wanted because he wants the audience to be able to relate to them and that cannot be achieved with famous, rich actors.

MEST1 Cross Media Study ..

How do audiences access the text across the 3 platforms?

Who are the film's target audiences and how do you know? How is the film promoted to its target audiences through: Print? Broadcasting? E-media? 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jun/07/ill-manors-review

The target audience for Ill Manors are more males than females and because the film contains a lot of violence, strong language and sexual scenes the bbfc rated the certificate of the film 18, as the genre of the film is action/crime/urban the age group would be around 18 to 36 years old. The TEDx lecture also highlighted a different type of audience for the film. Most of the audience from the lecture are of a middle class mostly journalists and others who were interested in the film and that type of genre. The Observer magazine about the film Ill Manors is targeted to more of a secondary audience, similarly to the audience in the TEDx lectures. The articles speaks about the narrative of the film, informs the audience about the genre, the ideas etc which is useful as it attracts the audience to watch the film.

The red carpet premiere was where they hosted interviews with the characters, asking them about the film and how they felt playing their roles, this allows the audience to find out about the characters and how they're completely different to the way they're portrayed in the film. This is really effective because it's interactive as it allows the audience to ask questions about the film and the characters, involving the audience means the producers make sure they have the feedback they need for the film. This clip is found on Youtube which is again cross promotion (synergy) as Youtube promotes both the film trailer and the music from the album, because Youtube is a really popular website it helps promote the film worldwide thus attracting a world wide audience, therefore promoting the film through Youtube is really effective.

Broadcasting media is used through the TEDx lecture, this lecture is where Plan B expresses his feelings, beliefs and political views, he also talks about his film and what he wanted to the outcomes to be from the film. From listening to the lecture the audience start to understand what type of man he is which is really effective because it attracts the audience to find out more, because Plan B's such a nice person the audience all most feel sorry for him and his childhood which again could attract people to watch his film to almost taste his background and how he was brought up like for example being kicked out of school and not being accepted in any other which lead to him going to a pupil referral unit called the Tunmarsh Centre in Plaistow.   Plan B explains how he looked up to famous rappers, how he raised himself through music because he didn't have anyone which almost pulls on the audiences heart strings which almost forces them to find out more through watching his film. His upbringing encouraged him to become a soul/rapper artist, instead of grime/rap music as that shows an negative image which therefore gives the audience a chance to discriminate young youths. Plan B then explains how he hates how the media and society have portrayed young children as it straight away gives others a negative view on them. Plan B also says the only way to attract the youth's audience to then engage them is through music as they can relate to it better. Plan B's audience have similar features and views as himself which works well as he knows what they like and dislike, he knows how to attract the audience.

Now think of how the producers are communicating with audiences across the 3 platforms: What are the differences? 

The producers communicate with the audience across the three platforms by informing, entertaining them and through social networking sites. Print is more to inform the audience about the film for example reviews are made to inform the audience how good or bad the film was and if people should spend their money watching it. Broadcasting is more entertaining the audience through talk shows where they can interact with the audience, talk shows also inform as they normally interview the actors to find out more about themselves and so on. E-media is more escapism and social interaction, websites such as album ratings where the audience can rate the album not only involves them but also is great feedback for the artist in this case Plan B.

Audience theories you could research and apply to your film case study:

• Uses & gratifications 
• Social demographics (ABC1 = Middle class; C2DE = Working class)
• Mode of address
• Narrowcasting 

Uses & Gratifications 

-Entertainment, while the audience watch or read the media products they'll feel more relaxed and entertained. 

-Identity, from watching the film the audience might be able to relate to the characters for example a lot of the characters in Ill Manors is from when Plan B was young and what he witnessed.

-Escapism, When you watch the film you almost forget about your own problems and get caught up by the drama the audience is watching. 

Social Demographics - Primary audience

C - E, D, C1, C2 - represents the working class in society and Ill Manors reflects this. 

A - 18 to 34 years old as the film contains a lot of swearing, violence and sex scenes.

G - Males as in the film the male gender is more dominant which would attract them to the narrative.

E - Black and white people as the film shows them more than any other race.

S - Heterosexuals because the film doesn't include any homosexuals for the audience to relate to.

MEST1 Cross Media Study ..

How are texts in the three platforms constructed?

How is the film promoted through print, broadcasting and E-media?

The producers promote this film really effectively through billboards, posters, magazine reviews on the film and album, articles and others, this therefore allows the audience to research the narrative of the film to then go watch it. Having reviews such as:

Ill Manors Review (Print)

Helps the audience understand if the film is worth watching or not. Print media I don't think is as successful as many teenagers and young adults go online, a lot of the newspapers are now also put online because people don't read newspapers, especially the audience made for Ill Manors. This review has all good feedback on the film, explains how the film is all true and is something everyone should watch, the website also speaks about the film, where it was set and some of the characters in the film. From reading the review many people would be attracted to watch this film especially if they can relate to some of the characters or if they like these sorts of genres. The review also speaks about Plan B's past, when he was smaller and how a lot of Ill Manors is based on real events. The websites also contains links to twitter and facebook which also works well because it attracts teenagers and young adults.

The producers have made so many broadcasts to promote the film Ill Manors for example, the DVD made into blu ray, chat shows like the Jonathan Ross show, the red carpet premiere and others. This all helps promote the film as it attracts people to if not go watch it but to research it and find out what it's about to then go watch it. Listening to chat shows or in this case a concert is really effective as it appeals to the audience. This concert helps not only promote the film but also the album which is called synergy where Plan B uses his music career to promote his film. Plan B raps all his music from the Ill Manors album which therefore informs the audience about the film and some of the characters which therefore attracts a wider audience as many people might be able to relate to the characters. On another point, other broadcasts which helped Plan B promote his film for example, the Jonathan Ross show which is interactive and thus is really successful as it involves the audience which is really effective as it therefore shows Plan B what the audience think of the film which is really important as the film is made for them. The red carpet premieres are also really effective when promoting the film as it shows how good the film was, the characters are introduced which also appeals to the audience, especially if the characters have their own fans (star appeal) because of past successful films.

Ill Manors Website

Using E-media to promote to a younger audience is really successful as the internet is something all teenagers and young children go on. The genre of the film which is a low budget urban drama also connotes why promoting the film online would be really effective. Plan B for example has social networking sites such as facebook and twitter promoting his film which by itself is really effective as it appeals to the right audience and it's completely free and as the film is low budget they wouldn't have had enough money to promote in the same way as a big Hollywood blockbuster. The website is based on the album, all the links on the top are based on the album or the film which is cross promotion (synergy). On the top corner of the website are small links to facebook, twitter and youtube, this is really effective as it links the audience straight away to other E-media promotional sites. 

Now look at each platform individually, what type of media language does the platform use? Identify the codes and conventions of that platform. Think about how that platform uses genre codes. Are there any similarities or differences in the way the film is promoted within the platform?  

Typical codes and conventions of print media, interviews, reviews of the film which provides information on the narrative, the genre, the cast and certificate. A lot of the interviews include famous star or directors, this allows the audience to get to know the stars of the film, interview with the director would give the audience an insight to the background of the film thus attracting a lot more people. Reviews of the film would contain images of the film which would attract many people as the images look interesting thus attracting the audience to find out what the films about to therefore go and watch it. A lot of print media is targeted at an older audience as they'd prefer to read whereas a lot of E-media would be attracted to a younger audience. All the print media's made are used to targeted different audiences, for example articles from the Guardian would be attracted to an older audience whereas a review on the album would most likely be attracted to a younger audience, an audience that would listen to that genre type of music.

Typical codes and conventions of broadcasting would be TV shows, chat shows, background clips on the making of the film, Both radio and TV usually offer an exclusive interview alongside clips from the film which would attract the audiences attention. Broadcasting also includes interactivity with the audience which is really good feedback because then Plan B get to know how the audience feel about the film.

Typical codes and conventions for E-media would be instant offering interaction with a rang of video clips, blogs, audio articles and competitions, all these examples are made to attract different audiences to then go find out what the film is, once they understand the narrative they'd be more persuaded to watch the film. All the platforms put together help gain a wider audience of different ages but mostly targeted at the age group of 18-32 years old, because the film is promoted through all media platforms a lot more people would be attracted to watch it, a lot more people would be aware of the film.

When thinking about promoting Ill Manors, a lot more of E-media was used as the target audience for the film are more attracted to the internet than print media, broadcasting platforms promote the film through Plan B with interviews and chat shows with him which basically gives us an insight of Ill manors and Plan B's believes and ideas of the film. E-media promote the film through the album, so many websites are based on Ill Manors website and the background of the album, because the album is linked to the film it's cross promotion, the albums used to promote the film through E-media (synergy). Lastly, print media promotes the film through reviews of the film, this then attracts the audience, if the reviews are all positive it persuades the audience to watch the film.  

MEST1 Cross Media Study ..

Film Media in context ..

How does the industry promote the film to audiences using:

Print media ..

This billboard is part of the print side of the platforms. The title to begin with is big and bold, in capitals which are really effective as it pulls the audience's attention from far which therefore attracts the audience to watch the film. Also, people who see the billboard might find interest, having the title in big bold font helps the audience to go home and research it thus find out what it's about to then go and watch. The release date hasn't got the best placement however as it's one of the only things in red behind a black and white background, this is really effective as it stands out and captures the audience's eyes. The release date is really important as it gives the audience the time of when it's coming on. The image is of Plan B smoking sitting on a wall with a skyline view of estates. The image is really effective as it narrows the narrative down completely. Showing Plan B on the front would attract a lot of his fans, this film also helps Plan B to become more known within the music industry using cross promotion (Synergy). He uses mise-en-scene through props really well with Plan B smoking as it hints the film genre isn't going to be something for children but about real life, the other image on the side is used as weapon because it's sharper than a knife and it's used to line up cocaine and other drugs. Having this in big bold red not only hints what type of film this is but also pulls the audience's attention, especially people that have used this weapon before.

Broadcast media (TV/Radio/DVD) ..

Jonathan Ross introduces Plan B as a multi-talented - singer, song writer, actor and also a movie director which he also wrote, he describes Ben Drew as the most interesting artist around, this attracts many people into listening to his music which is really good for his career. The Jonathan Ross show is a hit TV programme and for Plan B to get such a good compliment helps him become more famous and well known. Plan B believes rapping is poetry and there's a big mis-conception about hip hop music because of the way it's sold in this country. Ill Manors and the new album, many people have started to listen to it because it's ironic, it allows people into the real world of hip hop - didn't believe his album could go number 1. H explains how music brought him up and hip hop raised him. Plan B feels that the kids in his high school are disadvantaged as the kids haven't has a good education which makes them feel like they're not worth anything and when they walk out of school and see what the media says about them that they're not worth anything that teenagers are chavs and scum. Society read the newspapers and believe kids are bad and when they come across a teenager they already have s preconception about them. Plan B speaks about his hero's and who he looks up to, The prodigies, Liam Gallagher, Roy Lichtenstein, Michael Cane and someone really important to him since he was a child Rolf Harris, he explains that when Rolf Harris spoke to him he had tears in his eyes and told Plan B that he inspired him to write music again. Plan B explains the experience as overwhelming, strange and surreal.  

E-Media ..

NME Album Reviews ..

"NME First For Music News" is a website made just for music news and other information occurring music. Plan B made the album "Ill Manors" the website then wrote an article about it and gave it a rating of 8/10. Underneath the name Plan B - Ill Manors it says "A good move to gritty narrator of inner-city deprivation." The website also has a link to Amazon where you can go buy the album which is really effective as it attracts people who read the news on this website all the time. People who find the article interesting or is curious about the album can then easily go and buy it. Underneath the album image there's information about the album, the release date which is important ad I mentioned above, the producers which brings many fans, people who like Plan B's other album, the information also contains the label which is Atlantic, this could attract a wider audience as many people might like that label because of it's previous work. The website speaks about Plan B's last album "The Defamation of Strickland Banks" and how it was a soulful, concept album which made Ben Drew a commercial success. Then his second album which is a compliment to the film Ill Manors. The album and film both speak about young peoples lives and what they go through, the songs move back and forth across generations explaining the story but from different points of views. For example "Deepest Shame" which is based on the character Michelle in the film, who was abused as a child and is now prostituting for spare change or Chris in "Drug Dealer" who was forced to hang out with the ex-FN supporters while his mother had sex with the dealer for drugs. They're all victims of their environment "enslaved in their circumstances." Then the rest of the songs speak about the characters of David Cameron and his "rubbish work". The website argues if you've suffered from similar stories then listening to the album might not be recommend but Plan B believes it doesn't matter as music should make you think. The underneath they ask you to rate the album which I think is really effective as it gets the audience involved (interactivity) and Plan B gets feedback on his album from the people that actually matter as they're listening to it. Finally on the website there's a clip behind the scenes of Ill Manors and Plan B explains that with the album he was supported, many people helped him but the film he had to work alone because he didn't have experience. Underneath is a behind the scenes Ill Manors making where he starts to explain how he had support with the album because he already had experience however when it came to the film no one wanted to take a chance on him because he didn't have much experience. Overall the website is really effective because it gives the audience a say, it analyse the album and each song, it has a lot of information which is really helpful when wanting to research the film and the album and since it's a website about music it's more reliable.

Now look at each platform individually .. 

What are they key issues and changes taking place in each platform and how is each platform responding and adapting to these issues and changes?

The key issues and changes taking place in each platform - print, e-media and broadcasting are, for example print media isn't instant like E-media, TV's have become less dictated by scheduling and now you can watch a lot of the programs online, E-media's less private, people are bombarded with information from such social networking sites. From the technologies changing and getting better the media platforms have had to change to adapt and still stay popular for the audience, as the technology changes so does the audiences attitudes towards the media for example, many people rely on the internet to catch up on their shows and the plus one channels so watch what they've missed.