My Media Product

‘Expose’ is a fashion magazine design which I thought would be an interesting form of media product, to convey the key issue of ideologies being promoted to women in contemporary society.

Originally, many photographs were taken, but the posture and appeal of this particular shot seemed appropriate. In Photoshop, I firstly use the white balance and brightness settings to make the photography more edgy. Through use of layers, I then removed the background and carefully smoothed the edges. The text was then created and positioned accordingly.

The blue colour is enticing, which juxtaposes the serious tones of the grey text, which allowed me to convey a serious message. My connotations of ‘Expose’ consist of institutions, promoting ideologies, such as ‘appearance is extremely important’ through the selling of such media texts.

The subtitles include celebrity icons; Victoria Beckham and the Olsen Twins. These appeal to diverse female audiences, as they experience a sense of escapism (uses and gratifications). Women aspire to be like these celebrities. ‘Expose’ reinforces this notion, that women feel they need to seek such advice on fashion, from ‘stereotypical aspiration templates' like Victoria Beckham.

The incorporation of bold and italic phrases in the mise-en-scene creates a sense of urgency to the audience, making material things, such as glamour, fashion and men, appear important. The hypodermic needle theory refers to the audience and how they are metaphorically ‘injected’ with ideologies by the media. These are not criticised or rejected, but we are indeed, heavily influenced by them and will imitate what is portrayed on such magazine covers.

Giant House Rabbit

I wanted to share this image because it enables me to emphasise one of my passions: animals. I took the photograph originally just so I could capture my pet rabbit Peter, doing something spontaneous.

Once I looked back at the image on my laptop, I realised that it was quite an interesting photograph. The fact that he is so enormous and in terms of space, dominates the whole of the closed frame, is quite amusing and almost mythical.

The position of the rabbit almost makes the viewer feel as though they have reduced in size - this personally, is comparable to the expectations of an Alice in Wonderland reality.

Bradford's "Wastefield"

I find the Westfield site in Bradford City Centre absolutely fascinating. It baffles me how the regeneration project is progressing so rapidly, when literally a hole in the city has been left for years. Many sites in Bradford have been left to deteriorate. The old Odeon cinema for example, has been left and is now in such a poor condition that it contains Asbestos.

This photograph signifies change. The fact that somebody has sprayed graffiti over the barriers surrounding the Westfield site, shows that it goes unnoticed. There is some slight reassurance knowing that there are people out there, that care.

Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli is a renowned Japanese animation film studio. One of my favourite directors and also the co-founder of Studio Ghibli is Hayao Miyazaki. Most of my favourite films derive from the anime genre, produced by Miyazaki. These include Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Most of Miyazaki’s films critically explore contemporary issues such as feminism, war, and industrialisation. All of these films follow the theme of relationships and developments between protagonists.

I am going to focus on a few films from the Studio Ghibli collection and explore the key themes and issues in more detail.

Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away"

Spirited Away is probably the most renowned film from the Studio Ghibli collection. The main theme that can be identified from this film is the plight of Chihiro from childhood, to adolescence.

Spirited away explores postmodernism; the relationship between Chihiro and her parents, the recession of the city which has led to the abandonment of the fair ground and also the industrialisation and environmental damage that progresses through time, which led to the loss of the Haku river.

The vibrant colours used on this image portray the fantasies of a child, imagining the unimaginable. The central position of Chihiro’s rigid body indicates that she is the main protagonist, and will endure some form of journey, whether this is physical or metaphorical. The enigma that remains is what potential epic journey does Chihiro encounter, with the presence of the mythical creatures positioned behind her?

Studio Ghibli's "Grave of the Fireflies"

Grave of the Fireflies is a compelling anti-war film which was written and directed by Isao Takahata in 1988. The film is based on the 1940’s war time Japan, where there was a distinct presence of hardship.

Grave of the fireflies focuses on two siblings, Seita, and his little sister, Setsuko. During the bombing, the children become orphans and have to survive through the war, but experience tragic loss and the effects of malnutrition.

The DVD cover contains many connotations of Fireflies. In the film there is a presence of fireflies which the two children catch, watch and capture. These insects act as metaphors for the young siblings, as they tragically die at a young age. Another interpretation that can be made from the fireflies, is that the bombs being dropped by the enemy, are illuminating the sky and harming civilisation.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto is a highly controversial game, rated for 18 year olds. I chose to write a blog on the cover for the fourth game released for Grand Theft Auto, because it is so influential to the younger generation of today’s society.

Although the graphics appear very realistic in this game, they are only a reflection of our expectations of realism. For example, when a protagonist is has been shot in the game, they react and continue shooting back as if nothing had happened, but in reality, we wouldn’t be able to pursue a gangster at high speeds in a vehicle, whilst shooting a gun (classic iconography of violence).

Games are vital for visual culture. In terms of uses and gratifications (Blumler and Katz), they create a sense of escapism, which allows us to experience activities which in reality, we wouldn’t practice.