KA1 Mock Exam - Callum Smith

 

Media Key Assessment

 

Video notes

·         Transition throughout the year

·         Production of Waitrose’s products

·         The things then being delivered

·         Music – clearly represents Christmas theme – song stopped throughout the year

·         Shows the graft people go through during the year leading up to Christmas in spending time with the family

·         Emphasise of little things making people (the child in the advert) happy at Christmas

·         Majority of shots are close ups but a few distant shots

·         Editing of music shows clear transition

·         Pathetic fallacy of weather/storm with the tree being put in the bin creates the impression of sadness/darkness when the Christmas period is over

·         Sound of laughter and happy family at the end of the advert along with music shows the presence of Christmas time brings

·         Shows the process of growing the products that are eaten at Christmas time

·         Realistic costumes, no real special effects

E  EXAM

     Section A

 

1.       1.    Meaning is created by media language in the advert using sound in the advert. This is done by the song choice ‘Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas’. The meaning comes from at the start of the advert, the music turns off when the card says January 1^st and after the person in the advert has binned the Christmas tree, taken the wreath down and turned off the Christmas lights. This gives the audience the ideology that at the turn of the year, the feel of Christmas is over but soon enough it feels like the journey to the next Christmas. This is when the transition from showing Christmas to be over, to the advert representing a structure and narrative to it, by showing farmers, hive owners, fruit and vegetable pickers amongst others collecting and already preparing for Christmas in the Spring, Summer and Autumn. The inclusion of this means that for most people it doesn’t begin to look like Christmas till the last month of the year, however a representation of Waitrose workers is their preparation for Christmas starts much earlier.

The camera work during the advert supports the meanings shown in the advert as most of the shots are all close ups and show people hard at work apart from a few mid and distant shots. This is repeated all the way throughout the advert, from the beginning to the scene with the family at the end. The camera work at the end which show the food, the centre and main part of the advert is important in creating meaning as the thing that the audiences will see and then be appealed to by those products that have been chosen the bon on show so people will go and buy those products from them for Christmas.  

The mise-en-scene in the advert is an interesting way to create meaning during the advert as the weather at the beginning of the advert is used to create the ideology of the mood and feeling of what life is like after Christmas is over. This being dull and a tough time as all the optimism and excitement leading up to Christmas is over on the turn of the new year. This contrasts with the end when the lighting used for the room, gives the sense of happiness, comfort and family being together. The use of characters in this advert is a man clearing up in the beginning, two men working in tractors, two/three men working in picking fields, a man cutting fish, a woman delivering the Waitrose delivery and the two children who trade a Pig in blanket. The use of the children at the end shows the kindness and a representation of how the younger generation can act compared to older generation and can be used as a way of meaning to influence people to share the ‘care’ which is the overall meaning from Waitrose in the advert. The house the people are in seems like the everyday normal house so shows it relates to the general public instead of a specific target audience.

At the end of the advert the sounds also overlap with the music and the sound of the family distant chit chat and youngest child crying for Pigs in blankets. This is done to highlight the messages shown in this scene. However, the use of other sounds such as knife cutting, and the wind also are used alongside the music to show the reference of what people are doing and what people must go through in order to make or supply the products that people will eat on Christmas. All these types of media language used in the Waitrose advert ‘Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ have all been carefully used and selected in order to create meaning for the audience.

 

SECTION B

2a) An independent film is a film which has been made by an individual organisation or a company with less funding or isn’t known as a mainstream film such as Disney or Marvel. An independent film is also known as an Indie film and contains many characteristics which differ from Mainstream films such as no famous Hollywood actors and limited special effects.

 

2b) Horizontal integration is when one media company takes over another media company who create the same type of media products. This would be to either help with their brand image and have more control over a certain market or just be able to adopt and expand the already established brand the company they have brought has.

 

2c) One feature of independent film production is that there is limited or no real special effects or high technological graphics during the film. This Is because most independent film companies do not have or do not receive the budgets that mainstream films do, so must be very more laid back in terms of production, with limited effects used. This is clear during production as most independent films appear on screen more realistic and basic instead of using high amounts of effects and technology. An example of this is in I Daniel Blake is the storyline is based in Newcastle and all the scenes are very realistic to everyday life with no or very limited effects to sound, picture and events in general.

Another feature of an independent film production is the use of very little to no well-known Hollywood actors. Similarly, to the first feature, this is due to the budget being very limited compared to mainstream companies and not being able to pay the best actors. An example of this in I Daniel Blake is the main character is called John Kaye who is not a Hollywood actor. The actors used in independent films are good quality, they just don’t bring in the same interest, advertising and draw to the film from fans as Hollywood actors such as the Rock would.

 

2d) Mainstream films are shaped by the means of their production using special effects and high budget costs. This is so they can afford to go all in during films and create effects that make them stand out and create different impressions during the films. It also allows them to use technological effects to use high amount of detail to the scenes in the film. This adds to the excitement and adds a more fictional atmosphere to the film compared to independent films which offer a much more realistic approach to films. An example of this is Black Panther is the total production budget was an estimated $200 billion which allowed Marvel to use technology to animate scenes to make it much more fictionalised. They also can include well known and high-profile Hollywood actors as they are able to pay their sufficient wages.