Empire Article

Come Die with Me – Empire Article

You’ve seen their hilarious comedy’s, you’ve seen their imaginative adventures. Well now we take an in depth look at Primetime Productions grand spanking new horror ‘Come Die with me’. The story line consists of Oscar winning actress Adrianna Simms playing the part of the rich and bitchy female protagonist who falls in love with her total hunk of a teacher Mr Jackson who is played by Vardon a relatively new name on the scene, but his recent performances have seen a rapid rise to the top.

Primetime productions, Head Directors Shahid Mea and Mark Augustine along with the head Producers Amar Tateri and Hardeep Kooner. They have decided to head into a new direction for their latest British blockbuster. The so called “awesome foursome” have decided to move on from creating there usual action thrillers and enter the world of horror and have devised a movie filled with chilling edge of your seat scenes.

Whilst Tateri, Kooner and Augustine have began the plans for the premiere, we caught up with Shahid Mea at a recent Q&A panel and asked for the inside scoop of the film.

Empire: Hi Shahid, You've worked with a number of great directors and stars in your career to date, but is there anyone in particular you would love to work with?

Shahid: Well isn’t that a hard question to kick off the session (laughter), well I’m a massive Transformers fan and a massive fan of the Fast and furious series so Michael Bay and Vin Diesel would be my two that I’d love to work with.

Empire: So Shahid, about your latest creation “Come die with me”, what inspired you to create such a dramatic and thrilling storyline?

Shahid: Well me and the guys at Primetime sat down together a couple of months back with a couple of friends for a Thrill night where we watched the Saw trilogy, so then Mark and the guys suggested we make our own horror as we’re all big fans of horror and we thought we’d take a break from all the action. So yeah that’s where it all started, 4 guys one sofa watching TV (laughter).

Empire: Well what a way to come up with a pitch; let’s talk abit about Primetime productions. As you are an up and coming British Institution, how do you aim to break into the big time?

Shahid: Hmm, Good question. Well as always stepping into an industry is difficult let alone the film industry. So ideally, we just want to keep creating great films for our range of audiences because at the end of the day, they’re the people who pay to watch our films so I’d say keeping them entertained is our aim and any rewards we achieve along the way is just a bonus.

Empire: Well, Good luck with the movie and I’m eagerly anticipating the premiere of Come die with me. Nice speaking with you. Oh and one more thing, Mind asking Audrey on a date for me?

Shahid: (Laughs Hahhahaha) Nice speaking to you too, it’s been fun.

With its June 11^th, 2011 release date, which is one of the earlier months to release a horror, Come die with me has only one shot to set a benchmark for the rest of the up and coming horror movies due to be released later this year and is due to be hit on the big screen.

Media Essay

"Audiences are no longer just consumers of texts, but producers too"
To what extent is this true of the media products in your case study?

Audiences are no longer just consumers of media texts but are producers too. To an extent I believe this is true and with the use of my primary texts which are the X factor, I’m A Celebrity and Britain’s got Talent I will prove my theory. I will also discuss how texts are no longer solely on one platform but are now spread along a various number of cross media platforms which consist of Print, Broadcast and also media. Furthermore, I will discuss how in this day and age audiences are responsible for creating new media texts.

The X Factor is Britain’s most watched reality TV show which is aired on ITV1 and involves audience interaction as it depends on viewers to vote on contestants and this promotes the audience theory that audiences effectively run the show as without viewers voting and sharing their opinions, then the x factor would not be as popular as it is today. This shows that audiences are becoming increasingly powerful in shaping the show. The hit TV show attracts on an average of 17.5 million viewers each series.

Furthermore, the audience is becoming increasingly powerful in shaping the show. As the X Factor website also allows the audience to interact with the show. One way it promotes interaction is by running voting polls and forums on the website which the audience can vote and have their say and see what other viewers think too. For example, on the X Factor forum, the shows producers are asking the public to “Pitch a new idea on ways to improve the show for a chance to win 2 tickets to next years final” This therefore gives the audience more power as they are being handed responsibility in producing new ideas for the show.              

The X Factor website allows the audience to interact with the show and also decide what the show produces. One way the show does this is by having a weekly poll on the website which the audience can vote and see  who other viewers like them are voting for and can also see the voting figures. For example the current question on the website is “Do you believe the X factor should be shown on weekdays?” The figures currently show Yes – 33.1% and No 67.9%.

The consumers of this text play a monumental part in how successful the show is and how successful it could become; this is because the viewers are the ones voting every week to keep in their favourite acts. This shows that the veiwers are the clear producers as they are ‘producing’ the success of the show and also produce the future success of their favourite act by voting to keep them in the audience are constructing the media text because they decide what happen in the TV program.

Furthermore, a social networking site such as Facebook and Twitter allow audiences to shape and place their views across about the show and is the most popular form of UGC amongst audiences as it is a easy way to interact with one and other and share opinions through joining groups and supporting campaigns. This gives the audience power to produce media texts and feed their opinions across. However this could also be discouraging as the audience use their power to keep contestants in even though they are not good at singing (Wagner, john and Edward) which shows how powerful the audiences are becoming as they are changing and causing havoc with the show which could be seen as an injustice. This therefore shows how much power the audiences really do have as in this modern age they produce texts and not just consume them.

However, To disagree with the statement above, The X Factor judges have the final say on who they want to keep in and knock out of the competition. We the audience see this power as Wagner was finally booted out from the X factor after all four judges chose to keep the other contestant Mary in the competition. This therefore shows that although the audiences are beginning to become producers of texts they are ultimately consumers of media texts as institutions still have the major power.

My secondary text that I have chosen to for my case study is I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here which is also shown on ITV 1 and involves audience interaction as it is also similar to the x factor as it is a reality TV show which attracts a wide variety of viewers. I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here has a website for viewers to interact with the show which further engages viewers. The website has a range of activities and also includes live footage and highlights from the Jungle, and also has a blog on the website which allows the audience to share their opinions and views about the show. The audience is therefore hugely powerful in shaping the show as mainstreams audiences watch the show which is successful in using gratifications which keeps the audience entertained.

Similarly to the X factor, Audiences for I’m a Celeb have to vote on which contestants they want to keep in. However, the I’m a celebrity get me out of here audiences have much more power than the X factor audiences as they are the ones who chose which contestants take part in different tasks and challenges, Which therefore shows that they are the ones who are effectively ‘producing’ the show.

My third and final text that I have chosen for my case study is Britain’s Got Talent which is very similar to both of my other texts as they are all reality TV shows and are all aired on ITV1 and involves audience interaction as they all attract mainstream audiences.

Britain’s got talent attracts an audience of 6 million.  The show is very similar to the x factor and is in fact identical in the way they approach their audiences as the structure of both shows is the same. Furthermore, the BGT website includes competitions and news about the judges and also a feedback forum which allows the audience to shape the output of the media and become producers of the show too as by giving there opinions to the forum, they are

Furthermore, BGT operates on many social networking sites such as Face book and Twitter where it allows a lot of audience interaction. The show is mostly targeted at men and women aged from 16- 25 which is where most of them use such sites as a means of connecting with people and voice their opinions about the show. As there is a lot of popularity on the BGT pages, this allows the content to be user generated as the appearance of the pages as a whole is created by the consumers. This therefore shows the BGT relies on the interest of their consumers to create gossip and comment on which contestants they like and dislike which therefore makes the consumers the main producers.

In conclusion, I believe that reality TV shows such as, The X factor, Britain’s got talent and I’m a celebrity cannot become successful without the input and interest from audiences through their websites and social networking which therefore makes them the producers of the media. However, the final decisions comes from the institutions themselves where then the consumers ‘consume’ the material, post opinions and videos as a means of feedback for the artist. Therefore I believe that  Both consumers and producers are the main audience all tied into one as one and another need each other as without an audience there wouldn’t be a show, but on the other side of the argument, without a show there wouldn’t be any entertainment for the audiences.

Media Self Evaluation

• Attainment = 2

I believe my so far since the start of media has been very good as I am currently exceeding my target grades by one grade above. However, although I am currently satisfied, I aim to exceed my target grade by two grades above and achieve my aspirational target grade which is an A.

• Effort = 2

I believe my effort in class and home towards media is excellent as I try to produce work of my best ability for all work set.

• 
  Indicitative Grade = A (Hopefully)
  
  Three Targets (EBI's)
  • Try and be punctual to all my media lessons.
  • Try and contribute more to the class which would help myself and my peers.
  • I will also try and stay consistent regarding the quality of my homework.

Media - Hyundai Advertisement

Hyundai Advertisement

Media Forms:
Which advertising techniques being used?

Within the advert, a range of advertising techniques are used to engage the audience and also promote the product. Firstly surrealism is used throughout the narrative of the advert, this is shown as some babies can barely walk let alone escape from their cots and go drive a car.

Furthermore, the advert uses humour and fantasy really well to advertise their product along with the ideologies of an American dream alongside it. Also, the use of sweet and cheerful music could connote to the audience that the product is fun and exciting and encourages the audience to have a feel good factor surrounding the product and shows that the male genders in the advertisement are the more dominant gender whereas females are mostly objectified with the advert.

Media Representation:
How is gender represented in this advertisement?

In the advertisement, the male characters are shown to be the more dominant gender as the protagonist within the advert is a male character. This is shown throughout the advert as the protagonist is a male who is driving the car, surfing, escaping out of his cot and more importantly picking up the girl, which therefore shows that female characters are shown to be objects which satisfy the male characters and therefore represents a patriarchy society and also signals to the audience that the product is targeted at males rather than females.

The narrative within the advertisement also suggests that the products target audience is young males as the narration throughout the advert is of a male voice which further suggests male dominance until the very end of the advert where a female narration takes place and suggests that females are the alternative gender and are not the target audience for the product.

Media Institution:
What is communicated about the Hyundai brand and the experience it offers?

Within the advert we see the product being very comfy as well as clean which suggests to the audience that this is parallel to the company who produces the product, Hyundai. This can also connote to the audience that the company are extravagant, innovative and simplistic due to the structure of the advert. As the advert consists of an adventurous baby who escapes from a day to day routine of playing in his cot and decides to be extravagant and decides to follow the “wayward wind” as suggested by the music in the advert.

I believe the advert is very successful due to the use of a fantasy storyline of a “Baby’s day out” which connotes freedom and I believe is simultaneous to the message Hyundai are trying to send out to their target audience which is that if you own this car, it will give you freedom and happiness without a care for the world and is shown with the use of a open road.

Media Audience:
Who is target audience and how does the advert attempt to persuade this audience to buy the product?

From the advert, we can conclude from the advert that the primary audience of the product are young males. This is shown to the audience with the use of a young male protagonist within the advertisement and is further supported by the clear narrative which says “Designed for the next generation of drivers”.

Furthermore, I believe that with the use of a big car that the secondary target audience for the product are Family’s. This is because big cars fit big families and are usually associated with being a family car. This theory is further supported as the home shown at the very beginning of the advert seemed like a family home due to the wallpaper, colour of the carpet and other various iconographic furniture. The psychographics within the advert of being egoistic, escapism, and having a good lifestyle states to the audience that the product is mainly targeted at the 21-35 year old age group as the narrative refers to the product being for the “New generation” and the use of a baby as a main character further suggests that this product is not for old people aged 40-50 but for young adventurous drivers who want to live the American dream aged 21-35.

By Shahid Mea

Media Exam Question - Ms. Wigley

Audiences are becoming increasingly powerful in shaping media output. With reference to you case study, how far is this true?

Introduction

I believe that in this day and age, audiences are becoming increasingly powerful in shaping media output. I will show this by referring to My three primary texts which are reality TV shows, The X Factor (ITV1), Britain’s got Talent (ITV1) and I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here (ITV1). One of many similarities between the three shows is that they are all from the same genre and also they all run on the same channel which suggests ITV are a monopoly within the reality TV market. Also, they all run on three different platforms, which are print, E-media, and Broadcast. By running on 3 different platforms the shows attract a wide range of audiences and promote audience interaction which helps shape media output.

The X Factor is Britain’s most watched reality TV show which is aired on ITV1 and involves audience interaction as it depends on viewers to vote on contestants and this promotes the audience theory that audiences effectively run the show as without viewers voting and sharing their opinions, then the x factor would not be as popular as it is today. This shows that audiences are becoming increasingly powerful in shaping the show. The hit TV show attracts on an average of 17.5 million viewers each series.

Furthermore, The X Factor website also allows the audience to interact with the show. One way it promotes interaction is by running voting polls and forums on the website which the audience can vote and have their say and see what other viewers think too. For example, the current question on the x factor website is “Do you think Matt Cardle was a worthy winner?”

This therefore, shows us that the audiences are becoming increasingly powerful on what media institutions plan and put in the show. Also the website allows viewers to share their views and opinions through the X Factor blog and forum and also read the gossip on what goes on behind the scenes through The Sun which runs on the print platform.

Also because X Factor is a popular TV show viewers can catch up via the ITVPlayer. Furthermore, a social networking site such as Facebook and Twitter allow audiences to shape and place their views across, and is a place where audiences interact with one and other and share opinions through joining groups and supporting campaigns. Audience feedback and opinions have been successful, this is shown as the X Factor and Apple have joint together in a bid to react to the change in technology by releasing x factor apps.

My secondary text that I have chosen to for my case study is I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here which is also shown on ITV 1 and involves audience interaction as it is also similar to the x factor as it is a reality TV show which attracts a wide variety of viewers. I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here has a website for viewers to interact with the show which further engages viewers. The website has a range of activities and also includes live footage and highlights from the Jungle, and also has a blog on the website which allows the audience to share their opinions and views about the show. The audience is therefore hugely powerful in shaping the show as mainstreams audiences watch the show which is successful in using gratifications which keeps the audience entertained.

My third and final text that I have chosen for my case study is Britain’s Got Talent which is very similar to both of my other texts as they are all reality TV shows and are all aired on ITV1 and involves audience interaction as they all attract mainstream audiences. Britain’s got talent attracts an audience of 6 million.  The show is very similar to the x factor and is in fact identical in the way they approach their audiences as the structure of both shows is the same. Furthermore, The BGT website includes competitions and news about the judges and also a feedback forum which allows the audience shape the output of the media.

In Conclusion, Audiences are becoming increasingly hugely powerful in shaping the media outputs of the three shows over the three platforms. As audiences are influential in what is going to happen in with the use of blogs, social networks, print and most obviously broadcast.

Progress Report - 24/01/11

This past week as a group we have developed our ideas further and together we have come up with a Very good name for our production as well as developing our storyboards and working together to make sure that our production is a success. Also, as a group we have looked at trailers and took some good ideas that we can use for our production.

Action Plan - Finish off our storyboards.

Ms. Wigley - Homework

Do the texts enable different types of audience activity and/or interaction?
The x factor have made the broadcasting available over two days Saturday and Sunday, as people felt it was to short they have done this to keep audiences interested as results are announced on the Sunday it allows people to reflect on performers performances.

X factor have got a number of stars performers to perform and this will make it more interesting for more audiences as they are more engaged. Rihanna, Katy Perry both performed and this engaged more people to watch the x factor because of these iconic singers.

Broadcasting this allows the audience to interact by pressing the red button allowing them to navigate to a different page. This allows the audience to vote for the act they like furthermore they can also ring as well to register their vote. Moreover the audience can play quizzes via broadcasting and this makes the audience feel involved.

Are audiences able to play a role in the construction of media texts? (UGC)
In the x factor the audience play a considerable amount of involvement in constructing the media text. The audience have control and power to who will win and who will be voted on the reality TV show.  So the audience are constructing the media text because they decide what happen in the TV program.

This is discouraging as the audience use their power to keep contestants in even though they are not good at singing.

The audience also construct the text via social networking sites allowing them to talk to other people about the performances and the judges’ views and feedback.

Are there differences in the audience gratifications offered across the three platforms?

The audience are able to cast a vote which gives them power and pleasure. Furthermore they are able to interact with games and competitions.
The audience gain entertainment from the x factor over the three platforms. As x factor have a website people are able to link it their social networks therefore giving the audience social interaction.

Change in technology
The changing technology allows the x factor to appeal to more audiences, the internet has become more common in people’s lives and the x factor has used to internet to create their own website and allow people to express their opinion via blogs and social networking sites.

A change in technology allows apps to be made for phones and people can interact from wherever they are. As x factor are common In newspapers, Steve jobs and Rupert Murdoch have created an app allowing people to access news and this shows the technology changing as people are able to get info wherever they are