I'll Manors broadcast: music video analysis

1. This is typical of a music video that is produced as Plan B has a clear narrative to address to the audience. The narative in place here is one to do with the London riots that had previously taken place in 2011, it shows what had happened during that period of time. In majority of the music video you could identify the main star which was Plan B himself which in most music videos you are able to identify the star themselves clearly. Also, the music was parallel to the video itself and in very few circumstances is it contrapuntal in music videos. The music video was to promote the artist himself and his film but the narrative of the story wasn't similar to the film but only a reference to the behavior taken place in the film although the characters present in the film were also in the music video themselves. 

The setting of the music video is parallel to the song itself as it is a rap song and is in an urban area, there is a view of council houses, estates, people who are seen to be hooligans (people in joggers and hoodies). This is very typical of a urban rap song as it talks about the struggle in life and usually promotes those who are seen to be of a working class status and haven't achieved much in today's life therefore are strugglers. The area is also in London which is seen to be run down and this is a link between the area that video was shot and the areas that the riots took place in during 2011. 

Plan B is also addressing the audience through his lyrics that are in the song itself. There is also reference to a news article that had been published which was victimising those who are seen to be from a poorer background and are not as wealthy. This has a direct link back to the lyrics, the narrative of the song and the film that is been promoted itself within the music video. Plan B wants to capture the attention of the audience to the news article so that they can see the similarities that is being shown through the lyrics, narrative and film.

2. The London riots are represented as being a negative thing and an alternative view that others see of London as it is regarded as one of the best cities in the world. It shows the poorer parts of London which is usually not seen to most people and the impact that it has caused. Due to this London itself receives an alternative representation of being a place where there is lots of violence and that the people themselves cannot contain themselves from causing such violent acts of crime. London itself is seen to look vulnerable and a poorer run down city that it is usually portrayed in the media as being economically good and a place for everyone across the world. 

The people themselves who are taking part in the riots are seen to be young and represented as being working class due to the hooded clothes that are being worn. The rioters are seen to be harmful and endangering those who are around them. The police is also given a very positive role fighting off those who are against keeping peace and promoting the riots; although, there is also an alternative side to the police that we see which is also being violent as the rioters that have been captured in the footage of the music video.

3. The music video was released so that it could promoted equality and is used as a protest, because of this oe pleasure that the audience retrieves from this music video is that the audience recieves is information. The audience is educated with the knowledge about what is happening during the London riots and who is being victimised. It could cause the audience to be more rebellious and question what they believe and what is being portrayed in the media as the song is a rebellious act towards those who are seen to be higher class and in some instances pushing down the lower class and victimising them. 

The video is also simply a source of entertainment for the audience. The use of the narrative could be a way for the audience to just entertain themselves and those who are admirers of Plan B and his music would also be watching the music video to view him. The fanbase that he has managed to rally over the years would find his music and his videos as a scource of entertainment so that the audience can watch it whenever they see suitable.

Some members of the audience may seem themselves being represented in the music video as they could be from a low income family or see themselves as being part of a group of gang. A minority of that took part in the London riots may see themselves as being represented in the video which is one of the reason which they wish to view the video and is a scource of pleasure for them.

4. The music video helps promote the film as it shows the characters who are in the film are also in the music video. This helps them promote the film as the audience will be able to indentify the characters in both the film and music video. As a result of this the synergy between them will help cross promote eachother also as it would promote a larger audience. 

The music video also helps promote the film as it stars the director of the film and rapper of the music video Plan B himself. This will make him more noticeable to the audience and as a result they are more likely to see the link between the film and the music video as they both promote eachother. The Plan B fanbase will also be more inclined to watch the film if they see him in a music video likewise if they see the film they are more inclined to watch the music video.

5. The music video was funded by 679 they are a recoding label which is by warner. The album was released in 2012 during the time of the Olympic Games which we can see due to the stadium in the back of the film. The telegraph had given the album 5 out of 5. Plan B used the album to cross promote the film which included the characters from the film in the music video. His fans were also very pleased with this as they were commenting on his social media pages and were rating it of a very high standard. It sold over 38000 copies in just the first week alone these shows how successful the music video and album was. Critics stated that Ben Drew (Plan B) was one of the boldest and lyrically ambitious pop star in Britain. The film was also very successful due to the downloads that it has received and also all the copies that have been sold. On YouTube the music video received over 7million views and the comments that were posted on were also very supporting of Plan B himself and this highlights the success it has had and how this also promotes the film. Recording sessions for the album took place at The Sanctuary in London and Edge Recording Studio. On 8 February 2012, it was announced the album would be released on 7 May via Atlantic Records. Shortly after, the album's lead single, iLL Manors, premiered. When the album became first in the charts the film itself was then later funded because of the successes that it had as Plan B was an untested director which never produced any films before. The album was first in the UK, third place in Ireland and in Australia the album was positioned at ninth place. The song described by The Guardian's Dorian Lynskey as "the first great mainstream protest song in years." This could be due to previous protest songs which have been produced by Public Enemy and other artist which is where Plan B had gotten his inspiration from to produce the album.

Ill Manors broadcast platform: trailer analysis

1. The key conventions that provided us with information was the name of the director which people are more likely to watch the film due to the successes. There is also information about the distributors and the main stars of the film which is common of most film trailers as they are used to promote the audience if they are a well known actor. There is a part of Todorovs equilibrium theory as the trailer shows the equilibrium and the disequilibrium but not the new equilibrium so that the audience can be left with the question about what is going to happen Enigma code.

2. Trailers are short clips of a film, the clips that are used are mainly scenes that leave the audience with a question about what the film is about and what is going to happen - enigma code. The best scenes are chosen for this and as a result is produced into a trailer. There are two types of trailers one which is for 30 seconds which is a few months before the film or a year depending on the promotion. The second trailer can last up to 3 minutes and the trailer for iLL Manors was a lot shorter at 1 minute 44 seconds.

3. The typical conventions that the trailer had were star ratings and reviews from magazines such as Men’s Health, Q magazine, Time Out and FHM. The main target audience for these particular magazines are youth orientated and trying to target mainly men, Time Out especially is targeting people who live in London as it is a London based magazine and those who value the status it has achieved over the years are more inclined to watch the film. There was also the name and logo of the film itself at the end so it's the very last thing the audience sees making it more memorable. Through the trailer there was music that was being played and had two tracks. The first track was a voice over narrating the story making it seem like an urban musical. The second track that is played is towards the end and is played in the film and sold in the album as well as being played in the trailer. At about half way through the trailer there was a rhetorical question that was asked towards the audiences engaging them more with the trailer. 

4. The main target audience would be mainly youth orientated and predominately in London which is identified for the scenes of the Olympic stadium in the trailer and the distributors that promote films in London or London orientated. It will appeal to a younger target audience who are in London as the film is London based and to do with lives of young adults and teenage members of society, it is promoting people who live in urban areas and how their lifestyle is on a daily basis compared to the majority of the people who may not have to live their life in poverty. The unique selling point for the film is that the director is also a well-known rapper meaning the film will be more successful with promotion as he is well known. The clips of the trailer that have been used are fast paced making it parallel to the music that is being played. The trailer gives slight clues about the narrative of the film which is seen with the scenes of drugs so the audience can identify that the story is drug orientated which is seen to be a common trend with films to do with urban lifestyles. The main characters are identifiable in the trailer and they have more focus on them than the other characters, there is also information about the director at the start of the trailer so the audience know who's produced the film. The release date of the film is at the end of the trailer so it's the last thing the audience see so that they remember when the film is coming out. There is a voice over of the director Plan B at the start of the film explaining some aspects of the film and this is effective as the audience are more inclined to watch the trailer as the voice over of the director is identifiable which will promote the film. 

5. The genre of the film has been represented through the characters by the way that they act, such as criminal behaviour and the use of drugs. The way that they dress, in jogging bottoms and hoodies. This is seen throughout the whole film as they are in an urban area and is the common trend but could also be for financial reasons. The setting also highlights the genre as it is a run down urban area in London which could convey the use of drugs and violence. The music also is a key part in this as it describes what is happening turning it into a musical but also having a narrator at the same time. The music is very urban and gritty but could also fall under the category of grime which is a London based genre and fits well with the theme of the film. The dialogue that is spoken in the film has a lot of slang that's involved in conversation between the characters in the film and is very street based, this compliments what the film is about as people in urban areas are more likely to speak this type of jargon that someone from, a wealthy middle class family which would be completely contrapuntal to the genre of the film and in some instances not fit the general stereotype that society has of people in urban areas.

iLL Manors film review

Director - The director of the film is Ben Drew but also know as Plan B due to his musical talents that he's known for.

Plot - The film was about two male protagonists called Aaron and Ed. Their life and actions that they did had an impact on the lives of others around them. The film has all the characters lives all intertwined together.

Characters - Although the film focused on a range of characters the two main protagonists were Aaron and Ed.

Genre - The genre of the film is a crime drama, this is identifiable from the film as there are scenes that are to do with people living in urban areas and their lifestyle. The drama accept to it is all the characters playing a role in eachother life and how eveything links back together.

Soundtrack - The soundtrack of the film was created by Plan B himself. This was done to fit the the genre of the film and the whole urban lifestyle as Plan B has been exposed to this before and made songs based on it. It was also beneficial as he's been seen in films such as 'Adulthood' and knows what soundtrack would be expected for the audience.

Audience - The audience is aimed at mainly 14-40 year olds as a crime drama is most likely to be for a younger audience especially when in urban areas, those who are of an older age may be put off by the use of slang which is why this promotes a younger audience. The split of male to female would be 50:50 as it is mainly about the lifestyle of those in urban areas and not focusing on the sex of any character although some may argue that it targets mainly men due to the violence and criminal side that the film displays.

The film iLL Manors is to do with two main protagonists Aaron and Ed, their life and choices that they make influence others life's and the choices that they make also affect the lives of Aaron and Ed. The storyline is to do with people living in an urban area in London and the lifestyle of those characters. The film has really fast paced editing at th start and throughout the film as well. Another key element which makes this film unique was that the lives of all the characters intertwined with eachother. This made the film more successful as the choices and lifestyle of each character had an impact on eachother and this was different to other films as you could see the lives of other characters in detail as well as the main protagonists. In certain scenes of the film their was music which described what was happening in the scene why it was happening and narrated the film itself, this was a key element as the soundtrack wasn't just another feature of the film but key as it tells a story and narrates the film itself. Both Aaron and Ed were in foster care together and have known eachother majority of their life. Both of them live in an urban area and are selling drugs, Ed is caught selling drugs whilst Aaron gets away. When he comes out of prison he has to get his phone back off Aaron, the phone has been misplaced and the night is spent looking for his phone. Throughout the night the stumble across people who may have the phone and come across a women. The women spends her night gaining the money for the lost phone Ed had and tries to pay him back £1000 by the end of the night. Later on the phone is found but the phone that was sold by the women happened to be someone else's phone. The film is mainly based on drugs and how that impacts life of teenagers and adults on a daily basis in London and how their lifestyle is influenced because of this.  There is also two characters named Jake and Marcel, Marcel is the leader of the gang and Jake is just joining after beating his friend up to obtain weed from Marcel. Marcel was caught earlier by Kirby who works for Chris, through the film the decisions each of them make impact eachother where at one point the confrontation between Kirby and Marcel lead to an attack being placed on Kirby but in the process of doing the Jake who kills Kirby also kills a young girl who is the sister of Chris who is a well known drug dealer. Chris then finds out who had killed his sister and as a result of this both Jake and Marcel are murdered by him. Chris is then left to place the gun at the pub and as he goes to collect it the following day it is then identifiable that the gun has been stolen and is in the hands of Aaron instead. Aaron is then on a train and has been burdened with a baby as a women has left her child on the train, he then looks after the child as it had been abandoned and tries to find its mother. The baby is then later sold to the owner of the pub. Previously before all of this the mother of the child was with the women that Ed and Aaron had come across who apparently sold Eds phone, they went to look for the child and then eventually found Aaron. They went to get the baby back from the pub but later found that there was a fire causing everyone to panic. Ed comes into the pub hoping to find Aaron as he has been told to retrieve the gun and doing so he rescues the baby. Although the baby has been rescued and everyone is safe Ed jumps out of the window and dies. Aaron retrieves the gun back to Chris and as a result is given a job proposal but refuses at the end of it and Chris is later arrested as drugs are found in the boot of the car. The film on the whole is enjoyable and was memorable due to the unique qualities that it had. I would give the film 7/10.

The British film industry: institutional context

1. The cultural test is a test that decides whether a film is British or not. The film must score 16 out of a possible 31 to be considered as British.

2. Sweeney - 31/31
    Attack the block - 27/31 
    The Kings speech - 27/31
    We need to talk about Kevin - 10/31
    Skyfall - 27/31

3. One problem that may be faced is that Hollywood actors are seen to be more glamorous than British actors, this would mean that to attract a large audience an American actor is used to encourage more people to view the film as they have the lead role. Also, some people may be more inclined to go and base their careers in Hollywood as the advantages lure away the British actors. America and Britain have the same native language so it is a lot easier for American films to be exported to the UK.

4. One strength of British film industry is that they've had a film industry since before world war one such as Ealing and Pinewood studios. In addition, the camera companies and digital post-production houses attract people from America meaning investors are more likely to invest in British films. Another advantage is the skills that have been displayed in British films such as the 'Harry Potter' franchise that is known world wide which was created by J.K Rowling.

5. British film makers could work with American film industries but this could also mean the loss of the element of the film being British. The second way is to make a low budget film making the film itself British but will only target a minority of people.

6. I think that it is better for British film makers to work with American film industries as they could still promote British films to a larger audience and doesn't necessarily mean the loss of British identity in the films. The film is more likely to be successful and if so would promote British films on the whole.

The British film industry

1. The things that makes a British film is if it has a British protagonist, if there's a British subject matter and if the institution is British.

2. Hollywood films usually have actors that are well known world wide and the budget of the film is high as most Hollywood films are to be able to afford the large amount of costs. A British film could be high budget or low budget.

3. James Bond was originally a TV series before it became a film in 1962 and is now one of the most successful British franchises since.

4. During the 1970s and 1980s Television had started to change there was more graphic and sexual scenes that were on television. Prior to this during the 1960s and before this wasn't seen to be appropriate for audiences as they hadn't been exposed to this.

5. The main protagonist that was in a British film was a British actor and was always the hero in the film. The villain in these films was normally someone from a foreign country. 

6. A British actor usually appeals to the audience and the focus on British culture is usually successful when promoting a British film. Class, social strife and education is also something that attracts the audience. 

PPE LR

Q1. The advert that was showed was original as it was unusual to other road safety adverts that have been shown in the past. This advert symbolised family and how the bond of family can save you where as other adverts show death when precautions aren't taken when driving. This is seen through all of the clip as it is all positive but specifically when the father crashes the family go to protect him which is unusual as the male is the one who is the protector and the female as the one who is in need of assistance and this also breaks the norm of gender stereotypes. 

Another original approach that the institution took was playing classical music over this advert which is unusual but seemed to be effective. The music contrats to the advert as the advert is about road safety and how to prevent tragedy whilst driving; the classical music almost synergies with the family itself being a white middle class family which are usually portrayed to listen to classical music and being in the household itself where the family could listen to music makes the atmosphere calm until the car accident. This is seen by the table flipping over. This links to Todorovs equilibrium theory, the equilibrium is the family in the household all together and the disequilibrium is the father crashing the car which we can see from his facial expression as it changes from smiling to his face being screwed as he's dodging the car. The new equilibrium is the family saving him and the equilibrium is restored.

The final thing that is unusual and original with this road safety advert compared to others that have been shown previously in the past is that there is no deaths. In this advert the father smashes his car towards the end but is saved by his family. During the end of other car adverts usually someone dies due to an accident. The family which represents the belt goes to protect him and doesn't show any death proving a positive message rather than this being negative compared to other adverts.

Index

Media consumption audit
MIGRAIN introduction to Media: Reading an image

Year 12: Institution feedback and learner response

Institution: Brand values

Institution: CoolBrands research

Narrative

Audience: Psychographics

Audience theory: blog tasks

Dependency theory
Representation: clip analysis - dominant and alternative representations
Representation theory: 500 word analysis on blog
Representation: Media Magazine articles and questions
Ideology: BBQ QT analysis and binary opposition
Ideology: Media Magazine reading