MS3 Evaluation
AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding when analysing media products and processes and evaluating your own practical work, to show how meaning and responses are created.
Word count: 500-750
Worth: 10 marks (10%)
-Knowledge of media theories/concepts
-Knowledge of history of genre, narrative and representation
-How research informs production
-Specific shots and use of language
-Refer to facts and figures
-Explain how you’ve subverted your research
Textual analysis of music videos shows women being treated as objects -encouraging
teenagers to aspire being treated in the same derogatory manner. The industry
encodes the message that women are beautiful, however this can be misconstrued
as beauty being a woman’s only purpose. The contrast between the clothing codes
of men and women exemplifies how the patriarchal industry views gender as
unequal. Through the positive portrayal of being sexualised, the ideology of
women being ‘used for entertainment value’ comes across. The oppositional
reading of these texts is that women are used to create male sexual fantasies
through distasteful objectification and sexualisation. My research shows that women are commonly
represented as strippers, prostitutes and sex objects which is juxtaposed against
men who are dominant, professional and in control; I want to subvert the negative stereotypes of women in
music videos.
After analysing music magazines, I found the key conventions to
include bold, simple and eye-catching typography,
short capitalised sentences and a rigid colour palette theme- all of which I
mirrored through my own designs. On my front cover I included subject topics relevant
to my investigation such as gender discrimination and using sex to sell. I used a combination of bold,
italic and capitalised fonts to add to the element of shock and irregularity to
reflect how ‘Plain Jane’ is different to other artists as she subverts
‘feminine stereotypes’ by denouncing misogyny and inspiring self-confidence.
I named my magazine ‘Melody’ because it’s relevant to the lexical
field of music. My target audiences are teenagers and young adults (15-25)
because my 50 completed questionnaires proved this age range to be the most
influenced by music magazines. I wanted ‘Plain Jane’ to be a suitable role
model for teenagers; therefore I designed my magazine to be classy and elegant
to reflect her opposition and distaste towards the discrimination of women.
This is reinforced by the mode of address which speaks to the reader through a
formal and high order lexis. I used a black and white theme to encode the message
that someone can look 'plain' on the outside but be very different on the
inside.
I subverted the stereotype of women being passive in the music
industry by creating an artist that represents a loud female voice. One of her
goals is to abolish the sexual connotations of women, which is discussed within
the interview. I emphasised the red lips through high saturation because red
lips are something that has connoted sex for generations- ‘Plain Jane’
questions why something so literally innocent can connote something so sexual.
To encode this message further, I used an arguably ‘sexual’ pose of an extreme
close up face shot on the front cover to demonstrate how sex is used as a means
to sell. ‘Plain Jane’ then subverts this by denouncing objectification and
sexualisation of genders. By using these subversions in an ironic way, ‘Plain
Jane’ is post-modern because she blurs the boundaries of what society categorises
as ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’. The gender symbols reflect how she possesses stereotypical ‘masculine’
traits of being independent and dominant.
I used
Pixlr and Photoshop to create and edit my practical work; I overcame the issue
of pixilation through software called ‘SmillaEnlarger’. I am experienced with
Pixlr through my AS coursework, however Photoshop was a beneficial learning
curve for me. Peer assessment helped me ascertain whether or not my magazine
looked successful; feedback
stated that the blank spaces looked unprofessional and consequently I made
amendments and filled the blank spaces with significant quotations. I used a
collage of words (taken from my primary research) of how female singers are
stereotypically labelled including ‘sex object’ and ‘talent’. These binary oppositions reflect how this female artist has overcome
negative comments and come out as an inspirational role model for her fans. Additionally,
by
using irregular fonts/colours I wanted to symbolise how 'Plain Jane' is a contradiction
against these stereotypes.
The music industry often equates
talent and success to sex appeal; I intend people to read Melody Magazine
because they want to see an artist that is different and innovative as opposed
to a generic and sexualised pop artist. Examples of my subversion include
clothing codes and her attitude towards self-worth; ‘Plain Jane’ wears a suit
rather than being stripped down and she argues that women do not need to take
their clothes off to get attention/recognition. I’ve subverted my research by
creating a woman in the music industry who is in control and famous for her
talent rather than her sex appeal.
750 words
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