1. What are Henry Jenkins’ ideas about how the media landscape is changing?

Jenkins states that there has been a transition where old media systems are making way for new media systems which of whom are controlled by many individuals. Spectatorial cultures are giving way to participatory culture. Average individuals have the power to tell their own way on the internet. We take control of the media as it improves our lives. In the past the stories made by folks were taken by the big media companies and now the individuals are taking these stories and data back and re-creating it.

2. What is ‘convergence culture’?

Convergence culture is where every image, sound and brand is exploited to as many media ways as possible t enable maximum publicity for these contents. From presenting variety of different methods from a teenage bedroom to decisions made in the via com boardroom. We are being watched by Big Brother as well as through different technologies we are in the world were through these little cell phones cameras we are in fact watching Big Brother.

3. How are Jenkins’ ideas similar to those of David Gauntlett and Michael Wesch?

4. How might we disagree with Jenkins’ utopian ideas about the media? (Answering this question may require some independent thought – be very afraid.)

Representation Essay

In our performance and narrative based music video consisted of one main female artist. We were attempting to steer away from the norm of female portrayal within music videos, as usually woman in the music videos are promoting "The Male Gaze". Particular genres such as Hip Hop & R&B are well known for representations of women within the video whether it be in the lyrics or visual imagery. These genres usually involve a women in minimum clothing prancing around a flash vehicle. Woman are presented in provocative clothing revealing their flesh in many places, there are often close-ups of their body parts. For example, Nicki Minaj's video "SuperBass" consists of the artist pouring pink fluid over her body which presents her in sensual way and creates a male audience.


However, in some videos women are overpowered by men, for example in Rihanna's video, "Man Down" it is clear that the artist is being abused by a male figure. This video shows her vulnerability and loneliness due to abuse experienced.


We decided for the target audiences to see the artist as an inspirational role model, that can be a highly respectable idol for young teenage girls. Our main aim is to enable audience’s to acknowledge the artists clear talent. We were inspired by the girl group. "Destiny's Child" as they perform songs which illustrate the strong female role models which of whom stand on their own feet. We then decided that this way of portraying our artist will enable the target audiences to acknowledge her singing rather than flaunting her body. 


We have portayed our artist as being a normal grl suffering within a tough situation. This representation which was created clearly enables people to engage from the ages of (13-29+) as this range is more likely to gain empathy with the shown narrative. The representation we created for our protagonist can actually be seen as inspirational to other female audiences out there as they observe our artist displaying great power over men.


Our infuences of the similar narrative became clear when watching  Keri Hilson's video "Knock You Down" ft Ne-Yo and Kanye West, as itportrays a couples relationship breaking down. In terms of the masculinity showcased in our video we decided to challenge the usual stereotypical tough male posterior by creating a male character who was more sensitive and vulnerable which was focused on when the female protagonist walked away from her boyfriend after ending the relationship, as he was left standing alone. We also highlighted how the artist was the stronger one when she turned back around to look at her boyfriend (who was stood alone at the top of road) but rather than heading back to him she chose to walk away and walk out of her boyfriends life completely.
We find that representations are commonly encoded within the mass media, this reinstates demanding ideologies which are socially constructed. They vary from those that are easy to interpret and make an instant connection with, to those which viewers may need to encode to be able to understand and empathize with. In the video we have challenged the traditional representations found within the R&B genre, as we attempted to drift away from the male gaze and aimed to focus more on the artists talents. 

Audience Essay

The creation of the advanced portfolio will address how audience plays a role in the pre-production stages within the music video for ‘Hate This Part Right Here.’  We gained an active audience, which refers to the idea the audience has a vital role in understanding and creating a connection with the media text. We wanted our audience to be able to play an active role by enabling them to sympathise and empathise with our protagonist as majority of people would be able to connect with the pain and the heartbreak experienced. The narrative is able to create a connection with the audiences.

Our research began by  the investigation of real media texts, to ensure a better knowledge of the types of audiences which gain a liking to the conventions of  r&b love songs.  I began to research Goodwin’s theory and used his points when analyzing the

The first thing I researched was Goodwin's theory where I used his ideas and put this video "Knock You Down" ft Ne-Yo and Kanye West, which stated the portrayal of ones relationship breaking down. We decided that we were going to create a between the lyrics and the visuals, especially after becoming aware that the music is merely and extension of the lyrics which is one of the key issues discussed as part of Goodwin’s theories. Our stylistic influences were gained by watching similar music videos which showcase a similar narrative device such as, "Taking Back My Love - Enrique Iglesias ft Ciara.

Additionally, we decided to incorporate intertextual references within our narrative, this is witnessed in our first scene where the couple are sitting distantly within the car. This shot was taken from Nicole Scherzinger's video "Don't Hold Your Breath". This video is of the R&B genre and matches our chosen target audience as her music also reaches young teenagers to elder teens. The shot of the protagonist sitting in back of a taxi alone draws attention to the vulnerability and emotion that is being heightened due to the artist reminiscing over how her relationship suddenly came to an end. This shot allowed the artist's fans to view the singer in a different light, seeing her at her more vulnerable state, allowing her fans to sympathise with her.

Throughout our advanced portfolio, the Uses and Gratification Theory by McQuail came to our attention. We focused on ‘personal relationship’ and ‘personal identity’ which was related to the chosen R&B genre. The ‘personal relationship’ enabled our audiences to witness the built up of stress and grief from within the breakdown of the relationship particularly when they were isolated from one another, for instance where the protagonist was in her bedroom whilst her boyfriend was left waiting outside in the corridor.

Our video was aimed to attract female audiences in particular as the female singer is female and can see the artist as a clear role model and it states how she dealt with the pain which was caused as the relationship came to an end. On the contrary, it could also attract male audiences as the artist is seen in clothing which compliments her figure, on the other hand we were attempting to move away from the voyeurism which is when videos  portray women as sexual objects.

Describe how you developed your skills in the use of digital technology for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to your creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.

When creating the thriller opening for my foundation Portfolio we found that the Canon camera was very high quality in terms of lighting and it was high in definition, however at first we had problems transferring the footage onto the Imac at first. We used the dolly to track the movements and create tracking shots, we also used a light reflector to enhance the footage.  After we filmed the footage for our thriller, we were able to upload it onto the Imac and we were able to use softwares such as Final Cut Express, Photoshop, Live Effects where we could create effects and edit the footage. 

When using Final Cut Express, we learnt new techniques such as creating wire-frames where we were able to display two pieces of visual imagery at once, we used this when creating our production logo as we were animating a still image. We learnt how to use a fade in and fade out effect when creating the credits within our opening. I also learnt how to create a white out to create a flashback effect as the protagonist was entering her premonition. The use of the additive dissolve was used to create a blinking effect to show the protagonist going into a deep sleep, this was inspired by a scene in the film, "The diving bell and the butterfly". In terms of Garage Band,  it was very efficient to use when creating a suspensible soundtrack as we were able to create a very subtle sequence which was able to blend into our footage. 

Furthermore, when creating the advanced portfolio I found that as I was familiar with the equipment and the softwares I began to want to play around with more effects and creating more footage in order to refine the editing of the product. For example, on final cut express I did not know how to use special effects last year, however this year I learnt how to blend to images together. For example we incorporated the shots of the London Eye and the close ups of the artist which was inspired by the special effects in Pixie Lott's video, "All About Tonight". We also learnt how to use the pen tools, to split the images and to create blurs and blackouts.   We also experienced how to create quite fast editing for the dance scene as we had to keep adding markers on the timeline in order to identify where we wanted to change each shot. Last year, I briefly learnt how to use the dissolves however this year I made more use of the additive dissolves and the fades.

When creating our ancillary tasks we learnt how to create texts effects on Photoshop through the use of tutorials found using Web 2.0. I learnt how to constantly add layers when using Photoshop to create the ancillary tasks. Once I got to know the software it was easy to play with the gradients and contrasts within the software.

I thought the camera equipment was very efficient to use, we used equipment to enhance filming. For instance we used the light reflector for when the artist was singing directly into the camera in order to highlight the artists face as she was singing and to add brightness to the shot. We also used the dolly and tripod when the artist walks away from her partner towards the end of the video to track the artist in a steady way. We used extra lighting for the night dancing and night movement in order to add brightness,power and force within the shot. 

During both years of making my portfolio, I have gained many skills using the digital technology. Throughout the years I have found the editing has become more refined and able to make incredible use of the camera equipment in creative ways in order to enhance the filming.