Tuesday 27 January 2015

Demographics And Psychographics

Demographics

Demographics are statistical data which relates to the population and the potential groups within it. The data is based on factors including: age, race, sex, economic status, level of education, income level, employment, location and family relationships.

Within the media, demographic information is used to find and identify potential audience growth and also to spot under performance. For example, magazines such as Woman's health, Vogue and Cosmopolitan reach the female demographic however they each target different types of people. Companies are always changing their products and the way they are advertised slightly so they can meet the expectations of a particular demographic group meaning they are less likely to struggle when it comes to sales and marketing. It is used by advertisers to determine where advertisements should be placed according to the demographic profile of the audience and the advertisers are informed of the target audience by demographic profiling.

Audiences are categorised from A-E and it is based on their class, income and occupation. People in the A and B category supposedly have the most disposable income because they are the wealthiest and have the greatest influence on society. Here and all the different categories and what they consist of:

 

Psychometrics 

Psychometrics is the study of personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests and lifestyles. It is based on the idea that the types of products an individual will purchase will reflect their characteristics and pattern of living and it is seen as a more appropriate way of defining an audience. People are spilt into different groups depending on these factors and the main ones are:

Mainstreamers: These people are not risk-takers and they seek security, tried and trusted brands and value for money. They make up 40% of the population.

Aspirers: These are often people of the younger generation and they seek status and branded items as they care about their appearance. They are stylish and often are persuaded by celebrity endorsement.

Explorers: These people are energetic risk-takers who love adventure. They seek discovery and are attracted by brands that offer new experiences and instant results.

Succeeders: These people are often A/B and already have status and control. They have strong goals and confidence and prefer serious and reliable brands.

Reformers: These people are not materialistic and are socially aware. They seek enlightenment and want freedom and space for personal growth. They have self-esteem and fulfilment, are less impressed by status and may be more likely to buy environmentally friendly/healthy brands.




Thursday 15 January 2015

Further Development Of My Production

This is the logo for my TV series. It features a 'possessed' eye to represent the genre and themes of my show and also to represent the nightmares and dreams the characters have which foreshadow what is going to happen in future episodes so are a major aspect to my narrative. I have used the letter 'P' in the centre of the eye as a representative of the title of my show (which is 'possessed') and I have placed it where the pupil of the eye would be as I believe it looks very effective.













This is the poster that I have created for my TV series and in order to make it, I used word so I would like to enhance and develop it using programmes such as Photoshop. I have included my logo in the top right hand corner so it can become something that my audience recognise so when they see it, they will immediately think about my show. At the top, I have also included my main slogan 'don't close your eyes' in a simple white font which stands out against the background yet does not take our focus away from the main image. My main image is a possessed girl with her hand, covered in blood, pressed up against a window to symbolise how she is trapped and the image itself is quite scary so informs my audience that the genre of my TV show is horror/supernatural. The title 'possessed' is the same colour as the blood on the girls hand which gives the idea that the blood is dripping down to create the title. Additionally, my poster links in with my DVD cover as they both include the logo and make use of hands against a window. 






I have created a DVD cover for the box-set of my horror/supernatural TV series. On the front, it includes the title, the 15 certification and informs my audience that it contains three discs. For my title, I used the same font as I used for my merchandise and also used the key colour of red because it is very dramatic and symbolises blood; it also stands out against my dark background. The background consists of three hands which are pressed up against glass to represent how the protagonists within my TV series are trapped in the hotel. The spine is red in order for it to stand out against the front and back cover, it contains the title and '1-3' in the opposite colours to what I used on the front; the age certification and also the production company which I have named 'Woody Productions' because it relates to me. The back cover includes the production company, what my series is about and the information label. It also includes two images from my series, one being the inside of the hotel and the other being a photograph of one of my male protagonists. 

New merchandise: 




I also made a quiz in which my audience can participate to find out which main character from my series they are most like: 








Monday 12 January 2015

Visual And Technical Codes

Music video: Clean Bandit- Rather Be


Narrative: The music video is about a young woman who falls in love with the song ‘Rather Be’ and becomes obsessed with it. She begins hallucinating and everywhere she goes, she thinks she can see the members of Clean Bandit which shows how much she has grown to like them and how they influence her day-to-day life. The video follows the daily routine of the Woman and we see her waking up in the morning, going to the fish market, travelling on the train and this makes the video much more relatable for the audience. There is a single narrative strand in this music video because it follows the story of this one woman and it is told through a linear narrative which helps to make the video easy to understand. In a way, action codes have been used because after the first minute or so, we begin to understand that normal people or things the woman sees in her daily life turn into members of the band and the audience knows that is going to occur after a significant action takes place. 

Visual codes: At the beginning of the video, the colours are very bright and a lot of  the scenes are set in the daytime to symbolise how happy the band make her and listening to ‘Rather Be’ brightens up her day. As the video develops, her hallucinations become worse and the colours are dull and much darker to represent how the hallucinations are starting to have a negative impact on her life and are uncontrollable. The video was clearly set and filmed in Japan because there are many scenes in a fish market in which Japanese food is being sold and at the very beginning, there are shots of a koi pond. There is use of the bands logo throughout the music video which makes it more personal to Clean Bandit and it helps to promote them. 

Technical codes/audio: During the music video and especially towards the end, there are many close-ups of the girl to show an expression of panic and confusion on her face; this could be to show that she does not understand why she is having hallucinations and she is frightened and concerned by them. At times, slow motion camera is used when the girl sees the band members to make it clear that she is hallucinating and not seeing straight and we are possibly seeing things from her point of view which help the audience to understand how she is feeling. The song ‘Rather Be’ is very upbeat and happy sounding which could be to represent how listening to the song makes the girl feel positive and it should have that effect on the audience as well.

Magazine cover: Vogue


Narrative: The magazine is informing the audience on how they can improve their looks and it has quite a girly theme to it because words and phrases are used such as: 'princess' and 'dress-up'. Enigma codes are embedded throughout the different sections of text on this cover because each section does not give much of the article away and they are used to draw the audience in and they are more likely to buy the magazine to read about and understand the context surrounding each sub-heading.

Visual codes: In the masthead, the title is large and bold in order to make it stand out and attract people’s attention; it would be easily noticed in a shop and is very eye-catching so may be hard to miss. The font used is the same as the other vogue magazines which means it is easily recognisable. The colour of the title is pink, as well as most of the text on the front cover, which shows that the magazine is designed for females because the colour pink represents feminism so a male audience would probably not be attracted to the magazine. Popular celebrities are used as the main image on vogue magazines and in this particular one, Lana Del Rey has been used who is a very well-known singer who a lot of females will know or recognise meaning they may be more likely to buy the magazine than if there was a celebrity they did not know as the main image. These visual codes make me think that the audience for vogue magazine is females aged 15-30 as it is clear that the content will appeal to people ranging from those ages and the celebrities on the front look like they are all younger than the age of 30 so older females may not be attracted to the magazine.

Film poster: Birdman


Visual codes: The main subject of the film poster is a man in the direct centre, he is looking very stern which suggests that the film is going to have a serious tone to it. There is a much smaller superhero on top of the man’s head which implies that the man may be a superhero as well as his normal self. The superhero has large wings which links to the title of ‘Birdman’ and therefore informs the audience that the man’s superpower is flying so gives us more of an insight into the film. The title is quite small in size, the font is basic and it has been coloured white meaning that more attention is on the image of the protagonist and this may have been done to emphasize his importance and to ensure that he is centre of attention. Additionally, the title is all in capital letters expect for the letter ‘I’ which could represent how the film revolves around that one protagonist only and it is about his goals and development as a character. The poster uses subtle colours such as pale blue and brown which suggests that the film is mainly aimed at males because personally, it does not appeal to me as the dull colours do not attract my attention. I therefore believe that the audience is males ranging from 15-25 as they are the age group that tend to enjoy superhero films however I also believe that some adults enjoy films of that genre but it depends mainly on personal taste.

Technical codes: The poster has a mature, cartoon feel to it because it has been edited using a poster effect and I believe that this has been purposely done to make the poster look like it is from a comic book which makes the genres of action, adventure and superhero very clear. This furthermore shows how the intended audience is also superhero and comic book fans who may enjoy films such as Batman and Spiderman.

Film trailer: 22 Jump Street


Narrative: The two protagonists, Schmidt and Jenko are police-officers whose mission is to go undercover at a college in order to find the dealer for a new drug called ‘WhyPhy’. The producer tells the story by introducing a number of narrative strands. Firstly at the beginning, the audience understand that the two protagonists are a part of a community called Jump Street which leads on to the second narrative strand which is how they are going to be going undercover at a college. The remainder of the trailer makes a strong use of enigma codes and we see very small sections of certain scenes which only leaves the audience guessing as they are not yet aware of the context that surrounds it. This is a clever technique because the audience will have to watch the film in order to understand these enigma codes so it is a good way of promoting the film to attract a larger amount of people. 

Visual codes: Bright colours are used throughout the whole trailer and the majority of the scenes are set in the daytime which helps to create an upbeat atmosphere which is relaxed and happy which informs the audience that the main genre is comedy. We often see the two protagonists holding guns which make it clear that they are police-officers who are on a mission and it informs the audience that there will be violence throughout the film showing that it will also cover the genre of action. The visual codes, technical codes and audio make me believe that the intended audience for 22 Jump Street is teenagers, male and female, ranging from the ages 15-21 because it features well-known actors that teenagers are likely to know and the genre of comedy often greatly appeals to that age group.

Technical codes/audio: Throughout the trailer, happy, upbeat and loud music is used to give the audience an idea on the tone of the film and also what genres it comes under which in this case are action and comedy. The loud music creates a positive atmosphere, almost as if you were at a club or a loud party, to represent how you will enjoy yourself and have fun when watching the film. The music goes quieter or silent when there is dialogue or a joke is being told by one of the characters, this has been done so the audience can clearly hear what is being said and so full attention is on the character speaking. The producer of the film trailer may have purposely chosen certain clips from the film which help to explain the narrative and that are some of the best or most funny parts in the film in order to persuade the audience to watch it. Additionally, quick editing is used to create intensity.