Animated Film....

1. What techniques are used to attract the target audience for this animated film?

The clip starts with a disruption as we can clearly see some of the characters are trapped in a dungeon. The dungeon is a typical location and is a symbolic and historical code that helps to anchor the genre, as fairytale.

In the dungeon we are introduced to a character who is clearly a villain and maybe the main antagonist. The dress code is very telling, the red and regal outfit is a signifier that could connote blood and power. The style of the outfit is a cultural code and connotes that the film is probably set in ancient Eygypt. The villain has a deep tone of voice and has very formal mode of address, again connoting that he is some kind of powerful, regal villain.

We are then introduced the villains helper, a bird that speaks. Personification is common in animated films and this technique suggests that the primary target audience is probably children.

The music bed in the opening scenes is non-diegetic and is both sinister and playful, this connotes that although the evil is at work, good times may be round the corner.

The lighting in the opening scenes is low key to help connote darkness and evil but saturated colours are used in the animation to create that bright exciting feel that animations made using CGI(computer generated imagery) often have.

We are then introduced to Alladin, who at this point can be seen as a damsel-in-distress but will of course become the hero, he is our main protaganist. A high angle shot of Alladin shows him cowering on the dungeon floor, this shot helps connote his helplesness and the following low angle shot of the man who opens the dungeon door, gives all the power to the huge villain.

Back in the original dungeon we are introduced to the princess and her helper, both common characters in a fairytale genre and both dressed in costumes that are again cultural and historical codes that help anchor the time and place.

The main antagonist then shows his magic abilities by flying across the room, this is a gesture code which anchors the genre as fairytale or fantasy and helps give the text a high level of generic versimilitude.

We are then introduced through a long shot to a sword, the sword is once again an historical code and the diegetic sound of the sword being sharpened is foreboding and makes the audience feel uneasy, all the time increasing the power of the disruption.

The narrative is multi-strand as aside from the issue of the battle of binary opposites, good versus evil, other narratives are apparent, such as the conscience of the bird, trust and romance.

The text satisfies our need for diversion(uses and gratification theory) and for some audience members, particularly children the characters and their plights may resonate very strongly, for example; trusting your friends, initial feelings of romance, being persuaded by evil, listening to your conscience. So on some level, the audiences need to be able to personally identify with the text is being satisfied.

Finally the characters and the themes have been chosen very carefully in order to allow its young primary target audience to create personal relationships, through discussing the film or even taking on character roles when indulging in creative play with their friends.


2. Create some ideas for your own animated film aimed at young children by completing the following tasks....

• Think of an appropriate title
• List the characters involved
• Create a storyboard that briefly explains the narrative of the film
• Explain your ideas for the film

Title: Hungry Hippos

Characters:
Harry the Hippo = Hero (Voice-over= Tom Hanks)
Terry Tortoise = Helper (Voice-over= Jack Black)
Henrietta Hippo = Damsel-in-distress ( Jennifer Aniston)
Hardy Hippo = Villain (Al Pacino)
Freddie finch and the finches = Villain's helpers (Lee Evans = Freddie)

Storyboard: Click to enlarge

Explanation of ideas:
My film will include the traditional equilibrium, as we are introduced to characters of Harry and Henrietta and will then enter into a disruption as the villains are introduced. The main antagonist is Hardy Hippo who is always trying to steal Henrietta as she is the famous princess Henrietta who is heir to the throne. Her Father is about to die, leaving her great wealth.

The disruption happens when Hardy and his helpers the evil finches hatch a plan to kidnapp Henrietta, however the resolution comes when Harry aided by his sidekick and helper terry the tortoise muscle in and save the day.

The voice-overs for the characters will be the people mentioned above, as they are star vehicles and would help attract both the primary target audience of children and the secondary target audience of adults.

The non-diegetic music bed for the fight scene will be fast paced and connote excitement and the locations will be set around a huge lake that is part of a jungle, the locations and inclusion of other animals will give the film a high level of generic verisimilitude.

Some of the characters will be the people of the local tribe, their dress will be important as it will be a cultural code that anchors the location of the film, their head dresses and spears being symbolic codes that make us think of Africa.

The genre of the film is family adventure and the characters will help anchor the genre. By using personification, including animals that can talk and using gesture codes that we associate with humans, the film will appeal to its target audience.

The narrative will be multi-strand as it will include various themes, including, love, honour, trust and flight.

A variety of camera shots will be used and to start with there will be plenty of low-angle shots of Hardy the Hippo, to show he is the villain and very powerful. A series of two-shots of Harry and Henrietta will be used to illustrate their blossoming romance. A variety of close-ups will also be used to show the funny facial expressions of Terry the tortoise who is always scared but too slow to get out of trouble.

The text satisfies our need for diversion (uses and gratification theory) and for some audience members, particularly children the characters and their plights may resonate very strongly, for example; trusting your friends, initial feelings of romance, being persuaded by evil, listening to your conscience. So on some level, the audiences need to be able to personally identify with the text is being satisfied.

Finally the characters and the themes have been chosen very carefully in order to allow its young primary target audience to create personal relationships, through discussing the film or even taking on character roles when indulging in creative play with their friends.

3. Chose one of the characters from the clip and explain how they might appeal to the target audience.

I have chosen to look at Harry the Hippo. Harry is the hero of the film, the protagonist, therefore the main character, the one that people remember.

Harry is created by using CGI and through the technique of personification, this makes Harry into a real person almost.Harry's facial expressions and gesture codes help connote a sense of safety and calmness he is funny and clumsy but brave and bold.

Harry is played by Tom Hanks, who is a star vehicle with a tone of voice is quite high and non-threatening, juxtaposed against the villain of the piece, the evil deep voiced Hardy (Al Pacino). Harry is quite cute and cuddly and would appeal to the young target audience.

The nature of Harry's adventures and the themes of the film would hopefully resonate with a young audience and young boys in particular may be able to personally identify with his plight.

The idea of growing up and the dangers you face in doing so will run very heavily through the film and and young people may be able to identify with this or indeed form personal relationships on the back of this film. Young people may play out scenes from the film or talk about their favourite parts with Harry in.

Harry would also appeal to the target audience through forms of merchandise, many young people may want to cuddle Harry up before they go to sleep or see him on their lunch box or wallpaper.


4. Animated films are very popular with children and families. How do organisations sell animated films to family audiences.

First of all the content of the film is very important, family orientated themes help to attract the target audience, stories of bravery, morality and truth, help attract families who want their children to learn certain values.

The narratives and scripts are also multi-layered, polysemic, so they appeal to both the primary and secondary target audiences creating a variety of preferred readings, including adult innuendos that children would not pick up on but also visual slap-stick comedy that children love.

The characters are also really important, as the voice-over is normally read by star-vehicles. This leads into the the uses and gratification theory, animated films satisfy our need in several different ways.

Diversion - because they are funny and emotional
Personal identity - we can identify with the plight of the characters
personal relationships - we form relationships by talking about our favourite, film, charcater, song etc.

All these needs that we have talked about in the uses and gratification theory are all then satisfied again and again once the film has been seen and has entered our psyche.

Once people have seen the film, the real marketing of families begins. Many of the multi-national organisations that create animated films are based in Hollywood and not only do these organisations own animated films studios, they also own many other forms of media.

For example, Warner Bros own, radio stations, TV stations, other film studios etc.
This allows them to promote their animated films through many different forms of media, through trailers, reviews, interviews with the voice-over stars etc; all broadcast through various channels that appeal to their specific target audience, for example on the looney tunes channel.

These organisations also have the ability to create masses of merchandise that appeals to family audiences. Massive companies like Warner Bros also own music labels, video game companies, board game creators and publishing companies, when companies buy out other companies in different areas, other than film, this is called vertical integration.

These huge companies then provide a huge range of merchandise to appeal to all the family and this merchandise is branded, so as soon as you see a certain colour, location, catchphrase or character emblazened across the duvet, lunch box, toy, tie, stationary, t-shirt, video game, poster, special edition DVD, bicycle, go-cart, Mcdonald's happy meal, packet of sweets, cuddly toy, fairground ride, CD, you know what film it is from, this is called media synergy.

Disney take this one step further and there is a theory called Disneyfication that suggests that Disney creates a sugar coated world that encourages us to buy into that 'happy feeling' and in turn buy their merchandise.

Disney even own huge theme parks where you can spend your entire holiday giving Disney money and then when you get home you can look back on that happy time and buy more Disney merchandise because that is what you need, to keep you happy!

Need to Know for Animated film....all 4 questions......

Signifiers and connotes

Historical/symbolic/cultural/dress codes

Camera Angles: Establishing/long/close-up/two-shot/tracking/high-angle/low-angle

Juxtaposition: old/new..... good/evil....formal/informal.......rich/poor......powerful/weak.

Mode of address: informal/formal.....direct/indirect

Enigmas

Music Beds + Diegetic/non-diegetic sound.

Propp: Hero/villain/helper/damsel-in-distress

Tordorov: Equilibrium/disruption/resolution

Uses and gratification theory

1. Surveillance
2. Diversion
3. Personal Identity
4. Personal Relationships

Type of animation: Anime/CGI

Themes/narrative: Love/bravery/morality/truth/good vs evil

multi-national organisations

voice-over stars

merchandise

vertical integration.

media synergy.

Possible Q1's......

What common conventions of animated film are apparent in the clip?

Choose two different types of sound from the clip and explain why they have been used.

Choose two of the following and explain how they are used in this clip

• Camera shots
• Music
• Dress

View the clip. How are images and sound used to attract the audience?

What techniques are used to attract the target audience for the animated film?

Possible Q2's.........

Plan an animated film aimed at teenagers

1. Think of an appropriate name
2. Write a brief summary of the main storyline
3. Create a storyboard to explain your ideas
4. Explain how you would market the film

Plan an animated film for an audience of your choice by completing the following tasks...

1. Suggest a title
2. Explain your target audience and why you have chosen them
3. Sketch two of the main characters and explain their role
4. Explain some of the key selling points of the film
5. Explain some of the problems you might face in producing the film.

Possible Q3's

What are the typical features of animated films that aimed at children?

Why are the themes of animated films important?

Why are animated films popular with families?

Possible Q4's

Briefly explain two ways in which animated films are marketed by film companies.

What strategies do film companies use to audiences to animated films?

Choose two of the following and explain why they are used when promoting animated films.

• Celebrities
• Music
• Merchandise
• Slogans

Online News

>Example exam and answers......

1. Have a look at the homepage below and explain the techniques used to attract the target audience.

Newsround website (Note homepage will change as linked to live page)

The Newsround website has a primary target audience of teenagers and young people, so a lot of the news on the website is soft news, news that is not too serious or too daunting for young people.

The website uses a variety of techniques that are commonplace on news websites. Firstly the colours are bold saturated colours, that connote excitement and energy.

The website also has an iconic banner that incorporates the logo for the website and the CBBC logo, that is probably a hyperlink to the CBBC website.

The website has a search bar on the top of the page allowing users to search other areas of the BBC website.

Within the iconic banner we see several icons that are again probably hyperlinks to other areas of the newsround website. We can tell that the website is encouraging users to be interactive as all the icons are connoting interactivity, through taking part in games, or quizzes or even chatting with other users. User participation is obviously strongly encouraged and this is evident through the link to the 'presspackers' section, an area where young people are the reporters, participating in actually creating the content of the website.

On the left hand site of the website there is an index and archive which houses a variety of videos and pictures, both important visual signifiers used to attract a young target audience.

The furniture is arranged into three columns with some boxes coloured differently from the background, making the layout easy to navigate around.

There is a main story on the homepage surrounded by a variety of nibs and plugs, no story is explained in detail, they are all just little enigmas that are hyperlinked to more detailed information. Having a variety of stories is important on a website like newsround as different age groups will be attracted to different types of stories.

The content of the website is varied and suitable to young people and in considering the uses and gratifications theory, the website offers a level of diversion to its users, as it has games and chat rooms. The website also satisfies the users needs for surveillance, as it is providing a huge variety of information.

The chat rooms give the users chance to interact, in turn forming personal relationships. One of the stories has headline that is a rhetorical question and a link to a chat room, posing the question, 'what does your family row about'. Users may well emapathise with other users responses in turn feeling a level of personal identity.

The variety of stories on the website naturally link to commonly known 'news values'. For example the news stories regarding the rare frogs and the man skydiving into a volcano have an obvious level of uniqueness as they are unusual stories.

None of the stories visible on the homepage have a high level of negativity as this would not attract a young target audience.

Several of the stories would come under the news value of currency as they are stories that are popular and widespread at the moment, for example, Liverpool slipping up in the title race. The Liverpool story has a high level of currency as the season is coming to and end and the question of who will win the title is big news.

One of the sports stories poses another rhetorical question, asking who will be the new captain of the British Lions rugby team. The picture shows a possible candidate, it could be argued that the new captain could be a hero or a protagonist. The media like to create heroes and villains, protagonists and antagonists as these characters help create narratives in the news.

2. Design a homepage for news based website targeted at a teenage audience.

Task 1: Suggest a brand name and web address for the site.

Task 2: Sketch out how you would like the homepage to look and annotate your drawing.

Task 3: Briefly explain your layout.

Task 4: Explain how you have constructed your website in a manner that appeals to the target audience.

1. www.streetwise.co.uk........The name connotes that young people will get to know the word on the street, this is appropriate language for teenagers.

2.

3. The layout is clear and concise and is designed to be easy for the user to navigate around.
At the top of the website there is an iconic banner that contains the title of the site and the strapline.

The title is ‘Streetwise’ the word street is a signifier that is associated with the language of young people and is juxtaposed with the word ‘wise’ that connotes users will become more knowledgeable as a result of using this website. The strapline is a signifier that connotes that the news on the website is fresh and immediate. The red writing that connotes fire, heat and excitement is juxtaposed against the cold blue background.

On the left of the website there is an index that is made up of subtitles that are hyperlinks. We can tell that they are hyperlinks as they are underlined, they are also rollover buttons and the text changes colour when the cursor rolls over them.

The search bar at the top is easily visible and accessible so users can navigate there way around the site by typing in keywords.

On the right hand side there is an advert, adverts help fund the website and this particular one is aimed directly act that primary target audience of teenagers.

In the centre of the page is the main story, a headline leads in to the main body of the story and the story has various news values, including proximity, (closeness to home) uniqueness, (unusual) negativity (could be bad news if it gets worse) and currency (it is a story that is popular at the moment).

There is a picture underneath the main story that acts as a visual trigger and draws the attention of the user.

In the bottom right hand corner there is an archive of video links, the words are again rollover buttons and are hyperlinked to the relevant videos. The stories have news values of uniqueness and the Girls Aloud story uses star vehicles to attract the readers.

The box at the centre in the bottom contains breaking news, giving a feeling of immediacy. The headline below the breaking news is an example of a nib (news in brief) this is of course a hyperlink to the relevant article.

The final piece of furniture contains a link to sign up for the latest podcasts. Podcasts are very popular with young people and this facility means the news itself becomes mobile.

4. The website will appeal to the target audience because it encourages user participation with the online polls, your views section and even a chat room. There is also a hyperlink to a games section where users can enjoy themselves.

Users can watch videos of the news in addition to seeing pictures, this visual stimulus is important for younger users who are use to fast navigation on social networking sites.

The content of the website is designed to suit the needs of a young audience and in considering the uses and gratification theory, the site offers a level of diversion by giving the users the opportunity to watch unusual videos and play games.

The site also addresses the audience’s need for surveillance with a variety of news with various news values.

The stories on the website are ones that young people can personally identify with, as everyone is in fear of getting swine flu and some people may be entering year 9 may miss out on exams.

The videos and various articles on the website also satisfy the audience’s need to form personal relationships as they are stories that interest young people and cover issues that tare popular.

There is also a chat room where people can form personal relationships through discussing the issues covered on the website.

Question 3: Explain why the news values are appropriate for the target audience.

There are a range of news values that apply to news stories, most hard news stories have a level of negativity, they are serious and are presented through a formal mode-of-address.

The stories on the newsround website are not often negative because the primary target audience is younger people. There are various stories on the newsround website that would come under the news value uniqueness. Uniqueness means stories that are unusual, a little bit different, the stories with a news value of uniqueness are often less serious and presented in an informal mode-of-address. An example from the newsround website is ' Man skydives into active volcano' this story is unusual but not negative.

Another news value is currency, this applies to stories that are popular at the moment, an example of this is the story about Liverpool drawing a football match. The race for the Premier League title is big story at the moment so it has a lot of value. The use of a star vehicle is also apparent in this story, we can see a picture of Fernando Torres who is a very famous football star and will appeal to the target audience.

There is a story at the bottom of the website that is about the possible new British Lions rugby team captain, this story has a news value of recency as it is a story that is happening at the moment.

Other values that can be considered are the values that the users put on the stories they are reading. The uses and gratification theory helps us understand how users observe the stories.

There are 4 parts to the theory and they are all evident when we look at the newsround website.

The stories on the website are informal and provide diversion for the users, as do the games that are accessible.

The information on the website satisfies the audience's need for surveillance and helps them gather information.

The stories regarding families will provide a level of personal identity for some of the target audience as they can identify with structure the family or the lack of a family.

The chat room function allows users to interact and discuss topical issues, in turn forming personal relationships through the website.

Question 4: Why are news websites becoming more popular than newspapers.

There are several reason why news websites are becoming more and more popular.

1. Websites are visually more exciting, they include a wide variety of pictures and increasingly a huge range of videos/ links to tv channels and flash elements.

2. Websites are bottomless, they can host a massive amount of information, far more than any newspaper, satisfying our need for surveillance.

3. Websites are organic, they keep growing with new branches of information but they archive some of the old information so you can refer back to it.

4. Websites are can publish breaking news almost immediately, they can publish stories that have an ultimate news value of immediacy.

5. Websites are far more interactive, and encourage user participation. Users can post comments, customise their own version of the homepage, chat with other users, enter competitions and play games.

6. You can view online news sites whenever you want and you can replay information over and over until you understand it.

7. You can access information quickly (at the click of a button) and find things that you are interested in.

8. Websites contain a variety of hard news and soft news.

9. You can absorb the information in your own time whereas newspapers are daily, so encourage you to buy one every day.

10. THEY ARE FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Example questions for revision


1. Choose one of the websites linked below and explain how the content and structure has been developed to attract the target audience?

Newsround
BBC News

• Who are the target audience?
• What techniques have been used (structure) videos, pictures, nibs, interactivity, iconic banner, logo, strapline, index, archive, colour etc?
• What about the content? Does it enable user participation? Uses and gratification theory?(surveillance/diversion/personal identity/personal relationships) News values? (Proximity, uniqueness, star vehicles, currency, simplicity, recency)
  

2. Create a homepage for a news website aimed at teenagers by completing the following tasks....

1. Name of site and URL
2. Design your homepage and annotate
3. Explain the structure of the website
4. Explain why it is appropriate for the target audience.

• Who are the target audience?
• What techniques have been used (structure) videos, pictures, nibs, interactivity, iconic banner, logo, strapline, index, archive, colour etc?
• What about the content? Does it enable user participation? Uses and gratification theory?(surveillance/diversion/personal identity/personal relationships) News values? (Proximity, uniqueness, star vehicles, currency, simplicity, recency)

*********Notice the same techniques used for question 1**************

3. Using examples, explain two ways in which news websites target young people.

• Who are the target audience?
• What techniques have been used (structure) videos, pictures, nibs, interactivity, iconic banner, logo, strapline, index, archive, colour etc?
• What about the content? Does it enable user participation? Uses and gratification theory?(surveillance/diversion/personal identity/personal relationships) News values? (Proximity, uniqueness, star vehicles, currency, simplicity, recency)

• 1. Websites are visually more exciting, they include a wide variety of pictures and increasingly a huge range of videos/ links to tv channels and flash elements.
  
  2. Websites are bottomless, they can host a massive amount of information, far more than any newspaper, satisfying our need for surveillance.
  
  3. Websites are organic, they keep growing with new branches of information but they archive some of the old information so you can refer back to it.
  
  4. Websites are can publish breaking news almost immediately, they can publish stories that have an ultimate news value of immediacy.
  
  5. Websites are far more interactive, and encourage user participation. Users can post comments, customise their own version of the homepage, chat with other users, enter competitions and play games.
  
  6. You can view online news sites whenever you want and you can replay information over and over until you understand it.
  
  7. You can access information quickly (at the click of a button) and find things that you are interested in.
  
  8. Websites contain a variety of hard news and soft news.

4. Suggest two reasons why news websites are important for the survival of newspapers.

• More and more people have access to the internet.
• Websites are available all over the world, they transcend national boundaries and people. abroad will not have to wait two days for a newspaper carrying old news.
• Newspaper companies can cut down on printing costs.
• Websites help create synergy for the brand of newspaper companies.
• People trust their favourite brand of newspaper and want it available online.
• Advertisers want to be able to access large numbers of people and advertising funds newspapers and newspaper websites.
• Advertisers can target specific audience who are accessing specific pages on a news website, for example, The NME music magazine could advertise on the entertainment section of the website.
  

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1. Take a look at the newspaper front covers on the right hand side of the page, choose one and explain how it is structured in order to attract its target audience.....

Mast head
Graphic
Headline
Main image
Plugs/puffs (snipets of news)
Columns
Captions (text to anchor the meaning of photos)
Staplines (
Bylines (Who wrote the article)
Dateline
Web address
Typography (style of text)
Layout / design

What about the content? Does it enable user participation? Uses and gratification theory?(surveillance/diversion/personal identity/personal relationships)

News values? (Proximity, uniqueness, star vehicles, currency, simplicity, recency)

2. Create a newspaper front cover aimed at a teenage audience.

1. Think of a suitable name
2. Design and annotate the front cover
3. Explain your design
4. Explain how your front cover will appeal to a teenage audience

Mast head
Graphic
Headline
Main image
Plugs/puffs (snipets of news)
Columns
Captions (text to anchor the meaning of photos)
Staplines (
Bylines (Who wrote the article)
Dateline
Web address
Typography (style of text)
Layout / design

What about the content? Does it enable user participation? Uses and gratification theory?(surveillance/diversion/personal identity/personal relationships)

News values? (Proximity, uniqueness, star vehicles, currency, simplicity, recency)