ALICE WASS
Exploring Media
181MC - Contemporary Theories: Media and Cultural Issues in Context
Group Work:
The first task was to create a 3 minutes documentary on 'Everyday Racism'. For this we decided to go for a more specific topic to help with the limited timings, therefore we focused on racism within the fashion industry. We also wrote a critical analysis of our documentary exploring theorist such as; Edward Said, and Foucault.
The second task was to create a campaign plan and press release for a football manager who was announcing she is transgender. We also wrote a critical analysis of the word exploring theorist in gender and sport such as; Gauntlett, Wenner an Butler.
Our Advert Original Advert
The third task allowed us to choose a sexualised advert (either print or broadcast) and subvert it. We choose the print advert of Kendal Jenner doing the 'I ___ in #mycalvins'. We also wrote a critical analysis of the advert, both the original and also our own, exploring theorist such as; Mulvey and Barthes.
For the fourth task we created a vox pop asking the public what there views on social class and and what social class they are apart of. This task also had an individual aspect asking us to take a photo which be believed represented class in Britain. We also wrote a critical analysis of the vox pop analysing individuals answers as well as exploring theorist such as; Marx, Jones, Long and Wall.
The aim of my individual photo was to demonstrate the extreme social class divide there is in Britain, I believed this was especially relevant due to the increase in homelessness over the past few years. Also I used photoshop to reduce the saturation of the left hand corner of the image, this was to draw attention and light onto the 'rich man' who is giving money to the 'homeless woman'. This was an attempt to show how society views these two different groups and the change in light draws the audiences attention onto the 'rich man'. This lighting change also gives the allusion as if the 'homeless woman' is fading into the background, she is not the focus and if anything more part of the scenery. I believe this also helped to demonstrate how people treat the homeless, ignoring them as if they were nothing more than an extension of a wall. I aimed for the photograph to be controversial in it portrayal of social class but also for it to be thought provoking around the treatment of those who are homeless.
For the last task we had free range on the formate of our media artefact, however, it had to be 3 minutes long and also focus on people's relationships with their smartphones. In order to continue to stretch ourselves and try out new skills we decided to produce a podcast for this task. We also wrote a critical analysis, discussing both the answers which people gave and how this shows peoples relationships with technology and the good and negative effects this may be having, in the analysis we explored theorist such as; Rebughini and Shirky.
Individual Work:
For the individual coursework we had to write a 1,500 word essay on a current issue or debate which links to one of the topics which were lectured on. After careful consideration I decided to focus on gender as my topic, however, I did not want to explore feminism as I believe that this has already been explored from so many different angles and I also wanted to stretch myself by looking at something new. This is why I decided to explore the portrayal of masculinity in 2016, to do this I used two extreme examples, a blogger called 'Roosh V' and a recent campaign called '#boysdocry'. In this essay I explored how these two polar opposite portrayals of masculinity are affecting the construction of new masculinity and also how these portrayals may not just effect men but also wider society. I was extremely happy with my essay and I feel like I chose a topic than enhanced my education. For the essay I researched and considered a range of theorist such as; Connell, Faludi, Benynon, Clare, Butler, Horrocks, Kahnn, Rheingold and Sunstein.
Reflection on 181MC:
Overall I greatly enjoyed the contemporary theories module, having previously studied media at A-Levels I had previously explored all of the topics in this module. However, both the lectures and the seminars went into a lot of depth which also encouraged further personal research into theorist. Also through regularly producing work and being critical of it I believe this has made me a more media literate person, instead of accepting something how it is I now consider why was it produced this way, and what was the aim of this text. This unit has also pushed my creative skills helping to improve areas I previously had worked on and pushed me in creating products which I had never done before. I believe this module has not only helped me for 181MC but instead the theorist explored are useful to apply to the other units of work, as well as considering them when creating future work.
Having previously not done much group work in media it took me time to adjust, but I believe I managed to balance being a team member but also a team leader in aspects I felt confident in where others may have not. Also working with people I had never met before posed its own challenge, as you never want to offend someone's idea. Yet I believed we did work well as a group and I am proud of the work we managed to achieve . It would have been interesting to have a group task set on postmodernism as this is a lecture I believed had a lot of depth to it, instead this may be a subject I explore further in my own personal work.
For the individual essay I enjoyed the ability to pick my own subject and title as the freedom allowed me to be creative and push myself. This was something I had done only once before for my media A-Levels, but I believe it is a way that allows me to produce my best work possible as it will defiantly focuses on something that I am interested in and I am willing to explore further in my own time.
After completing this unit I feel confident for future modules as I believe this has given me a firm foundation from which I can use the theoretical skills and practical skills leant and developed to improve the standard of my work in the future. I also believe it has helped me in beginning to consider after university, which areas of media I would be more interested in for a career.
Critical Reflection of Module Feedback:
My group mark was 68, and my individual mark was 72, so overall I achieved a 1st for 181MC. I received detailed feedback, stating what went well and suggesting improvements.
The written group work I contributed to was highly rated, because it covered: a variety of angles that were well-reasoned and justified; demonstrated clear understanding of theories and engaged well with the literature. Some of the first pieces were too descriptive but once we understood the style the quality improved. I contributed throughout the practical work, which was praised for being well designed and produced, having clear focus and showing creativity. Tragically the Vox Pop was inaccessible, so was not marked, this was frustrating as our error was avoidable. In the future I will check all links, using YouTube instead of on OneDrive to prevent this happening again.
My individual essay provided a strong introduction to the case studies with relevant links to the texts throughout. My arguments demonstrated informed knowledge of multiple approaches to masculinity and theoretical concepts in relation to contemporary culture. In the future I need to ensure all arguments are clear, by carefully selecting words to avoid confusion. Independent research enabled critical analysis of my examples which strengthened my arguments. It was suggested that some sections could have been analysed in greater depth, however this was difficult due to the limited word count. The positive feedback has increased my confidence and has encouraged me to push myself further in the future.