MIGRAIN: October Assessment learner response

Teacher's feedback:

- You integrate media terminology so impressively and use it to back up your ideas and opinions and add proof to your arguments. Well done: you are hitting evaluative skills. You also use theory to contribute to your analysis and evaluation. 

- You speculate a bit. Keep your analysis grounded in media theory and then supported by your detailed analysis. 

Identify ONE potential point you missed out on each question:

1. I could apply theories to support my ideas surrounding the poster.

2. Explored the social and cultural contexts of both texts in detail.

3. Include Neale's 'repetition and difference' theory 

4. Clearer discussion of negotiated reading - it's a compromise not a clear rejection.

Strongest Question: Q3: WHY IS GENRE IMPORTANT FOR BOTH MEDIA PRODUCERS AND AUDIENCES? (8/9)

I think i did better on this question since I used theory to support my answers as well as consistently using media terminology and relevant context and interpretations to answer the question in an eloquent and structured way.

Weakest Question: Q4: ANALYSE FIGURE 3 USING STUART HALL'S RECEPTION THEORY (16/20)

I think i didn't do as well on this question since my answer lacked structure and i wasn't consistent with my thoughts and analysis throughout. Some of my points lacked support and detailed analysis and I didn't understand all of the concepts as well as the other questions for example; Negotiated readings. 

Rewriting my weakest answer (above)

The central image of the front cover denotes a well-known hip hop artist, this is conventional for these magazine genres as they have a typically younger, more urban target audience, the magazines hegemonic reading perhaps would be that this issue is edgy and contains information that is controversial due to the copy to the left of the image, in relation to Miguel - 'Sex, drugs and R&B' could be interpreted to be an expose of his life; counteracting many other magazines on the market as it tackles taboo topics and discusses the rock and roll lifestyles (stereotyped in media) of R&B artists or perhaps, it could have been intended to be more informative, such as to be a warning sign to the younger demographic and to try and discourage pursuit of this conventionally romanticised 'free reign' life style of celebrities perpetuated in modern day media. Depending on who sees the cover, the negotiated meaning may vary. Parents will perhaps be deterred from letting their kids read the magazine since they may be older and more susceptible to lean into the stereotypes surrounding R&B stars despite the fact the cover star and people mentioned on the front page copy are popular in modern media - the content is taboo and edgy and not something that correlates with the older generations. They may gain interest in the articles included however since the magazine includes a plethora of other content and particularly young adults would be curious when seeing the front cover and it attracts the empathy with the youth, the reality of being young in today's society is much less clean cut and perhaps makes the audience much more tolerant with controversial media content.

The counter hegemonic reading would view this cover as problematic propaganda. The top copy of the cover mentions Kanye West and R Kelly, who have both recently been involved in scandals, the latter being involved in a sex slave scandal, which could prove to be detrimental to the magazines representation depending on the social awareness of the magazines demographic. Due to the current zeitgeist, by putting these two controversial celebrities head to head to determine music's 'number one genius' could be interpreted as a poor decision or even tone deaf in today's social climate. The ideology of separating the art from the artist is a moral grey zone and may juxtapose the magazines ethos of informing about music but also their ethics and could create a negative effect on the magazine. The copy, written in a conventional tabloid font and being written at the top of the magazines composition above the title could be interpreted as important to the magazine as it includes two infamous r&b artists and the magazine implies it's goal is to inform its target audience on the lifestyles of r&b artists (see sex, drugs and r&b) and this text counteracts the magazines implied dominant reading of inclusive, informative, no boundary interviews that both enforce and break R&B stereotypes.

In relation to Stuart Hall's theory, I believe the magazine supports the idea that audiences can interpret the intentions of the magazine in drastically different volumes and receive information different depending on social factors, age etc. and come to separate conclusions, supported by the choice of words and topics depicted upon the front cover surrounding the central image.  Audiences read magazines for different reasons, some will read the magazine due to the celebrity figure in the central image and others for the controversial factors. Demographic plays a large role within the reliability of Stuart Hall's theory in this context since it will determine different outcomes due to the social climate, knowledge of R&B and overall use of symbols and content on the front page. 

www and ebi of fixed answer:

www: good use of vocabulary and clear understanding of key terms

ebi: If you used sign posting more for my key terms through highlighting or underlining them.