Zoella CSP

1) Who is Zoella and why is she famous? How many subscribers does Zoella's YouTube channel have currently?
Zoella is a youtube famous beauty blogger and vlogger/ digital influencer who's channel currently has 12 million subscribers on youtube.

2) What is convergence?
Convergence is when distinct forms of media merge and thus the consumer and producer roles combine.

3) What are Zoella's videos about? Find five video titles and write them here:
Zoella's videos are about beauty tips, DIY projects and vlogging her daily life with her associates like best friend and fellow youtube beauty and life vlogger Louise Pentland (SprinkleofGlitter) and boyfriend Alfie Deyes(PointlessBlog)

4) What are the codes and conventions of vlogging videos?
Several jump cuts, text on-screen and in some cases background music and they are often personal and informal, taking place in her bedroom.

.5) How does Zoella use media language choices to create her online identity? Write about Zoella's use of mise-en-scene (CLAMPS) - particularly costume and make-up. Zoella uses costume and makeup to construct her image as a down to earth, relatable, girl next door. She usually goes for the 'natural look' and wears feminine pastel clothing to emphasise her innocent and normal internet persona.

Industries

1) How does Zoella make money?
One way Zoella makes money is by the use of youtube pre-roll adverts, which she has the power to select and place anywhere in her vlog, her blog with 7.4 million views and £4,000 from adverts, sponsorships where companies will pay a hefty amount for Zoella to advertise their product to the teenage audience

.2) What is a digital influencer? Why is Zoella considered a digital influencer?
A digital influencer is someone who's content is sponsored by a company in exchange for them to influence their audience to buy the product. Zoella is an influencer because she has had these kinds of partnerships with a plethora of brands including Glossier.
3) Why do companies want to place their products in Zoella's videos?
Zoella's videos appeal to a majority teenage audience that is difficult to advertise to elsewhere because they don't watch television as much as they used to or read magazines.4) Why are YouTube collaborations so important for helping digital influencers like Zoella to grow?
YouTube collaborations mean that fans of the person Zoella is collaborating with will become fans of Zoella by association.5) How has Zoella moved into a more traditional media landscape in recent years?
As Zoella has become more famous, she has made more appearances on TV, in magazines and newspapers.

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Zoella's channel?

Zoella's target audience consists of females aged 12-16 who have a mainstreamer personality type 

2) How are audiences encouraged to participate in or feel part of Zoella's brand? 
Audiences are encouraged to participate in Zoella's brand by buying from her makeup brand, going on her blog and following her social media accounts.

3) What audience pleasures are provided by Zoella's videos and associated products?

Personal identity, for young British teenagers, information and surveillance, as she teaches her audience life hacks, DIY tips and makeup techniques.

4) Applying Stuart Hall's Reception theory, what would a preferred and oppositional reading of Zoella?
A preferred reading of Zoella is that she is a realistic, down to earth and hardworking role model for young girls as she built her brand on her own and gained success. An oppositional reading of Zoella would be that she is hypocritical and untruthful and this down to earth, kind person that she portrays is a facade proven by her previous homophobic tweets and the ghostwriter scandal. 

5) Why has Zoella been criticised by some people?
In 2017, she had to issue a public apology for mocking gay people and 'chavs' in tweets from 2009-2012
Representations

Read this Independent article arguing Zoella is a bad role model for young women.

Next, read this Independent article arguing the opposite. 

1) What is your opinion on this debate - is Zoella a positive role model for young women?
I think that she is a negative role model for young girls as she encourages them to go into a similar career as her but going viral is mostly about luck and it is an unrealistic aspiration for young girls. Furthermore, she is untruthful and exploitative as she lied about writing her book charged £50 for a 12-day advent calendar in an example of a gift was a packet of confetti.

 2) What representations of women are provided by Zoella?
Women are represented as innovative, as Zoey did set up her brand on her own but some may argue that sh reinforces the stereotype that women are superficial.3) What representations of celebrity are provided by Zoella? Is a self-made YouTube celebrity more authentic or positive than traditional music or TV stars?

4) How does Zoella represent herself? Is this the real Zoe Suggs or a media construction designed to sell products? 
I think that Zoella constructs her image carefully, editing her videos painstakingly to make sure she comes across as relatable and shoots most videos in a reasonably normal looking bedroom in her wonderfully furnished enormous house.

5) What criticisms could be levelled at the representation of Zoella? 
 Although Zoella is an amazing businesswoman, she never represents herself as particularly clever, it isn't part of her brand. Every time she made an intelligent statement on her loose women segment it was followed by a giggle to make it seem less important.

Grade 8/9 extension tasks: reading and response

Read this Telegraph article introducing Zoella from a parents' perspective. Why does the article suggest Zoella is a positive role model for young women?


Read this Telegraph article on Zoella's success. How does Zoella's success reflect the changing nature of media industries and how brands connect with audiences?

Statement of intent

Statement of intent

I intend to make a scene of a phone call in D Block and in the hills where the main character receives a phone call expressing a concern that there was a gas leak in C block that is creating a horrible epidemic and the main character , as the best chemistry student in the school must come up with an antidote and save all the teachers. I intend to make it a two way phone conversation to express the worry in the friend's voice. I intend to use a plethora of extreme close ups, long shots, medium shots and over the shoulder shots.

Casting

Main Character : Lola Heath Unnamed Bestie: Isha Chana

Script

Unnamed Bestie: Mae! A horrible epidemic has broken out, a student was messing about with the gas tap and the teachers all went pale and fainted, their blood circulation has cut off and I think some kind of HPV has broken out on their skin!

Mae: How am I supposed to help, I have no idea where the beryllium is for the antidote!

Unnamed Bestie: Do something, you are the best Chemistry student in the whole school, the teachers are down, we need you!

Mae: I'm on my way, hold on!

Kim Kardashian Hollywood CSP

Language

1) What is the objective when playing the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game?
The objective of Kim Kardashian : Hollywood is tyo become an A-list celebrity

2) What is an A-list celebrity? Why is it important in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?
An A-list celebrity is a household name or a celebrity which most people have heard of, have a strong opinion on and a person in which the majority of people could name a peice of their work

3) How do you download the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game?
 This game can be downloaded on the app-store on apple devices and the play- store on android devices via phone or tablet.

4) What is the narrative or storyline of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood? Where is it set?
The narrative of the game follows your charecter, a young hopeful trying to make it as a celebrity complete tasks to get them closer to stardom. It is set mostly in North America in luxury locations like Downtown LA, Hollywood and Beverly Hills but as you advance in the game you can fly to places like Sydney, Florence and Dubai.

5) What characters can you play as? What characters appear in the game?

You can play as either a male or a female of any race that is supposed to represent the player, all kinds of celebrities appear in the game from E- listers to A- listers. A key D-lister in the game is D-lister Willow Pape, your arch rival that is determined to destroy your reputation as revenge because she believes your charecter flirted with her boyfriend.

Audience

1) Who is the intended audience for the Kim Kardashian Hollywood game? Why do you think this?

Although at first glance, one would assume the target audience is majority female adults, I think the target audience is majority female young preteens and teenagers because in the advert's small print it says that the play should ask the credit/debit card holder's permission before buying virtual goods or experiences in the game which means that it is targeted towards children.
ed towards an audience which doesn't have control over money and so has to be under the age of 18.

2) What audience pleasures are provided by the game? Use Blumler & Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory.
Diversion and entertainment,  because it transports the player into the world of stardom instead of their monogomous every day life. Information and education because the player actually learns about the way in which celebrity couples for example are used to boost fame as swell as social media feuds. 3) Why is the game so addictive for audiences?

In higher levels when completing a task that is bound to increase fame and one runs out of energy, the player is drawn back to the game after a certain amount of time because they want to finish the task and if they don't, there are negative cons
equences like bad reviws on social media which leads to the loss of fans which will make it harder for the player to achieve the goal of becoming an A-list celebrity.Read this article from Forbes on why the Kim Kardashian game is so successful. If the website is blocked in school, you can access the text of the article here.

4) Why does James Liu think Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is so successful?
James Liu thinks Kim Kardshian \Hollywood is successful because of its many game features that make it addictive, such as the timer feature that makes players want to come back when their energy is refilled to complete tasks.***5) What does James Liu suggest is the reason players keep coming back to the game?
***
Representations

1) What representations of women can be found in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?
Women are represented as self-centred, shallow, obsessed with their appearance (physical and how they appear in public) and in some ways dependant to men as the rise to fame is made easier if you have a boyfriend who is more famous than you but in some ways empowering because you can network with other powerful women or date a woman to rise to fame, so it isn't neccesary to use a man to become more famous.

2) What representations of race, ethnicity or sexuality can be found in the game?
The game is very diverse, you have the option to enter an interracial couple or a same sex couple and you can choose from many skin tones and one of the free default hairstyles in an afro hairstyle where usually you would have to earn and buy this 'privellige' in other similar games.3) How does the game both reinforce and subvert stereotypes in the media?

4) What does the game suggest regarding modern perceptions of celebrity and how to get famous?

The game suggests that in modern society you don't need any particular talent in order to get famous but rather engage in twitter feuds and fi

5) How might someone criticise the representation of celebrity in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

Your avatar becomes famous through reality television, advertising and modelling shoots rather than being a talanted actor/actress a talented entertainer- a singer or dancer or an athlete which sjows that now many people are famous for no reason, many people may have that opinion of Kim Kardashian herself.
Industries

1) How much does Kim Kardashian: Hollywood cost?
 The game is free to download but there are many adverts inbetween tasks and many in app purchases and sponsorships, for example to get more stars the player can play other games or promote a certain brand to get the stars to buy designer clothing or an apartment or a pet. 2) How does the game make money?

3) What subscriptions are available to Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?
The bronze silver and gold supscriptions are available and these give the player outfits, stars, money and enery=gy to make their rise to stardom easier.4) How was Kim Kardashian: Hollywood marketed and promoted?

5) How does Kim Kardashian: Hollywood use media convergence to cross-promote the game and the Kardashian brand?


Grade 8/9 extension tasks: reading and response

Read this Independent article on the Kardashians and celebrity culture. Why does the academic Dr Meredith Jones think the Kardashians are important to study?

Read this Stylecaster article on 5 things we learned playing Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. How does the game encourage players so spend real money on in-app purchases?

Read this article on Glu Mobile, the game developer behind Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. What does the article say about targeting female gamers and using celebrity to sell the game?

Read this Guardian article on a Kardashian controversy regarding promoting products on Instagram. Why do some people regard Kardashian as a "toxic influence"? 

Lara Croft : Go

1) Who is Lara Croft and when did she first appear in a videogame?
Lara Croft or 'Tomb Raider' is the hero of the adventure game franchise 'Tomb Raider'. She first appeared in the original 1996 'Tomb Raider'
2) What classic films influenced the creation of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games?
The 'Indianna Jones' franchise's generaL AESTHETIC AND COLOUR SCHEME CLEARLY INFLUENCED THE TOMB
3) How has Lara Croft and Tomb Raider moved beyond just being a video game?
Tomb Raider became a movie, starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft and it is due for a reboot in 2018, she also has been on magazine covers more frequently than any 1 supermodel. This shows that the franchise has become part of all pop culture not just video games.
4) What devices can you play Lara Croft Go on?
Lara Croft Go can be played on both phones and tablets.
5) What type of game is Lara Croft Go?
Lara Croft Go is a turn based puzzle game
6) How does Lara Croft Go use narrative (storyline)?
Lara Croft Go is divided into 3 stages and the basic story line is that Lara Croft is on a quest to defeat the evil Queen of Venom.
7) What iconography can be found in Lara Croft Go? How does this help communicate the sub-genre of videogame?
There are levers and tombs in the classic action adventure colour scheme of gold and green.
8) What other characters or enemies feature in the game?
Snakes and spiders are the other characters that appear in Lara Croft Go (except the title character L:ara Croft.) the main antagonist is The Queen of Venom.
9) What is the setting for Lara Croft Go? How does this compare to previous Lara Croft or Tomb Raider games? The setting of Lara Croft Go 
Lara Croft Go is set in the ancient ruins of the Amazonian jungle in earl
10) Read this BBC article on the history of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider. How has the character of Lara Croft evolved over the last 20 years? Lara Croft's original name was Lara Cruz and at first her body was very exaggerated to attract male audiences, then the vast majority of video game players.However, over 40% of players were female because women were not often represented in the main roles in videogames, fighting men and using weapons were typically acts only reserved for men.


Representation

1) How are women usually represented in videogames?
 Women are usually secondary characters in video games, if they are represented at all and are either in the 'damsel in distress' role where they are saved by a male protagonist like the Legend of Zelda games or any of the Super Mario franchise.
2) How does the character of Lara Croft reinforce female stereotypes in the media?
Lara Croft reinforces female stereotypes with her tight fitting clothing and exaggerated physique. Some may argue that she is not a representation of a strong female but rather a digital sex symbol made for the enjoyment of men.
3) How does the character of Lara Croft subvert female stereotypes in the media?
Lara Croft is strong, she hangs from cliffs and fights enemies, sometimes male ones, and is independent as she never relies on anyone but herself to save her.
4) Why do some people believe the videogames industry is sexist and needs to change?
The original target audience of video games were exclusively male and the video game industry is predominantly male so games often cater solely to male interests and if women are featured in games they are often sexualised, their body proportions wholly unrealistic and exaggerated and they usually just add visual pleasure ansd add little to the overall plot except to be sexualised or saved from danger
5) Do you think Lara Croft is an empowering feminist icon or just another objectified woman designed to appeal to male gamers? I think that Lara Croft is neither a feminist icon nor is she an objectified woman because I agree that show is strong and fearless which are attributes of an icon but in versions of the game, her trips are funded by her father, thus diminishing the independent aspect of her character and in regards to her costume, in some ways it is practical as she is in hot weather however I am almost certain that male protagonists wouldn't be dressed this way.


Industries

1) What does PEGI stand for?
Pan. European. Gaming. Information

2) What is PEGI's job?
PEGI is the European video game rating system who's job is to help costumers make informed decisions when buying video games and to make sure they are appropriate descriptors.

 3) Which company created Lara Croft Go?
Lara Croft Go was developed by Square Enix who developed Hitman Go, the game that inspired Lara Croft Go, a few years earlier.4) What two popular videogame franchises were combined to create Lara Croft Go?
The Hitman and Tomb Raider franchises.5) What else is part of the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise?


Audience

1) Why might an audience enjoy playing Lara Croft Go?
Older audiences may have the pleasure of nostalgia as they may have played the original 1996 game or on of its many sequels and reboots.2) Where and when might an audience play a game like Lara Croft Go? Think about the device it is played on and the times of the day someone might want to play the game.
Lara Croft Go is a puzzle based phone and tablet game and since older audiences may play the game due to the nostalgia, they may play on the commute to work or waiting for the bus.3) How did Square Enix design Lara Croft to make it appealing to an audience?
Lara Croft is wearing clothes that match the action adventure colour scheme of gold and green which may remind the audience of films like Indiana Jones or the Mummy franchise and her hair is tied back in her signature ponytail.4) Which of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory might apply to Lara Croft Go?
Diversion or entertainment, to distract yourself from your surroundings and pass time. Personal identity, being an independent woman and personal relationships, having an attachment to the character of Lara Croft and wanting to see what happens to her.5) Who is the target audience for Lara Croft Go? How does brand loyalty contribute to this target audience?
The target audience for Lara Croft Go is 25 to 45 year old men and women (perhaps more women than men as when casual gaming is concerned, more women than men play video games). They are old enough to remember the origins of the Tomb Raider franchise and are more likely to have loyalty to the franchise as they grew up with the character of Lara Croft.

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Language
1) Watch some Lara Croft Go gameplay online or, even better, play the game yourself. How is the game constructed to attract and maintain the engagement of an audience?

2) How is narrative, character, iconography and setting used to create intertextuality? (Links to other genres and media texts)

Representation
1) Read this NME feature on the history of the Lara Croft character. Do you agree that she is now a 'feminist icon' rather than a 'trapezoid-boobed pinup'? What do these terms mean? I neither agree nor disagree that Lara Croft is now a feminist icon rather than a trapezoid boobed pinup because I don't believe that she is a particularly positive role model or just a digital sex icon. feminist icon- someone young girls should look up to because they're independent, strong and smart and subvert traditional female stereotypes. A trapezoid boobed pinup means someone that is just viewed as a mannequin with no substance and an exaggerated body shape, perpetuating outdated female ideals.
2) Have later versions of the Tomb Raider/Lara Croft franchise featured a less-sexualised version of the character? Does this suggest society is changing in its attitude towards women?
In the more recent models of Lara Croft/ Tomb Raider, she is depicted wearing trousers for the first time ever and her weapon looks more realistic and larger which shows that her being an action hero now overrides her original physical appeal.Industries
1) Why do videogame producers prefer the self-regulation of PEGI to government regulation? Why is videogame regulation increasingly important in the 21st century? Video game producers prefer PEGI over a government regulated scheme because it means that the regulations are less harsh and if one of their games goes against one of the regulations, the can fix it quietly without suffering the consequences of getting their game pulled from the market. Self regulation has increased in the 21st century because

2) Watch the full lecture embedded above: Distilling a franchise - the making of Lara Croft Go. How did the designers make conscious decisions based on previous franchises to create a successful game?

Audience
1) How has the marketing of Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise changed over the last 20 years.

2) Does Lara Croft Go target a female audience? Why do you think female gamers dominate the phone/tablet market? 

LR

1) WWW: This is a superb response - well done! Excellent detail and real understanding shown of the issues and concepts. Now we just need to add more flair for the 8/9 grade!

EBI: Make sure references to CSPs are always detailed and specific e.g. Kanya King CEO of the MOBOs.

Written english! Proffesional!

Revise serif and san serif.
2) 
Q1: 1
Q2:1
Q3:7
Q4:2
Q5:4
Q6:10

3) Five magazine cover conventions are : the main flash, sell lines, a headline, a cover image and a colour scheme

4) For Reveal I didn't include : .The quotes from reality television stars use controversy eg words like 'sex' 'jail' and  'stalker' to hint at the stories inside.
.Link between cover lines and images eg 'secret meetings' between Katy Price and Peter Andre  a well known divorced couple.
For Tatler I didn't include : .The use of strong makeup suggests luxury and socialising which has synergy with the cover lines  about socialising and 'aristos' which means aristocrats.
.The use of words like 'Millennial' and '21st century' make the magazine seem up to date as well as classy.

5) Nicola Adams, Ade Adepitan and Lady Leshurr. Nicola adams subverts the stereotype that women are weak as she is an Olympic boxer, Ade Adepitan subverts the stereotype that disabled people are not active because he is a wheelchair basketball player and Lady Leshurr also subverts the stereotype that women are submissive as she is a well known female grime artist who is well known for speaking out against issues in our society.

6) * On the other hand, many of the positions shown for women in the NHS blood campaign advert are stereotypical like the dancer or the fashionista, that are both positions that do not require university degrees thus perpetuating the stereotype that ethnic minorities are not as academic and that women are mostly interested in traditional female hobbies as no male dancer or fashionista was shown in the advert. This shows that although the representation of women in the Media has changed significantly over the years, in some subtle ways, they are still viewed as unequal to men.

Introduction to video games blog task

1) What were the first videogames like?
The first video games were very simplistic and basic, the very first video game called 'pong' featured no characters but simply was a table tennis simulator.

 2) How have video games changed over time?
Video games have become more and more like movies as time went on, they feature complex characters like Lara Croft and journey games became increasingly popular, especially on portable devices like the Gameboy where games like Pokemon could be played.

3) What do the most successful games have in common? Answer this in as much detail as you can. Think about audience pleasures - what do people like about playing videogames?
 The most successful video game franchises use nostalgia in their sequels by using similar visuals to previous games, others have an interesting premise or complex characters that audiences want to invest time in, this uses the audience pleasure of relationships. 

 4) What criticisms have been made towards videogames?
Video games have been criticised for promoting anti-social behaviour, especially in the past where people couldn't play with others online and have been critisised from promoting wrong behaviour like theft in the Grand Theft Auto games and Call of Duty

5) What is Fortnite: Battle Royale?
Fortnite: Battle Royale is a 100 player fight to the death in a surreal colourful life whrere the player only has 1 life to live, if they survive, they win. 6) How many Fortnite players are there worldwide?
There are 45 million Fortnite players worldwide.7) Why is it so popular? What are the audience pleasures of the game?
Fortnite is completely free on all devices so everyone can enjoy it, there is a colourful background and lack of gore so it can appeal to families with children and it is easy for beginners to pick up.

8) Copy and paste two comments from 'below the line' of the Guardian article - these are comments written by Guardian readers in response to the feature. Select one comment you agree with and one you disagree with and explain why.'A fantastic game for all the family. The violence is cartoon-like, not gratuitous or graphic. I limit my children to only playing the Playstation at the weekends. Simple.' I agree with this comment because it shows why Fortnite is a family friendly game."Shallow" It’s anything but shallow… I disagree with this as I think the premise of the game is reasonably shallow and in my opinion, there is little to no deep characterization.
 criticisms have been made towards videogames?

Revision for Advertising Assessment Grade 8/9 extensions

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Women in the 1950s are represented very differently in two of our advertising CSPs: OMO and Galaxy. What similarities and differences can you find by analysing the two products?

                                                  

OMO Representation of 1950s Women                                Galaxy Representation of 1950s Women      

Differences                                   

After the man offers Audrey Hepburn's character a ride, seemingly saving her but when she takes the hat off the bus driver and puts it on the head of Gregory Peck's character, she changes his character type from a hero to a sidekick, she is in ultimate control of the situation and she leads the narrative so she becomes the hero therefore subverting gender roles as the man is not in control of this situation wheras in the OMO advert, the speech bubble around the logo associated with superhero comics insinuates that the woman is being saved by how good the product is and the advert doesn't consider that the woman's hard work was 

  Similarities 

Both start off as 'Damsels in distress' the woman in the OMO advert not having bright white laundry and the woman in the galaxy advert being stuck in traffic.This pepetuates the steryotype that women always need rescuing.