Doctor Who Magazine Analysis

Title of publication

The title of the publication is ‘Doctor Who’ it is partially obscured by the image of the main protagonist. This is a key element of codes and conventions of magazine covers. The typography of the title is a solid silver colour; this could be used as it is a recognisable logo also it can connote a futuristic feel which links in with the main narrative of the show. Also the size of the title is quite large to show that it is the title and leads to the brand value of Doctor Who, which is world renowned television. The use of the magazine creates synergy as it links in with the show and also presents insights of the actual show.

Slogan

The slogan of the magazine is ‘Celebrating 50 years of adventures in time and space’.  The use of this assists in creating a connection with the reader, as they are celebrating with the reader making them feel a part of the Doctor Who generation.  Also the typography of the slogan is presented in capitals, which presents a feeling of excitement and ignites it in the heart of loyal Doctor Who fanatics. In addition, the use of putting ’50 years’ in a larger font and in bronze, connotes the saying old is gold, which appeals to an older generation of Doctor Who fans. The appeal is more universal in regards to age. The slogan is at the top, meaning it will be the first convention they will see on the magazine, so it has to be a stereotypical slogan that appeals to the audience which has been done in this case.

Central Image

The central image uses is of the main protagonist of the television series who acts and serves as an anchor for the magazine, to provide focus to the topic of Doctor Who. The central image is a close up of the main protagonist, this shows he is making direct eye contact to indulge the reader and maybe even mesmerise the reader into buying the magazine. Furthermore, there two other men in on both sides of the doctor which represent the past and present in harmony also it links to the slogan of ’50 years’, repeating the fact that it is a milestone for the brand itself. Finally, the image of the man is shown as a young handsome man, this is a convention that appeals exclusively to the female demographics, also the fact that he is placed in front of the previous actors who have donned the role of Doctor Who, shows that he is the most important one and that he is the magazines main priority. The costume of the protagonist is in the iconic dress of the Doctor which has been the same since the beginning of the series.

‘Flash’/Cover lines

The magazine uses a large flash line ‘THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR’ underneath the central image to present that as the main focus of the magazine and is in white. The fact that it is in white shows that it stands out and is the second largest convention of the magazine. This presents that the producers of the magazine are giving importance to the non-fictional character of the Doctors 50^th birthday. The magazine also uses smaller cover lines that go on to briefly explain what the magazines covers story is about.

Free Offer

This magazine uses this convention to present free collectables such as “12 collectors’ ANNIVERSARY ART CARDS!” The use of the red and capital writing helps the free offers stand out in it and make the magazine more appealing to the reader and not just fans but other demographics.

Colour Scheme

The colour scheme that is used in the magazine is red, black, blue and bronze. The colour scheme is limited, which is a benefit as it prevents the magazine from looking to busy and create a particular vibe that is unique and felt by the reader and the targeted audience. The use of red is limited as it used to mainly promote the different offers, such as the anniversary art cards. Furthermore the use of black is persistent and mainly used in the background of the magazine to contrast all the other colours and make it stand out further. The use of blue is iconic as it represents the blue telephone booth for Doctor Who. The use of bronze is simple and highly effective; this is due to the fact that it connotes an ancient portrait feel to the doctors 50 years.   

Name Checks

The name checks that have been used are not standard name checks as they normally give clues to other stories and articles, which may entice different audiences. However in this magazine, the name checks portray the same topic but in different methods.

Language

 This magazine uses 5 different typographies. The language used presents the magazine in a way that it does not look busy but has all the relevant information the producer wants to present in a brief form. The typography of Doctor Who, is solid silver and stands out adding a futuristic effect relating to the actually genre of the show.

Competitions

There is a hint to a competition that relates to winning merchandise such as blue-rays, DVDs, books and CDs. However it is ambiguous to the reader by just visually looking at the front cover, creating an enigma code. This benefits the magazine as it can represent enticing the reader to purchase the magazine and find out how to win.  

Direct Address and Asking Questions

The magazine does not directly address to audience by asking questions.

Barcode, Date and Price

The barcode, date and price have been printed relatively small and are not visible. This effective as the price won’t affect the judgement of the reader and is more likely to buy the magazine.

The ‘real’ target audience

The target audience is mainly dedicated Doctor Who fans, who are loyal to the brand. However the producer could have intended the magazine based on the front cover to appeal to teenage girls that may be attracted to the face of the current actor that plays Doctor Who. 

Ill Manors Review

The director of Ill manors is Plan B, or formally known as Ben Drew. Plan B is an English rapper, singer-songwriter, actor and director. He is well known for his albums released in 2006 (Who Needs Actions When You Got Words) and 2010 (The Defamation of Strickland Banks). Plan B has also had success in his acting career, appearing in films like Adulthood (2008), Harry Brown (2009), 4.3.2.1 (2010) and The Sweeney (2012). Ill Manors was the directorial debut film for Plan B. Plan B has written, directed and produced the soundtrack for Ill Manors. From my perspective the directorial skills have been portrayed amazingly in the form of Ill Manors. There is only one well known star in Ill Manors and that is Riz Ahmed. Riz Ahmed is a British Actor known for films like The Road to Guantanamo, Rage, Four Lions and Centurion. Riz Ahmed is also known for his TV show, like Britz, Dead Set, Wired, and Shifty. The rest of the actors are all unknown talents that have played their roles effectively to make a small budget film look as realistic as possible. Some actors include the actor that plays ‘Chris’ Lee Allen, who was approached by Plan B as they are friends. All the characters have been picked out and portrayed outstandingly.

Ill Manors revolves around the lives of six characters and the main protagonist that live in the unforgiving streets of suburban London. Ill Manors represents a perfect painting of the ultra-realistic gritty reality of the world. The film also portrays the struggle to survive the violent obstacles that they have snared in. The first character is the former dealer of narcotics Kirby (played by Keith Coggins), who has been served his sentence in prison. The next Character is hardened thug Ed (played by Ed Skrein) who is relentlessly searching for his missing phone. The third character is Michelle (played by Anouska Mond) a crack addict looking for her next dose with a willingness to do anything for it. The fourth character is the young and innocent Jake (played by Ryan De La Cruz), who is attracted into the local gang. The fifth character is Chris (played by Lee Allen), who is on a bloodlust to seek revenge. The sixth character is Katya (played by Nathalie Press), who is trying to find the light out of the end of the dark and danger tunnel. The main protagonist is Aaron (played by Riz Ahmed), who is just trying to do the right thing. These characters have been given depth and been portrayed effectively by all the actors.

Ill Manors is a British crime drama. The genre was parallel to the film itself and it also fulfils the expectations of the genre, this is evident from the recurring use of police and the theme of drugs and prostitution being used consistently throughout the movie. Also the film is hard hitting and suspense filled. The mood of the film is intense and actual replicates the actual atmosphere of living in a suburban estate filled with problems and dangers. The soundtrack of the film is has been split into six tracks that are effective in narrating what is going on. The soundtrack helps pull all the storylines together at the climax of the film and introduce all 6 characters as well as the main protagonists. The six separate characters have been paired with a track each. The first track is called “I am the Narrator”, which is heard first and also symbolises the storyline consisting of the main protagonist Riz Ahmed. The atmosphere created by the soundtrack is a dark and real feel to the film as it reflects the actual problems of Urban London today.

The target audience is of the E category demographic as it consists of unemployed and students, but also the other category demographics. This is because the E category demographics related to the identification of the characters and them, as they are either in a similar position or similar age. Furthermore the psychographics that this film is aiming for is reformers as they seek enlightenment, freedom form restrictions and personnel growth. 

Magazine Covers

From this magazine, the yellow circle appeals to me the most.

From this I like the pose of the model as it presents him in a powerful manner. 

From this I would use the the typography of the cover lines and the way they are presented.

Personally from here I like the name of the magazine being covered by the Main Image

From this I like the Barcode placement and the size of the barcode

Photoshop tutorials

The first video showed how to add in a gradient to the magazine cover where you can add information, for example the website and date. Also it has shown how to add a glow to text. Furthermore it has taught me how to add text to shapes and make shapes look 3D along with overshadow. For example, adding 3D shape to the circle. Also in the video it shows how to add in text and adjust its format as well as a barcode and price. The second video helps show how to first separate the background and image, this is first done by clicking select and then colour range, and then clicking the parts that need to be removed. Another thing the video shows is how to remove the background without affecting the image by clicking the quick mask mode and painting it black. In addition the 2^nd video shows how to make different combinations of layers and add effects to make the image look more realistic. I have learnt to link layers.

Ill Manors: Codes and Conventions

1)     Typical codes and conventions of film trailers:

Ø  Name of film- near the end

Ø  Actors names

Ø  Release dates

Ø  Points of access (cinema, DVD etc.)

Ø  The most dramatic/action pact sections

Ø  Age certificate

Ø  Directors name

Ø  Links to e-media

Ø  Reviews of publications (magazines/newspapers)

Ø  Voice overs

Ø  Publication houses logo

2)     Methods of trailer distribution:

Ø  Television

Ø  Radio broadcast

Ø  YouTube

Ø  Cinema

3)     Ill Manors integration of trailer conventions

Ill Manors trailer use these conventions as the present the name of the film I large font on its own, so that is stands blatantly clear what the film was called. The trailer also uses the release date, which was June 6, also with the release date they use links to e-media (e.g. Facebook, twitter and their website) at the end of the trailer prior to the credit block. There are several reviews of ill manors conducted by magazines like Men’s health, FHM and Time Out. Furthermore the trailer of Ill Manors uses the song of Plan B as a voice over; this is due to the fact that it shows certain bits of the trailer that is parallel to the scenes. At the start of the trailer they showed the publication houses that financed the film.

4)     The target audience of Ill Manors is teenagers that live in urban areas and also men and women aged 20-35. Ill Manors has a unique selling point; this is the true grit and realism of the lives of youths in urban areas. The trailer gives brief clues about the narrative, for example the use of drugs at the start of trailer shows that the main theme may revolve around drug pedalling and also the misuse of drugs. There several characters introduced and they are not immediately visible, this could be due to the fact that it could represent the fact that they are trying to identify themselves with the audience. The release date is clear and there is music of Plan B used as a voice-over.

5)      The genre of Ill Manors is a crime fiction/drama. There are several characters that are presented continuously throughout the trailer. The characters are shown in costumes that are stereotypical related to street thugs and gangs, for example hoodies and jeans, with caps. This shows the director has taken in to account the real image of teens and there dress sense. The settings in the trailer are mainly in the night and in streets. This represents a dark atmosphere and also hints to topics like drug deals and prostitution. These things are all illegal and link to the genre of crime. An example of this is the actor holding a gun and also the repeated use of drugs. There is use of low-key lighting presents the dark narrative of the film. The colours that are use black, grey and dark blue, these colours connote an ambiguous future within the film. The dialogue of a character at the start of the trailer helps introduce the main storyline of drugs and illegal activities related to drugs. Furthermore there is music used throughout the trailer to help narrate the story and is also non-diegetic and parallel to the trailer. For example, the music lyrics states ‘take you back and forth through time’ is parallel to the trailer as it shows a car moving backwards in time. The trailer uses close ups to present emotion of the characters. Also there is a section of the trailer that has fast cuts of the best scenes throughout to present the physical violence of the film. 

Ill Manors: The Making Of

1) What does this tell us about Plan B's intentions in making the film?

Plan B wanted to present the youth of urban estates, and how they grow up and under what circumstances, including the different influence. And also represents some stereotypes, with depth and background information of how they have reached to the place they are in the film. 

2) What do we learn about the production process for Ill Manors?

From the production process of Ill Manors we learn that the actual production was extremely difficult as there were problems with the setting and interruption from the public. For example kids throwing thing s out on them from above and also whilst filming the public was able to recognize Riz Ahmed and started calling out to them.

3) What can you tell about the possible target audience from this short documentary?

The possible target audience from the short documentary could be teenagers that had taken part in the riots.

4) Does the film successfully do what director Ben Drew (Plan B) set out to achieve? Explain your answer with reference to both the film and the making of documentary

To a certain extent Ben Drew is able to achieve what he set out. This is due to the fact that he was trying to present the lives of teenagers gowning up in urban, council estates and the circumstances they grow up in. An example of this is Ill Manors, where it shows the life of Chris who grows up around drugs and dealing and ends up as the top dealer. Furthermore, in the documentary Ben Drew states he was also aiming at the teenagers who were rioting in London. This links to the psychographic group of reformers.   

Progress report 2

Individual Progress

I was able to assist in the direction of our filming of the production.

WWW- I had a hand in filming

EBI- I was more efficient in lighting

The Next Step

The next step is to review our shots we have filmed and decide which need to be re-done.

Group Progress

As a group we have managed to finish all our shooting to a certain extent

WWW- we were able to work cohesively as a group and manage to film a majority of our production.

EBI- to be more effective during filming.

Next step

Our next step is to re-shoot any shots that are useless or don't fit.

Action Plan - Trill

Dates for filming:

18^th – 19^th January day and night shoot of our production.

18^th January day shoot- 6 hours form 12pm-6pm approximately

19^th January night shoot- start at 5-6pm  

Progress Report - Trill

Individual Progress

I have achieved the production of the storyboards of the storyline of Trill, which integrated the script and shot list into one. Also it is able to give the basic foundation of the actual production.

WWW- The fact that I was able to create the story board over a small period of time.

EBI- I was able to make the storyboard more detailed and drawings too

The Next Step

The next step is to actually film the production with all the characters and in the scene.

Group Progress

As a group we have managed to finish all the pre-production work and finalise our cast and location, our script is complete and the basic storyboards are complete with the shot lists.

WWW- we were able to work cohesively as a group and manage to assimilate our work together and create a good plan.

EBI- Our communication skills need work and we need to show up after school to work together more.

Next step

Our next step is to film our production.

Pre-Production for Trill

Mise En Scene for 'Trill'

Location:
This production will be set in west london, as this is like the behind the scenes of the London that is perceived to foreigners by the government from advertising, we will film in isolated areas so it would provide an eerie and intense feeling to the audience.We wanted to represent the youth of London by using locations like this to provide a gritty, raw and urban feel.

Our production would consist of several locations however as we're film from in between the series we decided to focus on two the first location which in fact is the main location for this sequence is the White heart Roundabout this location is ideal for our production as this will allows us to achieve the composition/layout we set out to achieve as the centre of the roundabout has a 5 way split it would be perfect for the opening of out production we will also be using other area in this general area for a very short amount of time for a chase scene











The Second scene will be set in a house (mine) and this location will be introduced near the end of the sequence.



Costume:
Excluding the protagonist and the femme fatale everyone else (antagonist and gang) will be wearing black to connote danger and evil the type of clothing these charter would wear are typical urban outfits like trainers, hoodies and jeans/track suit bottoms.
The rest of the characters will be wearing casual clothing to portray their innocence.

No ones costume will change throughout.

Props:
-Phone
-False Gun (Water Pistol)
-Baseball Bat
-Bag

Timing:
The timing of this Production will be set around 05:00- 09:00 pm as this is when it is at it darkest, the reason we have chosen these timing is because it at these times that drug dealers robber etcetera will be prone to come out and proceed with their business.

Lighting:
The production will not use any studio lighting as natural background lighting is provided from street lamps and interior lighting.

Cast:
Armond - Big Chris
Kyle - Sunny
Antoine - Tyrone
Hasan - Nasir / Nas

Emily - Maria.

Initial script

Scene 1 - [Previously] - Villain threatening hero to meet him.

[Jamal holding James against the wall and looking down on him]

Jamal: You better meet me down my ends or your guna get it!

Scene 2 - [set of short scenes from previous episode]

Scene 3 - [Jamal waiting anxiously for James at the meeting place, walking in circles]

Scene 4- [Maria in a sad almost crying tone telling James not to go.]

Maria: Please James you can't go!

James: I have to get out of this myself or they'll never leave me alone

Maria: You can't go you know how this is going to end they're not going to let you go, please!

James sighs.

Scene 5 - [Jamal looks at watch and walks away angrily]

TITLE SEQUENCE

Scene 6 - [James walking alone down road or ally]

Scene 7 - [James sees Tyrone - Tyrone seems agitated and anxious]

James: Hey man what you doing around here, long time no see

Tyrone: Err [looks around] I dunno I was just walking by

James: How've you been man?

Tyrone: Good

James: What's up with you, you couldn't stop talking shit back in the day

Tyrone: [Looking away] Nothing.

 [POV shot of Tyrone - Over shoulder shot of James - see people coming from behind]

[James turns around]

James: The hell is this!

Tyrone: I'm sorry man I had to, they were gunna...

Jamal: Look who it is.

[Low angle shot of Jamal smiling]

Jamal: You didn't show up.

James: I told you I don't want to be a part of this anymore

Jamal: And this is how you disrespect the people who gave you everything James, everything.

James: I don't want to spend the rest of my life being an idiot on these streets

Jamal: SHUT UP! We could've done this the easy way, but no, you meet your little girlfriend and you think you're a big man.

James: Leave her out of it

Jamal: You could've just met me where I asked and this would've all been finished but NO! [Close up of Jamal pushing James over. Jamal talking down to James]

You think you can disrespect me? You had potential James, I thought we could have run this gang together, but now your nothing.

[Match on action- Shot behind Jamal pulling out gun- returns to POV of James looking at Jamal holding the gun at him]

Jamal: I'll make sure you never mess with me again

Drake: [Pushes gun down in Jamal's hands] Allow it man, don't take it too far

[James gets up and runs past Jamal and Drake]

Jamal: Go after him

[Close up shot of Jamal on the phone]

Jamal: Listen...Do as I say, or you'll never see him again. This is what you're guna do"

Scene 8 [Chase scene - James running away from Drake and others]

Scene 9 [James gets away from Jamal's boys and gets to Maria's house. He knocks on her door while breathing heavily. The door opens]

Maria: Oh my God are you ok?

James: I think so. I need to sit down

[Shot of James walking inside. Loud bang and noise of falling to floor. Blackout]

James - Hero

Jamal - Villain

Drake - Villains - Jamal's boy

Maria - James' girlfriend

Tyrone - James' old friend

Shot List

Story Board

Introduction to the Film Industry

The Idea

The First step is the source of inspiration which can come from adaptations of books, remakes of old books, original ideas and/or basing them on real life. The next step is to pitch the story/idea to a producer who will provide the money to make the movie. Then the director needs to be chosen who is able to visualise the script into reality. Next a writer adds depth and meaning into the main character and the script.  Once the writer has made the main characters more realistic they create a treatment, which is the description of the main characters. The final step of the idea stage is to pitch the idea to financers so that the script can be commissioned.  

Learner Response

Mark: 28/48    Grade: C

WWW - some excellent answers with the use of media language

EBI - Institution is weaker and you need to be careful you don’t repeat yourself – you only get the marks once! Handwriting could also be a risk if the examiner can’t read your work.

Next time:

>I will make sure I know all the theories by heart and actually incorporate them into my answers, so that they are more effective and detailed.

>During the mock, I will adapt and analyse my answer after I have written each paragraph. 

>I will proof read my work and fix up my handwriting.

In the February mock I want to achieve a B because I believe I am able to work under pressure and I prefer exam based work. Realistically I believe I can achieve an A in this exam component as I am able to integrate theories into my answers and talk about them in some detail, so if I am able to work on expanding my analysis over the next few weeks I believe the achievement of the A is achievable