Sunday, October 17, 2010

Supermarket Sweep Activity - Social Class in Supermakets

The task was to buy two of the same small food products from different ranges, value and finest. The aim was to then analyse the products using semiotic analysis and finding the social differences that are created from them.

Tesco Value Milk Chocolate Vs Tesco Finest Swiss Chocolate


They are both pieces of milk chocolate, though to the consumer they are much more then that. The first image, Tesco Value Milk Chocolate, is a simple product. The design of the packaging suggests no fuss and what the customer will get is a piece of milk chocolate. The font on the packet is bold and clear to see to the public eye. It is making a statement amongst the the other various branded goods on the shelves, Tesco Value Chocolate is noticeable. The colours used on the design are red, blue and white, typical colours of the Tesco Brand. The packaging material is plastic, it is efficent and the product is easy accessible.

Social Differences - The younger market are more likely to purchase value goods within the supermarket as they will get more for their money, whereas the older generation, with good incomes are likely to go for more luxurious chocolate. The lower class may also prefer to spend less money in the supermarkets and go for the lower end price in products.



With the Tesco Finest Swiss Chocolate the design of the product is very different. The design has been carefully created to achieve the most desired looking piece of chocolate bar. The product oozes quality and is perhaps seen as more desirable to the consumer. The colours and the use of the coco bean are carefully created to produce an authentic look, it suggests that what you get is a pure piece of chocolate. The material used on the product is cardboard which may suggest the product has a solidity to it and is neatly presented to show the utmost quality. This product is likely to appeal from the middle to the higher end of the social class.

According to John Fiske, 'the supermarket is a densley woven texture of commodity, information and display' (Fiske, 1992, p160).

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Films Reviews!

The Karate Kid

Cast:
Jaden Smith - Dre Parker
Jackie Chan - Mr. Han
Taraji. P Henson - Sherry Parker, Dre's mother
Zhenwei Wang - Cheng, the bully

Even though I had not seen the original Karate Kid I had an idea of what I was about to go and see. Except I did not realise how entertaining the film was going actually going to be. The joyful and uplifting story of 12- year old Dre Parker, who leaves Detroit with his mum for a new life in Bejjing, China.

He struggles to adapt to the culture and attracts some unwanted trouble to the boys in his school. Dre is soon guided by Mr. Han, the maintenance man, who in time teaches him martial arts, resulting Dre being entered into a kung fu tournament.

There are many comical moments in the film, especially with the repetition of 'Jacket on, Jacket off'. Mr Han's method of teaching begins with teaching Dre respect, by telling him to place the jacket on the hook rather than throwning it on the floor.

One thing that is more noticeable then anything else in the film are the use of the numerous scenic chinese locations, including, the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. The film is certainly not let down by these.

The climax of the film comes during the final showdown of Dre and his bully from school.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Media Studies with Visual Cultures

Level One - Modules covered during first year!
Term 1: September - December
MSVC 101: Being Academic
The topics that were looked at in this module include:
  • studentship
  • mitigating circumstances
  • defining academic study
  • referencing using the harvard system
  • plagiarism
  • forms of assessment
  • paraphrasing
  • bibliography
  • the learning centres

MSVC 102: Introduction To Theory
Topics include:
  • the representation of women
  • the representation of men
  • the representation of race and/or ethnicity
  • concepts relating to marxist theory and the frankfurt school
  • postmodernism

MSVC 103: Constructing Meaning: An Introduction
Topics include:
  • signification
  • encoding and decoding
  • myth
  • ideology and hegemony
  • case studies on hollywood cinema, continuity editing and the 180 degree rule

Term 2: January - May
MSVC 104: Genre
The topics that were looked at in this module were:
  • the approaches to genre study
  • analysing iconography, narrative and generic conventions
  • deconstructing genre conventions - similarities and difference
  • ideology and spectatorship
  • representation
  • historical, social and cultural perspectives
  • constructing and stereotyping audiences through genre
MSVC 105: Stardom and Performance
Topics include:
  • studying star personas
  • representation and ideology
  • socio-cultural approaches to stardom
  • star persona from screen to subsidiary media texts
  • constructing authenticity in performance and photography
  • the quest for the 'real' in a glamorous industry
  • stars as commodities: brands, lifestyles and identities
  • fashion: industry and audience perspectives
  • contemporary stardom: summarising concepts and debates
MSVC 106: Institutions
Topics include:
  • culture, society and the media
  • ideology and control
  • case study on the BBC
  • critical theory and culture industry
  • institutions, power and the media