Digipack Research

Definition:

Digipacks are a type of CD packaging made out of card stock or other heavy paper/cardboard material. Digipacks can flip open like a book, or it can have three parts, so that one portion of the packaging opens to the right and one to the left, with the CD in the center portion. Usually, the portion of the digipack that hold the CD is made of plastic like a traditional jewel case CD - the plastic part is simply attached to the paper background.
Digipacks were first created by MeadWestvaco, and their product, called Digi-Pak, is trademarked. However, as the format became more popular and began to be used by more manufacturers, the generic "digipack" came to be used to describe all soft CD packaging.

Digipacks have pros and cons:

-They look nice, and many bands and labels like to use them for aesthetic reasons. The three section digipack sleeves opens up more design options because there is more room. However, they're more expensive than traditional liner notes and jewel cases.
-Digipacks don't crack like jewel cases do, but they will rip and eventually the paper begins to peel apart and separate.
-The trays in digipacks break much more often then in jewel cases. There's not as much protection since the outer portion of made of paper, so the teeth that hold the CD in place crack and fall out easily.
-When the teeth of the tray does break in a digipack, the CD falls out of the bottom of the digipack, because unlike jewel cases, there is nothing to hold it in.
-Digipacks can be more environmentally friendly than jewel cases because they can be made of recycled paper - however, they aren't always in fact made in this way.

Digipacks look great, but if you're just starting out and money is tight, looking for ways to cut your manufacturing costs is important. Stretching your budget because you like digipacks aesthetically is not a good investment.
[http://musicians.about.com/od/ah/g/digipacksleeve.htm]

Digipack & DigibookThe Digipack and Digibook are packaging formats that are being more frequently used.

The possibility of personalising them completely allows very different products of great value to the customers.
[http://www.mpo.co.uk/products/packaging/cddetail.asp?arId=227etail.asp?arId=227]

Audiences and Audience Theory

I am now going to consider

-Suture
-Feminist Film Theory and Audiences

Suture

-classical Hollywood narrative and editing 'sutures' or possitions the audience in certain ways making ony one preferred reading possible, however unconscious the audience is of that position

A good example of suture is from the film 'Crash' 2004 directed by Paul Haggis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYHIxZQv7Iw

Narrative

What is Narrative?

• a story or plot
• narrative is the way the story is organised

Elements of Narrative

• Time: how time is organised. Real time=1hour30minutes long film has a story which undergoes throughout 1hour30minutes e.g. High Noon. Chronological=Chronological period from start to finish of a 1hour30minutes film can be over a long period of time e.g. Raging Bull covers 25years
• Closure: how the film ends. Are we left on a cliffhanger(no closure) or are we given all the answers we need so we leave the film not wondering what happened. All loose ends are tied.
• Enigma: mystery. Wonder what will happen to the person or in the following events. Always problems that the characters need to solve. This is what makes a film interesting and is why we watch them.

Classical Hollywood Narratives

• linear: in order, the story follows the correct order of events e.g. Avatar
• few, if any, sub-plots
• tendency towards closure
  

Theories of Narrative

1. Todorov

• equilibrium: the start of the film is in equilibrium, nothing is wrong.
• distruption: something happens to distrupt the equilibrium. Creates enigmas-why has this happened, who has done it, what will happen now?
• resolution: all enigmas are resolved
• new equilibrium: order is restored, we finish the film feeling satisfied.

Example-The Big Heat 1953: a family is sat at the table for breakfast talking about the day ahead(equilibrium). The mother leaves and gets into the car, which then explodes(distruption). Enigmas created-who has done this and why, what will the father do?. He finds the man who planted the bomb, getting his revenge(resolution). He then returns to his job(new equilibrium).



Some films may have only one enigma. These are normally at the end of the film, leaving the story open for a sequel.

2. Propp

• analysed folk stories
• 8 key character roles:

1. The Hero/Protagonist
2. The Villain/Antagonist
3. The Donar/Provider(gives the hero a magic item)
4. The Helper(helps the protagonist)
5. The Father->male or female (has more experience and gives the hero their wisdom)
6. The Dispatcher(sends the hero on his mission)
7. The Princess(does not have agency)
8. The False Hero(appears to be on the Hero's side, then we find out they are on the side of the villain)

3. Levi-Strauss and Binary Oppositions

Levi-Strauss argued that a stucture of narratives was a dependence on oppositions. (A conflict between two qualities or terms). These binary oppositions can form the basis of narratives, eg young and old, male and female.

For example, Gender-narratives can be organised through binary oppositions of gender stereotypes.

Gender stereotypes-Masculine:

• professional
• strong
• rational
• competitive
• independent
• aggressive
• ruthless
• ambitious

Feminine:

• domesticated
• weak
• emotional co-operative
• communal
• passive
• sensitive
• supportive

Constructions of gender roles in narratives lead to a series of binary oppositions

Dominant vs. Subordinate

Dominant:

• male
• white
• middle-aged
• hetrosexual
• able-bodied

Subordinate:

• female
• other ethnic groups
• working class
• the young, the old
• homosexual, bisexual
• disabled

Example - The Western:

• homestanders
• christain
• domestic
• weak
• feminine
• garden
• inside society

against:

• native americans
• pagan
• savage
• strong
• masculine
• wilderness
• outside society

Example- The wars in Iraq and Afganistan:

• east
• barbarism
• feudal
• despotism
• fundamentalism
• backwards 'dirty' weapons

against:

• west
• civilisation
• modern
• democracy
• freedom
• modern 'clean' weapons

Questions that can occur are:

To which side would we apply the concepts of 'good' and 'evil'?

Does it depend upon the point of view of the observer?

Mark Scheme Bounderies

Music Video Mark Scheme

Level 4 (A)

The candidate is expected to demonstrate excellence in the creative use of most of the following skills:

-holding a shot steady where appropriate

-framing a shot, including and excuding elements as appropriate

-using a variety of shot distances as appropriate

-shooting material appropriate to the task

-selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting

-editing so hat meaning is apparent to the viewer

-using varied shot transitions, captions and other effects selectively and appropriately

-using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task

Where a candidate has worked in a group, an excellent contribution to construction is evident.

Reception Theory Diagram

The Reception Theory

-given that the effects model and the Uses and Grats. model have their problems and limitations, a different approach to audiences was developed by the academic Stuart Hall at Birmingham University in the 1970s





-this considered how texts were encoded with meanings by producers, and then decoded (understood) by audiences

-the theory suggests that:

• when a producer constructs a text it is encoded with a message that the producer wishes to convey to the audience


• in some instances, audiences will correctly decode the message or meaning and unbderstand what the producer is trying to say


• in some instances the audience will either reject or fail to correctly understand the message

-Stuart Hall identified three types of audience readings (or decoding) of the text:

1. Dominant


2. Negotiated


3. Oppositional

1. Dominant

-were the audience decodes the message as the producer whats them to do and broadly agrees with it

e.g. watching a political speech and agreeing with it

2. Negotiated

-were the audience accepts, rejects or refines elemnts of the text in light of previously held views

e.g. neither agreeing or disagreeing with the political speech or being disinterested

3. Oppositional

-were the dominant meaning is recognised but rejected for cultural, political or ideological reasons

e.g. total rejection of the political speech and active opposition

The Uses and Gratifications Model

-it is still unclear that there is any link between the consumption of violent media texts and violent imitative behaviour

- it is also clear that the theory is flawed in that many people do watch violent texts and appear not to be influenced

-therefore a new theory is necessary, called the: Uses and Gratifications Model

-the Uses and Grats. model is the opposite of the Effects Model

-the audience is active

-the audience uses the text and is NOT used by it

-the audience uses the text for its own gratification or pleasure

-here, power lies with the audience NOT the producers

-this theory emphasises what audiences do with media texts-how and why they use them

-far from being duped by the media, the audience is free to reject, use or play with media meanings as they see fit.

-audiences therefore uses media texts to gratify needs for:

• diversion


• escapism


• information


• pleasure


• comparing relationships and lifestyles with one's own


• sexual stimulation

-the sudience is in control and consumption of the media helps people with issues such as:

• learning


• emotional satisfaction


• relaxation


• help with issues of personal identity


• helps with issues of social identity


• helps with issues of aggression and violence

-controversially the theory suggests the consumption of violent images can be helpful rather than harmful

-the theory suggests that audiences act out their violent impulses through the consumption of media violence

-the audience's inclination towards violence is therefore sublimated and they are less likely to commit violent acts

Song Lyrics <3

Here are the lyrics to our song:




And we were all insomniacs
Making attacks unto ourselves
Expecting someone to take notice
Make this all disappear
And maybe they will say to you
"Today will be your day"
Perchance to take you someplace
Where pain's just a bad dream

Could you imagine where you'd be
If you hadn't been where you have been?
Promises they couldn't keep
Do you know what i mean?
Superficial love refueling
Was what you had got
Now I'm here to give you
What you need and what you want

Take a second look at yourself
Tell me what you see
Cause if it ain't the same pretty girl I see
Your eyes don't see what I see

So hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on

And we were all insomniacs
Making attacks unto ourselves
Expecting someone to take notice
Make this all disappear
And maybe they will say to you
"Today will be your day"
Perchance to take you someplace
Where pain's just a bad dream

Take a second look at yourself
Tell me what you see
Cause if it ain't the same pretty girl I see
Your eyes don't see what I see

So hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on

Take a second look at yourself
Tell me what you see
Cause if it ain't the same pretty girl I see
Your eyes don't see what I see

So hold on, hold onto
Hold on, hold onto me yeah

Audience Theory Part 2 :)

Why do audiences choose to consume certain texts?
How do they consume texts?
What happens when they consume text?

There are 3 theories of audience that we can apply to help us come to a better understanding about the relationship between text and audience:

1. The Effects Model or The Hypodermic Model

2. The Uses and Gratifications Model

3. Reception Theory


The Effects Model

-the consumption of media texts has an effect or influence upon the audience.
-it is normally considered that this effect is negative.
-audiences are passive and powerless to prevent the influence.
-the power lies with the message of the text.

This model is also called:

The Hypodermic Model

-here, the messages in media texts are injected into the audience by the powerful, syringe-like, media
-the audience is powerfuless to resist
-therefore, the media works like a drug and the audience is drugged, addicted, doped or duped
-key evidence for the effects:

• The Frankfurt School theorised in the 1920s and 30s that the mass media acted to restrict and control corporate capitalism and governments



• The Bobo Doll experiment. This is a very controversial piece of research that apparently proved that children copy violent behaviour.

The Bobo Doll Experiment

-children watched a video were a man violently attacked a clown toy called the Bobo Doll

-the children were taken to a room with attractive toys that they were not allowed to touch

-they were then led to another room with a Bobo Doll

-88% of the children imitated the violent behaviour that they had earlier viewed. 8 months later 40% of the children reprosuced the same violent behaviour

-the conclusion reached was that children will imitate violent media content

-there were many problems with the experiment. After being shown the video of the attack on the Bobo Doll and then being taken to a room with the Bobo Doll inside, the children would think that they wanted them to copy the video. Also along with the Bobo Doll, other things such as a hammer and toy gun was put into the room. these are not normal toys for children. And what else can you do with a Bobo Doll but hit and push it? That is the point of that type of toy.

Does violence influence violent acts?

-the effects model (backed up by he Bobo Doll experiment) is still the dominant theory used by politicians, some parts of the media and some religious organisations in attributing violence to the consumption of media texts

-key examples sited as causing or being contributory factors are:

• the film Child's Play 3 in the murder of James Bulger in 1993



• The game Manhunt in the murder of Stefan Pakeerah in 2004 by his friend Warren LeBlane




• The film A Cockwork Orange (1971) in a number of rapes and violent attacks





• The film Severance (2006) in the murder of Simon Everitt

-In each case there was a media and political outcry for the texts to be banned

-In some cases laws were changed, films banned and newspapers demanded the burning of films

-Subsequently, in each case it was found that NO case could be proven to demonstrate a link between the text and the violent acts.

-The Effects Model contributes to Moral Panics whereby:

• The media produce inactivity, make us into students who won't pass their exams or 'couch potatoes' who make no effort to get a job


• The Media produces violent 'copycat' behaviour or mindless shopping in response to advertisements

Audience Theory

What happens when we consume media texts?

Why do we consume the media texts that we do?

A method of considering how the media functions: