Question 1a Post Production During both the course of the foundation portfolio and the advanced portfolio, the post-production stages allowed me to not only edit the media products I had created it allowed me to expand on my capacities as a media student through a range of software and equipment which was available to me.During the AS course I was required to design and create a magazine. The magazine I decided to create was a pop music magazine aimed at teenaged girls. After completing my photoshoot with my model who was featured in my magazine I decided to edit some of the photos which I was wanting to use in the magazine. The front cover image was one of the main images which I was wanting to edit. I used the software Adobe Photoshop which included a range of different tools which I could use to edit the image. I was firstly able to remove the background from the image. Even though the background to the image was white it wasnt completely white therefore by removing this it meant that the magazine would look a lot more professional and tidy. To do this I opened the image which I wanted to use in Photoshop and zoomed into the photo. I have to unlock the image so that the background layer could be edited. Once I had cut out the image, I was able to use the refine edge tool which meant that the edge of the image would look a lot more natural and soft rather than looking like it had been cut out. I did not only do this to the image but I also used the blemish tool to make her skin look flawless, as well as using the brush tool to thicken her eyelashes. To do this to her eyelashes I imported a new brush into Photoshop and set the colour to exactly the same as her natural eyelashes. I then clicked the brush and then resized the eyelash and positioned it in the correct place. This made the image look a lot more professional whilst still looking natural. When creating the magazine I used the software adobe InDesign as it allowed me to make full use of the range of different tools, as well as allowing me to create a professional looking magazine which was industry standard. It was easy for me to import all of the images which I wanted in the magazine simply by clicking file then place where I was then able to find the image and scale it to the size I wanted it to be. In addition to this when setting out the layout for the magazine I wanted all of the text to wrap around the images which potentially could not have been done using another software and if it was possible it would have been more complicated than using InDesign. Using InDesign when I had positioned the picture where I wanted it I only have to press the text wrap tool and the text would instantly appear around the image. In addition to this InDesign allowed me to add a range of text boxes so that it was easy for me if I wanted to reposition the text. This also allowed me to set out my magazine in a professional manner through using the three columns. Moving onto the advanced portfolio I was no longer using Adobe Premiere as I was creating a music video, therefore I was using Premiere to edit my footage. Using premiere allowed me to create multiple layers which enabled me to have each of the locations on a separate layer making it quick and easier to find. Within premiere when adjusting the time of the clips I needed to make sure it was accurate otherwise the lip syncing would not match up. To do this I unclicked the lock button to allow me to move the video freely along the timeline. I was again, like in the AS course was able to make use of the tools to edit my video to allow it to look as professional as possible. When I featured my artist dancing when the pace of the song increased I wanted the video to fit to this fast pace. Using the speed/duration tool when right clicking on the video I was able to increase the pace of the video making it fit perfectly in time with the song. In addition to this I didnt want the position of the artist in one position of the screen as this could become boring for the audience. I was able to use the scale tool, to zoom in and out on the clip as it played. I was able to set the scale of the start of the clip as well as the end of the clip meaning that when it played it would zoom in and out as set to do. Like in the AS course I was able to use Photoshop to edit the images which I was potentially going to use in the digipak and magazine advert. Using Photoshop meant that I already understood how to use it as previously using it in the AS course. I was able to adjust the colours of the images to make them appear brighter and less dull. Further to this I was also able to use my knowledge of InDesign to create my evaluation magazine for the A2 course. This magazine was able to include the 1 and 4 evaluation questions which included a range of text and images. Again using InDesign allowed me to set out the evaluation exactly like a magazine using the text boxes which I could set to be columns. In addition to this I could again position all of my text around the images which was helpful for backing up a point which I had made through an image.

Question 1b Narrative Throughout the production of the advanced portfolio narrative was a key aspect which I focused on to ensure my music video had a structured start, middle and end. During the editing stage of the video, I was able to position each of the clips exactly where I needed them in order to see allow the video to progress. I was also able to edit the pace and speed of shots to ensure that it linked to the pace of the video. Throughout both the planning and development of the video I also had to take into consideration who the audience of the music video is and where about they are placed in relation to the narrative structure of the video. As my video was a performance video where my artist was often both singing and dancing to an audience in a range of different locations, some of the narrative theories do not apply to my video. However the video which I created is still structured and is clear to the audience as to what is happening. Throughout the video the progression of the artist is clear to the audience, where at the start of the music video we see a much more quite artist where she displays herself mainly in quite places, however at the end of the video we see a much livelier character located outside in a much brighter place. This is also reinforced through the constant referencing to the sparklers that we see. This further highlights the start of a new beginning for the artist where the brightness of the sparklers reinforces her being in a much better place. Throughout the video the audience may question what is going to happen next, meaning that the audience are allowed to enjoy the video by making assumptions to what will happen next. Roland Bathes supports this in which he said within his 5 codes there are enigmas or questions that a reposed throughout the narrative and that there are often throw up questions which arent immediately answered. This is referred to as the The Hermeneutic Code within his 5 codes to his theory. Not only this, but another part of Bathes theory called semantic code can also link to the music video which I created. This part of the theory allows the audience to expand on the meaning of the micro elements which are seen within the music video. Firstly the referencing of the sparklers. This immediately questions the audience as to why they are referenced to in the music video. The audience are able to think about this and most often will link the sparklers to the artist and the progression of the female. In addition to this the mise-en-scene of the artist where she is displayed wearing very feminine clothing such as the white dress and her make up done in a very girly manner further gives this expanded meaning to the audience about why she is wearing what she is. The white dress could signify to the purity of the artist to the audience as well as highlighting the stereotypical pop artist. Furthermore the video highlights a link between the lyrics and the visuals of the song. This is supported by Andrew Goodwin who suggests that music videos often display a strong link between the lyrics and the visuals of the song. A prime example of this in the music video is through the overall emotion of the artist which links to the lyrics of the song. For example when the lyrics become more serious she is looking directly into the camera giving direct eye contact to the audience, however when the song becomes more upbeat, happier and faster paced the artist is displayed in this way as well through dancing and enjoying herself. In addition to this Goodwin states that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, where in my video I am able to use location and narrative to link to the typical conventions of a pop music video. Through the locations which I have shown in my video this clearly highlights the genre of music along with the clothing and styling of my artist which reinforces this. The stereotypical pop video usually highlights a range of locations which I have highlighted in the video through both locations inside and out. I made sure that I planned the locations accurately and made sure that they portrayed the summery theme which I wanted to convey. When filming outside on location I filmed in both London and Camden. When filming in these locations, it was a very bright day and when filming in Camden I filmed again a graffiti wall which was very colourful.

Question 2 Postmodernism Postmodernism in the oxford dictionary is referred to as a style and concept in the arts characterised by a distrust of theories and ideologies and by the drawing of attention to conventions. Postmodernists claim that in a media saturated world where we are constantly immersed in media the distinction between reality and media representation of it becomes blurred or even entirely invisible to us. My first case study I will focus on is film. I believe that many films highlight this postmodernism through the main concepts such as: pastiche, flattening of affect, hyper reality, time bending, altered states and more human than human. I will be using my film case studies in order to show how they are postmodern and will highlight the key aspects which make them postmodern. The Lego movie (Chris Miller and Phil Lord, 2014) produced by Warner brothers recently been released onto DVD is another key example of how postmodernity is used within the film industry. The Lego movie is set in an animated world and is the heroic journey of regular-guy Emmett and his quest to stop Lord Business from destroying the world with his super weapon: The Kragle. On the other hand the boy is set in reality attempting to play with his dads Lego while his dad wants to maintain complete and absolute order, not giving in to the creativity of Lego. There are layers of reality, and only the main hero is able to see both completely. Built within this multiple-layered-reality are iconic figures like Batman, Star Wars characters, as well as eclectic combinations such as Unikitty. Pastiche is highlighted to us throughout the film. It is never taken too seriously and the script reads like it has been written by a 9 year old, allowing the audience to relax and enjoy watching the film. Moreover intertextuality is displayed bringing characters in drawing iconic personalities that we already know. A prime example of this in the film is the character batman as we do not need any explanation of who batman is and why he does certain this as we already know this from previous experience. Flattening of affect is suggested through the character Emmit where he lives in a world of popular music, formulaic television, and people who always follow the instructions. At first it seems like an evil corporate plot, but when we pull back and see the father-son relationship in the framing narrative, we realize that this isnt exactly the case.Along with postmodernity in film, it is also clear to see this postmodern effect within music videos. This is clear within the Jessie J music video, whos laughing now (2011). Hype conscience is shown in this video where the main performer Jessie J is playing multiple roles in the video and playing different characters as well as herself. The characters in which shes playing are very over exaggerated implying that narcissism to their self-image. This is constantly reminding the viewer that what they are watching is not real and it is made up. A key feature of the postmodern music video is the intertextuality references which are constantly made. Two prime examples of this is the reference of mean girls and reference to bugs bunny. The reference to mean girls is clear to see when the four girls are dressed in pink and are walking in a line next to each other. They present themselves to be very stuck up and love themselves just like how the mean girls do in the film. Buys bunny is referenced in the lyrics when the girls are bullying Jessie. Here the lyrics say Oh Jessica you so funny youve got teeth just like bugs bunny. Baudrillards theory is incorporated into the music video. This is because the video appears to continually cut from Jessie as a school girl to Jessie grown up. This in my opinion depicts postmodernism as no distinction is made between them. This means the progression of time is conventional. This lack of effect confuses the audience and makes them question which part of the video is in real time. This creates postmodern irony because none of what we are watching is actually real. The third postmodern medium I will be discussing is video game. A well-known example of postmodern video game is Grand Theft Auto (Rockstar Games) where it immerses the player in a convincing, intricate and believable-world, but that the reality it represents is the stuff of films and other media. However I will be focusing on the more recent game released the sims. The Sims is a strategic, life simulation video game series developed by Maxis and later by The Sims Studio, and published by Electronic Arts. It is one of the most successful video games series of all time. The player creates virtual people called "Sims" and places them in houses and helps direct their moods and satisfy their desires. Hyper-reality is seen throughout the Sims where you can create characters however you want to. You can recreate your image as something completely different and plan their life for them. Baudrillard argued that a simulacrum is not a copy of the real, but becomes a truth in its own right. This is the case in the Sims with the language that they use; Simlish. Its not a copy of any language but has its own meaning in the game. There is no proper translation for the language and to us sounds like random noises and sounds. This is the creators trying to imitate what its like when we hear an unknown language that we dont speak or understand, as to us it then becomes a range of noises and sounds. In addition to this The Sims uses intertextuality to make the game seem more realistic and therefore includes features from reality that we can associate with. They do this very subtly through the use of different television shows available for the Sims to watch and also the music they can listen to. They change the language to Simlish but they are still the same TV shows and songs we listen to and would recognise. They also have new expansion packs to add to the game where you can find well known celebrities such as Katy Perry, which shows how she is still recognised in the game for her talent. As well as the features which we see in the game The Sims have created a large number of different games. One prime example of this is the Katy Perry edition. In this game we see that the sim being used to play is Katy Perry and the whole game features her, her music and custom features all to do with Katy Perry.Finally postmodernity is evident through the TV shows which we see today. The Simpsons (Matt Groening) which is an American sitcom highlights the various features of postmodern TV show. A specific episode which I believe highlights postmodernity is the episode called Girls just want to have sums (2006). In the episode Harvard principle Skinner is fired for offending feminists by suggesting differences in performance in math/science may be due to innate differences between men and women. He is then replaced by womens educational expert, Melanie, who demands that the males and females in Harvard are separated immediately, and the audience see females treated differently from now on. What is the source of this illusion, or as I call it, the biggest lie ever told? Principle Skinner states as he stands on stage, speaking out to all of the feminist women before him, who do not look very pleased. There is an instant display of lack of seriousness and irony in this clip, as the Principle of the school is mocking quite a serious topic (feminism). This is a very post-modern trait as it is making light of political issues that do happen in the real world. Then, a woman in a pink blazer stands up and shouts youre a worse version of Hitler as she ironically points her hand out at Skinner, almost as if she is mimicking Hitler. The irony is reinforced here the episode is beginning to look like a parody, as the topic of Hitler is very serious and a piece of history is being mocked. Also, another crucial postmodern aspect of this is that it is intertextual by referencing to Hitler. Stereotypes and mocking of serious matters - Skinner states please, believe me I understand the problems of women as he laughs and stands to the side in a flowery, pink dress. The idea that The Simpsons are representing a stereotype of females here, to all wear floral dresses, is very postmodern as again, this is a sensitive subject that especially feminists, would not like to set their eyes upon. The mocking of serious subjects returns yet again when a child shouts ha ha, Skinners a tranny. Of course, many transsexual individuals could feel deeply affected by this sort of mention as these new subjects are not usually spoken about, but it is apparent that the modernity of this program really does push boundaries. How do numbers make you feel? Principle Melanie passionately asks a student after she switches on a light that makes fraction symbols and numbers float around the room. This presents another stereotype of females to constantly think with their emotions instead of thinking rationally and practically, and being soft and girly. The fact that The Simpsons confidently represents this stereotype is very postmodern. Pastiche is highlighted when the next scene presents the new Principle, Melanie, teaching her new class of females, there is an element of pastiche conveyed. It is interesting to note that the previous scenery was very traditional and sensible in the schools assembly hall, which suddenly switches to an airy-fairy, feminine classroom suddenly full of purple puf chairs, flowers and soft-lighting. This represents the very postmodern merging of looks/genres.