Media Questionnaire

Print Media

Often I read the contents of The Sunday Times newspaper, and sometimes dip into the local newspaper. In the broadsheet newspaper I enjoy reading about recent affairs around the world, I think it is important that especially young people should be interested in the news as we are the future generation and should learn from the mistakes people hear about in the news. I try to stay away from celebrity and gossip pages and magazines because I think it has a bad influence on a majority of the readers.

I access most of the news via the television, despite not watching a lot of t.v myself. I read music magazines, mainly NME (New Music Express) which introduces sub-genres and sometimes unsigned bands! I don’t get it every week, but every 2-3 weeks.

Radio Media

                I listen to either Radio 1, or NME radio station. I like the mix of music on Radio 1, it plays a lot of mainstream music but they have things like ‘record of the week’ which they will play a new track from an unheard band or solo artist, it injects a bit of difference into mainstream. Whereas NME radio station does mainly the opposite of Radio 1. You could say it plays music for the ‘Indie’ community, the people who like to be different. NME play a lot of band music rather than solo artists. I prefer Bands to solo artists; I think their tracks have more depth which often creates a heavier effect on the listener. Although, my dad likes to listen to Alan Carr on a Saturday night on Radio 2, which I enjoy listening to as well.

Music Industry

I prefer to listen to bands rather than solo artists because I think the combination of instruments add more depth and meaning to the song. My favourite genres of music are, Punk, some popular music, a bit of rock, and Indie. (to me Indie means, small sub-genres of bands that have light guitar riffs, and a tuneful melody, it has a strong bass line and often synthesizers in the song) My favourite band (and a stereotypical Indie band) at the moment is a band called The Cads. They are a small band from Suffolk and used to go to school with a lot of my friends! I try and support them as much as I can by buying their EP’s and going to their gigs! I have never been part of a band but I would love to be, I play the guitar to accompany my voice, as I sing to grade 5.

I find out about a lot of new music via the internet but other ways are going to gigs, often the support act is a band I have never heard of but really like their music! (This is how I found out about The Cads!) I agree with illegal downloading to some extent, for example, I try and buy small bands CD’s because downloading music from them isn’t fair, but when it comes to big bands, like Paramore or Muse, who are already very wealthy, I tend to download it!

The music industry influences a lot of young people today; young people see music as a way of expressing themselves and defining themselves. Often friendship groups are built on what kind of music they are into.  I know my dress is influenced by the music I listen to; I try to be a bit different, but not to stick out like a sore thumb, although sometimes that can be a good thing. I admire people who try and wear something different, and not follow the crowds.

New Technology

I don’t think new technologies have increased my understanding of the world, other than that some people try to follow the trends all the time! I think my laptop is my main source of communication, then my phone. It is so useful. I don’t go to the cinema very often, but when I do, it is with friends.

Television

                My favourite television channel is Channel 4. It shows teenage dramas, like ‘Skins’, ‘Misfits’, ‘Beaver Falls’, and often comedy as well. I like them because especially programmes like skins, I can relate to, I have friend that are like some of the characters, it feels more personal than other programmes like ‘Top Gear’ for example. I don’t tend to watch a lot of television, only the news and programmes I specifically want to watch, like ‘Beaver Falls’.  Television programmes I consider memorable, are usually ones that I can relate to, like ‘Michael Palin’s Himalaya’ as I have been there, also ones like ‘Skins’ because it reminds me of personal matters and often some of my friends.  Also programmes I watched as a child that built my childhood, for example, ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’. After watching the programme, I would get given Thomas the tank engine train sets, and annual books that I still have today!

Feature Film

                My favourite genre, like many others, is comedy. I like actors like Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. I like comedy because there are so many ways of portraying it and through so many different story lines. Three films I think are outstanding are, Inception, purely because the idea is innovative, no one has done much like it before. I also think the new Sherlock Holmes film is outstanding, Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law, play their parts exceptionally, also the enemy, Lord Blackwood played by Mark Strong was also very good, he also went to Wymondham College when he was younger like myself! One other film I think is outstanding is Inglorious Basterds. I love war films anyway and to watch this film gives a different perspective, I think it has a very strong storyline as well. I go to the cinema to watch films and I also buy them, not so much rent. If I go to the cinema I go to the multi-plex, Vue in Castle Mall. It always has a huge variety of films showing and offers good services. I also tend to go with friends and family not to go on my own.

Media Producer

I have made 2 music videos, 1 I had to produce as a part of my Diploma, and the other, just for fun with my friend! I did my work experience at Future Radio in Norwich, they gave me the opportunity to have my own hour’s radio show, which I recorded and edited myself! It went on air on the Saturday at the end of the week.

Conclusion

                I often find articles or comic strips in the newspapers, that I am offended by, often politics related, I don’t agree with a lot of what is going on, especially to do with students and job cuts. However I closely follow a band called ‘The King Blues’ on facebook, twitter and Youtube. A few years ago they paid for an advertisement on a billboard in central London, so that they could write their own message to the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.  

 The full message went like this,


“Dear Gordon Brown,

Your party led us into war after war that we didn't want to fight and you added insult to injury by stripping away our civil liberties, the very things that make Britain Great.

Bringing in ID cards, surrounding us with CCTV and taking away our right to protest doesn't prevent crime, it just increases your grip on us.

Money goes on bailing out banks and buying tanks while the police move on the homeless by waking them up and pouring water where they sleep.

Your crackdown on unemployment benefits during an economic crisis shows your finger is pointed firmly in the wrong direction. You are demonising the people you have forced to live in poverty.

We demand that you put ALL people before profits because ALL people are priceless.

No more will we fear each other, for we are all equal. We will not let creed, sexuality, or colour come between us. Our only enemies are those who try to divide us. We were born free and we want to live free. The people run this country, not unelected leaders and when we stand together as one we're strong because power comes from the bottom up, not the top down. Watch your back all oppressors, we are organising.

Love,

The King Blues”

This message inspired me to follow what Gordon Brown was doing and politics in general as I am sure it did the same to others like myself.  It spurred me on to take more of an active role to find out more about happenings within the government. This band in particular have influenced a big section of my music taste, the way I dress, it has exhibited new ideas and ways of following them on. They influence me musically as well. The King Blues put the world into perspective, show clear priorities in England about what should be of more importance than others. They write songs about they matters they protest and campaign for as well, for example the war, one of their songs state, “and going to war to prevent war, was the most stupid thing I ever heard.”  I might chose a similar method to The King Blues in terms of writing a media text. It got peoples attention and it transports your message quickly. It also attracted the Medias attention which gets you in the papers and websites as well. The idea I think was new and innovative. My message I think would be similar to The King Blues’ because England I think does need to sort out a lot of its priorities, or do more about them. I feel strongly about the points they brought up in that message as well and think they did the right thing be voicing their opinion on behalf of a lot of people.

I have chosen media studies as an option because I wanted to carry on doing something I really enjoy. The diploma I did is very similar to this course and I really enjoyed that, I would have not had a lot of the opportunities I got offered to me if I had not stuck with the diploma. I also got an A in diploma, so media can’t be something that I am bad at, or find un-achievable!