+*-Daily Mirror Newspaper Research-*+

Research The Daily Mirror newspaper and answer the following questions. 

 1. Who owns Reach Plc? 

Nicholas Prettejohn (Chairman of the board) Jim Mullen (CEO)

2. What other newspapers do Reach Plc own?

Reach Plc also owns major regional papers the Manchester Evening News, Daily Record and Liverpool Echo.

 3. What ways can audiences access this newspaper?

Through their e-edition app - Accessible on most devices.

Through their website - Online news - Accessible to all.

In print - In shops etc.

4. How much content can you access for free and what type of content is available?

The app and online content are free but the print costs less than £!

The type of content available comes from a tabloid format - Football, news, celebs tv politics, sports etc.

5. Visit the website of some of the other newspapers Reach Plc owns and read some of their articles. What political agenda or bias do they hold?

Daily Record - Left-wing viewpoint - Holds the labour political view.

Liverpool Echo - Left-wing viewpoint - Labour leaning.

Manchester Evening News - Left-wing viewpoint - Politically aligned with the labour party

6. What evidence of this do you have? 

Article from the Courts section of the Daily record - This article had a focus on stories and events that affect minorities and side with them - use of "racist" as opposed to "Accused of racism.

7. Who is the intended readership (audience) for The Daily Mirror. You must consider the demographic profile and the psychographic profile.

C1, C2, D and E classes (Working class) with a focus on people of an older demographic The majority of readers are Strugglers, Mainstreamers and people who are retired.

+*-The times and the mirror-*+

Tabloid or broadsheet     
Explain the differences between these terms and how it links to different audiences.

Tabloid - A tabloid are usually image-led, popular newspapers - commonly have 'red tops' which are the red mastheads and focus on the gossip instead of more dedicated news.

Broadsheet - Quality lead newspaper - More news content than pictures - Cost more to purchase - Offer an in-depth analysis of particular pieces of interest.

 

Ownership : 

The times is owned by News Tv - A corporation. - The mirror is owned by Reach plc -the more individuals it goes through, the more concentrated it gets, the less opinionated it becomes.

Political bias:

To have a deeper understanding of newspaper we must have some knowledge of the British Political System, specifically English political parties. The political allegiance each paper has will impact what and how they report to their target audience.
Left-wing refers to a type of political position where people who hold these views support social equality whilst opposing forms of social hierarchy and inequality. They are assumed to be concerned about the disadvantaged in society, seeking to reduce or abolish any unjustified inequalities.
Someone with right-wing politics would have a political position that views social inequality or social divide as natural, normal, inevitable or even desirable. They will typically defend this political position on the basis of tradition, natural law or economics. Therefore, people with right-wing politics view society having hierarchies and the inequalities that result as being the natural outcome of traditional social differences or the result of competition in market economies.

+*-Statement of Aims-*+

Statement of aims:  
 
 
My magazine will be called, ‘Paradox TV’ and will be a television magazine discussing my audio-visual production called ‘The Enigma’ which is a crime drama, fitting in with the age demographic of both the genre audience and magazine audience. Much like other television magazines, my magazine will highlight my unique selling point, which is using conventions and codes of crime drama’s and shows in the print publication, to promote and describe the audio-visual production to the 18-34 mainstream audience. The foundation of the article I will include will focus on a brief synopsis of the drama, using enigma codes as to not reveal to much information to the audience, and provide some behind the scene details though the medium of an interview of the star vehicle evident on the front cover of the magazine. I will also provide some contextual information including the date it is made available in order to fit in with the brief. 
 
My magazine will have a neutral colour palette to symbolise the crime genre. As Barthes semiotics, I’ll use “Paradox” to symbolise the genres of the television shows that will be represented such as crime and mystery. It will also represent the focus on the magazine which takes a microscopic analysis of the darker elements of the television genre. The front page of the magazine will include various cover lines such as the name of protagonist, and others providing further information, drawing the audience in whilst still being enigmatic, engaging the reader. I will use studio photography, centrally framing the star vehicle with an indirect mode of address to show the protagonists power. The indirect mode of address is an enigma code, and reader will begin to question what the protagonist is glancing at. The mise en scene of the photo will be minimalistic with dim lighting in order to represent the genre. Much like the character Luther, my protagonist’s costume will be scruffy yet professional clothing in order to portray the star vehicle’s flawed hero trait.  
 
I will target the 18-34 mainstreamer and succeeder audience through the conventions of the specific groups. Mainstream audiences seek tested methods and content, so I will follow the popular conventions of a crime drama in my audio-visual production, with establishing shots of urban, city settings also using dim and darker lighting to represent the fear and mystery. Similarly, succeeder audiences seek control over the content they watch, including using the best brands and producing the best content. A popular theme amongst this age category is detective storylines. Therefore, my storyline will also centre around a detective plot to mimic the success of other crime dramas in this specific category such as Luther and Marcella. 
 
I will produce my audio-visual content on adobe premiere pro, creating an extract of a gripping crime drama for BBC 1, with a co-production with ITV. This will be a 3 minute clip of my drama, including an establishing shot of the setting, and will be used to introduce the protagonists  
Job as a detective and will represent some of their characteristics including their anti-hero and flawed hero attributes (evident through flashbacks of the crimes the detective committed himself.) I will also use slow and enigmatic music in the background to represent the genre. 

 

+*-Exam style questions-*+

 

a) What is meant by a mainstream film? [2]

A mainstream film tends to have generic themes such as making you laugh or cry, tends to have commercial success, and is escapist entertainment for the audience.

 b) Briefly explain what a media conglomerate is. [2]

A media conglomerate is a large scale company that owns multiple companies in relevant media sources such as film and music.

 c) Explain two features of independent film production. Refer briefly to me, Daniel Blake to support your points. [6]

One feature of independent film production is their focus on a particular social issue. An example of this can be seen in I, Daniel Blake, which focuses on the life of working-class individuals, poverty and the welfare state. The themes tend to be challenging or abstract. Another feature of independent film production is the effect of the film on the audience. For example, whilst mainstream film production tends to offer the audience the theme of escapism during watching, independent film production usually provides less escapist entertainment for the audience due to the more realistic themes in the film.

 d) Explain how economic contexts shape mainstream films. Refer to Black Panther to support your points. [15]

 Economic contexts shape mainstream films in many ways. One way in which economic contexts shape mainstream films is through their production. Mainstream films tend to have a larger budget meaning they can afford to produce through well-known companies in order to receive the most reception from the audience. This can be made evident in Black Panther, which was vertically integrated through Marvel Studios, a well-known brand and franchise of movies, meaning it would be viewed by a much larger audience. Similarly, economic contexts shape the mainstream film genre through the actors they are able to employ. Unlike most independent films, mainstream films use iconic characters and well-known actors who require more money to employ. They do this in order to create brand notability as well as making fans of those actors view the film they are acting in. Economic context also shape mainstream films through their means of financing. Unlike independently produced and distributed films, which may require various forms of funding, most mainstream films are funded by a particular company or conglomerate which usually distributes and produces internally. Black Panther was distributed by Walt Disney Studio Motion pictures who also owns the production company Marvel Studios. This means that they had a much larger budget from one source, enabling their success.