Breaking Bad Broken Down

Introduction

Breaking Bad is a crime-drama television series set in Albuquerque new Mexico. It follows the life of a chemistry teacher with cancer turned methamphetamine cook. The main character Walter White falls deeper into the criminal underworld trying to widen his distribution line and begins blurring the lines between good and bad.

Genre

The genre of Breaking Bad is a "Crime-Drama." This means that the show revolves around criminal acts and creates drama. Crime-drams often revolves around a criminal and shows you their experiences in crime. A notable example would be the show "Dexter" which follows the life of a serial killer. Crime-dramas can also revolve around the "good-guys" trying to take down the criminals. Many detective type shows such as "Sherlock" use this technique.

In terms of Breaking Bad it focuses on the criminal and his rise to power as he avoids getting caught. The show is very intense and exciting which may draw people who are looking for escape to it. This is due to the fact that their own life may not be as exciting as the show. Therefore, they use Breaking Bad as a way of escaping their own boring life and replace it with the main characters exciting life.

The average person may also be drawn to this show. By "average person" I mean somebody who lives a relatively normal life in terms of the NRS social grade maybe C1'S an B's. Again the criminal acts might excite them. Due to the things the main character does being illegal. The average person generally can't do this sort of things or they may face consequences. Therefore, they can live out the criminal lifestyle through the show without the worry of being prosecuted in the real world.

Overall, I feel that people gain excitement and entertainment through watching breaking bad. The shows ever-changing and intense keeps people coming back for more excitement to find out what happens next.

Codes and Conventions

There are many re-occurring themes in television shows which are dependent on it genre. For  example, a sitcom will generally contain canned laughter. Crime-dramas such as breaking bad are no different and follow a set of codes and conventions which show up in many other similar shows.

Conflict 

With the show being a drama, conflict is an essential aspect which is the foundation of any drama. In breaking bad there is always conflict between Walter and his wife which develops and becomes more dramatised as the show progresses. The conflict slowly progressing until reaching a climax is what generally happens in these instances. The climax in Breaking Bad being Walter and Skyler's fight, kidnapping his daughter and then running away.

Conflict keeps the story going and keeps the audience entertained and on the edge of their seat.

Polar Opposites

It is very common practice for two or more of the main characters to be the complete opposite in terms of the type of person they are. In Breaking Bad Walter is the straight edge compliant family man whereas his business partner Jesse is the cocky unemployed rule breaker. Both these characters are the complete opposite however they need to put their differences behind and work together. This is another way in which conflict is created by having to opposites having to work together to reach a common goal in this case being money. 

As with many shows this duality between characters is often skewered or in breaking bad's case completely switched around. By the end of the series Walter is everything Jesse used to be (rule breaking and non conformist) whereas Jesse becomes what Walter once was. This change is often progressive in order to create a sense of momentum in the show and make it apparent to the audience how much the characters really have changed.

Secrets

Characters having secrets is what helps drive the narrative of a show, especially when they have to hid them from another main character or loved one. This is because the character has to constantly out smart and be on step ahead of other people. This in effects keeps viewers on the edge of there seat as they don't know when the characters secret is going to be revealed. When the secret is being hidden from someone the character is close to it creates more tension as the character may not want to hurt the person they are hiding it from. They also will spend a lot of time close to this person constantly having to be on guard which creates even more tension. For instance, in breaking bad Walter has t constantly outsmart Hank who doesn't know Walter is the criminal he is looking for. Secrets are often a huge part of crime-dramas such as "Dexter" were the main character is a criminal such as a murderer.

There will often be many "close calls" between the character hiding the secret and other people in the show. For example, the part in the first series of breaking bad were Skyler asks Walter abut Jesse Pinkman. This strikes fear in the viewer that the character is going to be found out building tension. Usually, the character will come up with a solution for these close calls which repeatedly happen throughout the show. However, often the close call will not be so close later on in the series. This is because the viewer has gotten use to the close calls so the how catches them by surprise and makes it so the character can't come up with a solution and their secret gets found out. For example when Skyler discovers that Walter is a drug distributor.

Cliff Hangers

A cliff hanger is when something suspenseful happens just before the episode or show is over. or example a character may be in a life or death situation before the credits roll. This is done to leave the audience hungry for more and keep them wondering about what is going to happen. This is done at the end of nearly every series of breaking bad in one way or another. The best example is when Hank realises that Walter is the meth cook he has been looking for all along.

This was the last episode before the lat series Having such a huge realisation right at the end of the series keeps the audience excited for the next one and teases them. Therefore they are more likely to tune in and buy into the next series as they want to find out what happens.

Cat and mouse

This technique is used heavily in crime dramas in particular. It is when there is to opponents who are often polar opposites have to consistently outsmart each other. In breaking bad this would be the constant battle between Walter and Hank. One of the main characters, usually the main character will be much more superior to their opponent. It is also common practise for one of the opponents to b unaware of the other existence. For example, hank doesn't know that Walter is Heisenberg so Walter has to constantly outsmart hank to keep his secret. This at and mouse technique is used to keep the story going by putting obstacles in front of the main character.

Death of important characters

In dramas it is common for important character to be killed of. The deaths that are dramatised are characters that the audience have built a connection with. Often, a character will be explored and developed for a long period of time before their death. This is so that the audience understand them and in a way build an emotional connection with them. Therefore, when they actually do die it is more of a shock and the audience feel emotions towards the character. This keeps the audience emotionally engaged with the show making it seem more real therefore making them want more due to the real emotions it makes them feel.

It's not always a well developed character that is killed of to evoke emotion. Sometimes it is someone close to an already developed main character such as a lover. When this happens the pain that the person close to the deceased feels is what is used to evoke emotion in the viewer. For example, when Jesse's girlfriend is shot in front of him.

Change and morale

Change is important in dramas as it creates a sense of momentum and pacing throughout the narrative. In Breaking Bad it is one of the most important concepts. In this show you see the main character Walter change from a boring middle aged man to a criminal anti-hero then a villain. However, the lines between good and bad change and this is when morale come into place. As Walter White hangs it is up to the viewer to decide if he is a hero or evil. This fully engages the audience in the story-line by making them use their own ideals and morale to make a choice about the shows concepts. This is very effective as it really immerses the audience within the show and has them asking questions.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene refers to how the whole of the scene is put together in terms of how it looks and the message in which it portrays. This can be done in endless amount of ways and generally everything within a shot is there for a reason or to add to the overall mise-en-scene.


Lighting

Lighting can often be use as a layer to set the mood of the shot whether it be sad, moody or uplifting. In breaking bad Walter home is usually light up very well with the lighting pretty much in uniform which portrays a sense of safety and normality. However, when he is his alter ego "Heisenberg" the lighting is generally more darker and cryptic. This gives a clear distinction between Walters two personalities the family man Walter White and the Villain Heisenberg.

Walters house on the left. Heisenberg's lab on the right.

What's interesting though is that the lighting of Walters house slowly changes over the course of the show as he grows more and more estranged from his family.

The image above is from a later episode were Walter has completely alienated his family and has become much more immoral. As you can see the lighting is much darker then it was earlier in the series. This has been done to show how much Walter is hurting his family and how his criminal alter ego has come into his home and become is normal life. This is due to the fact that now the lighting is dark in both Walter Whites world and Heisenberg's world.

Props

There are many props in breaking bad which are there to convey hidden meanings and messages. This means that the viewer has to think about the props use in order to understand the messages that they are trying convey.

Pink Teddy bear - The teddy bear is a re-occurring prop which is meant to show the damage which Walter has done to his family and the people around him. Many people have also speculated that it is also a representation of Gusto Fring, a drug distributor which Walter murders.



Eyeball - The plastic eyeball is also seen many times throughout the series. It always shows up when Walter is in the midst of making a bad decision. It in a way represents his conscience looking back at him whenever he is about out make a bad choice.



Colors

Colors are often used within the show to tr and get across the type of person that somebody is. The colors in which the characters wear and live in change corresponding with how the characters change. They are also often used to represent something in which the character is going to do.

I the episode "crawl space" Walters gym bag full of money is the color red. This is sued as a way of conveying his guilt and also that something bad is going to have as red symbolises danger. This color can also be seen as a rug below his pile of money in a later episode.

This use of color subconsciously gives the view clues about what is going to happen and also encourages them to come back later to locate more of these hidden messages.

At the beginning of the series when Hank is first introduced he were primarily brown which is a very earth color portraying masculinity and stability. However after his fight with Tuco salemanca he becomes less secure and his clothing starts changing to more of blue and pink colours portraying more innocence and weakness.

Again the colour red is used to portray a sense of impending danger in the episode were Hank dies.

Narrative Structure

Narrative structure is how the story is how the narrative is played out and paced. Breaking bad is a non-linear narrative story as there are many flashbacks with it flashing back and forth. However, there is also a linear narrative happening at the same time amongst the flashbacks which keeps the story going. This is why I believe the show is so successful as although it has an interesting non-linear format it also has an ongoing linear story going in chronological order to keep the main story on a set path. The flashbacks like in most similar shows eventually some together and are explained. In breaking bad they can be quite illusive and confuse the viewer. This is effective as it keeps them guessing as to what it means wanting them to watch more.

Representation

Representation refers to how the media portrays various people and minorities. The general categories representation covers are:

• Gender
• Age
• Ethnicity 

Many shows represent each of these categories different through the way there characters act and look. In this section I am going to go through each category and explain how breaking bad using representation in their products.

Males

The main male characters within the show are generally presented to be quite stereotypical and masculine. The central character eventually becomes more masculine and dominant however initially he is more of a weaker less masculine character. Each character has different masculine traits here is a list of the most important and relevant ones.

Walter White - Walter starts of as more of a weaker less alpha male. This can be seen through his attitude towards life and how he is constantly out done by his colleges in terms of achievement and general masculinity. However, he uses his alter ego Heisenberg to become all the things he never was in the real world. Eventually he becomes his alter ego and his colleges become inferior to him. This can be seen through the uses of costumes and colours. As Walter becomes stronger his clothes evidently start getting darker colours whereas the people who were once superior to him such as hank's clothes get lighter and less masculine.

In terms of age Walter lives a generic middle-aged man life by going to his day job everyday and coming home to his wife. When he gets cancer this makes him aware of his own mortality. He realises that nothing exciting ha happened in his life and along with jesse's youth and immaturity he re-lives a more exciting existence before he dies.

Hank Schrader - As with most of the characters in the show hank goes through many changes as the series progresses. He starts out as a tough and masculine character until certain events which happen as a result of  Walter's crimes (Gunfight with Tuco) which damage his mental state. This has him questioning his own worth on top of the fact that he can't track down Heisenberg. However, he is generally a stereotypical male with masculine hobbies such as beer-making.

Jesse Pinkman - Jesse tries to be tough and masculine however the Truth is he is weak. This weakness is shown through the range of emotions he shows as him and Walter go deeper into the criminal underworld. Jesse wants out due to the awful things they have done but Walter seems to show know remorse. 

In terms of age, Jesse is portrayed as an irresponsible teenage unaware of the consequences of his actions. This could be taken offensively as all the people in the show his age are generally drug users. This could be seen as an unfair representation of young people.

Females

Similar to the males in the show, females are portrayed pretty stereo typically in terms of their attitudes and actions.

Skyler White - Skyler is Walters wife in the show. Their relationship becomes more and more estranged as the series progresses due to Walter always being away all of the time. She is always on Walters back and is often portrayed as a bad person due to the bad things she does to Walter such as cheating on him. This could be conceived as portraying women negatively. She also wears a lot of black as the series progresses portraying here negativity towards current circumstances.

Marie - Hanks wife Marie is similar to Skyler in that she is an obstacle between Walter and what he wants. When she gets in his way and begins catching onto what he is doing, Walter simply lies to get out of the way. This is very similar to the way in which Skyler is treated. This could possibly be a negative offensive representation of women. Suggesting that they are obstacles in succeeding and should be just put out of the way. This could however not be the representation. Although, the two main female characters and the way they are represented could suggest otherwise.

Ethnicity

The cast of breaking bad are primarily white which could be conceived as offensive due to it being an unfair representation of America.With it being set in new Mexico there are many Mexican characters within the show but not much of any other ethnicity. This could also be seen as an unfair representation considering that there not the only ethnicity within the region.

There is also the fact that the only black character within the show is Gusto Fring who is a villain and eventually dies. This could offend people of a similar race as this is the only black representation in the series. Therefore, people could be lead to believe that the writers only perceive black people in this light. Being a villain.

Many critics think that the show is taking a stab at the privileged, white American stereotype. This is due to the main character Walt being white. At the start of the show he has a relatively good normal life. A big house with a swimming pool, a loving family and a baby on the way straight away represent his decent life which he feels is bad. After he gets cancer and descends into the criminal underworld he tells himself it is for his family. However, after the feeling of power it stops becoming about his family and being about him instead. This can be proven as he continues cooking, long after his cancer is cured. Walter begins seeing what he wants and takes it just because he feels he is privileged and it is his right. People could believe this to be the generic white-privileged male psyche.

The racist politics comes together and becomes more apparent later on in the series. This is when Walter is hired by the only black character in the show. Gus is eventually murdered by Walter who sets up his own similar business operation. This could again be showing Walters privileged white male stereotype. He sees something that he wants (Gus Fring's job) and takes it because he feel he deserves it. What makes this more relevant is the fact that Gus is black. Walter the white male takes away black male Gus's position. Many people believe this is used to represent the white man's power and privilege over the white man. Or rather the power that the white man believes to have over other races.

Overall, I don't think that the creators of breaking bad particularly put much though into representation. Rather their energy went into the way in which the characters develop, change and interact with each other. However, I do feel that it is plausible that the show has and undertone of race politics. This is due to the consistent focus on how Walter takes what he want as he feels privileged.

Assigment 3: Responding to media products

Introduction

Throughout the years there has been many theories surrounding audience and how they react to products. Overtime, the methods and ways of understanding how the public responds to the media has changed and developed. These days the generally accepted theories are much more complex and take into account individuals rather than the mass audience. This differs from the old ones such as "The hypodermic needle" which only takes into account the public as a whole. In this report I am going to be explain a range of audience theories as well as relating them to three video games. The purpose of this post is to figure out how various video games effect people and whether or not the media and games has the power to change peoples ideals or actions.

Audience Theories

Passive and active audiences

This refers to how the audience interacts with the media product and how they absorb it's messages. The difference between passive and active is that a passive audience does not question the messages which the media is channelling to them. Rather they remain indifferent and just absorb the message without asking questions or looking into why a specific message is being portrayed to them. An example would be very young children who may not yet have the ability to fully build there own opinions and question what the media is trying to tell them. This is one of the reasons that certain products are age classified as young children are generally more susceptible to the media and it's messages than adults. On the flip side, an active audience will always actively participate with the product and maybe questions it's purpose or ulterior motives. For example an person within this audience may notice the subtle marketing techniques in commercials and analyse why they are there.

Hypodermic needle theory/magic bullet theory

The hypodermic needle theory is an old audience theory dictating that the media has an immediate and direct effect on the public, The problem with this theory compared to the more modern ones is that it only takes into account the masses rather than individuals. Therefore, it is not an accurate representation of how everybody interacts with the media. This theory implies that any messages portrayed by the media are directed absorbed by it's audience and are just accepted. Although, this theory isn't an ideal model for analysing audience it has been shown to be true in the past. For example, the 1938 broadcast of "The war of the worlds" sparked widespread panic amongst the American population as they thought they were under alien attack. Rather, it was simply a radio drama episode. There was also the propaganda used in the second world war which seemed to have a huge influence on the masses. However, this theory coming into play back then could be for a lot of cultural and societal reasons. The media though radio and television was a new novelty back then so people could have been more susceptible due to it being new. 

Effects debate

As the name suggest effects debate simply refers to how media products affect individuals and whether or not, they lead them to take actions they otherwise wouldn't, if they hadn't seen the media product. There have been many incidents which raise these question withing the media and especially video games. I will get into real world example later on. However, speaking theoretically an example would be if somebody watched "Breaking Bad" and later went to build a methamphetamine lab based of what they saw. If this was out of character for the person and they did it solely from the messages which they absorbed from the television show then this would come into effects debate.

Uses and gratification theory

This refers to the media product in which audience seek out in order to fulfil their needs. There are many different needs or gratifications which people use the media as a means of fulfilling. Some examples would be escapism, social interaction or entertainment. For instance,  somebody seeking escape may use an online multiplayer game such as "World of Warcraft" as a means of creating a second life and getting immersed in a fantasy world unlike their own. From this they can be somebody who they are not in the real world as a way of making them feel better about their own life. People looking for social interaction will often use social media products such as "Twitter" as it allows them to connect with people all other the world from the comfort of there home. This comfort is also what would gratify the individual as it allows them to be socially active and comfortable.

Call of Duty

Call of Duty 1-3

Call of Duty is a critically acclaimed "shoot-em-up" war game series published by Activision and developed by companies such as Infinity Ward and Treyarch. It began in 2003 with there debut of Call of Duty set in world war 2. In this and the sequels that followed (2 and 3) you played as infantry soldiers from various regiments and countries. The first few games set in this era gained a massive reception with high ratings from many game magazines and reviewers. There was not much controversy over these games which could be due to it being based on real historical events. Therefore, it could be argued that it teaches players the history of the wars and maybe make them realise the atrocities of it. There has always been controversy over shooter games in general with claims that they make people violent but the early Call of Duties didn't particularly stand out amongst the rest in terms of controversy. It wasn't until games developed later in the series depicting current wars and conflicts, that the series began causing altercation in the general public and media.

Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 1 and 2

The equally as successful modern warfare series focused on current conflicts in the world using realistic and accurate weapons and locations. It followed the same structure as the other one following various infantry soldiers from various regiments such as the S.A.S as they wage war in the modern world. Both Modern warfare 1 and 2 caused a lot of controversy due to there hyper-realistic approach too war and the questionable and sometimes brutal content of certain missions.

Shock and awe (Modern warfare 1)

Shock and awe was a mission in the first Modern Warfare in which the players involved in a nuclear blast and crawls to their death in the aftermath of the explosion. This caused debate and outrage due to its realism and shock value. Also the Iraq War was going on at the time so this brought up uncomfortable issues regarding it being insensitive due to current events. 

You could argue that that the franchise just wanted to provide a realistic depiction of the brutality of war so that people don't take it lightly. However, this in turn can also create negative effects based of the audience theories discussed earlier. For example due to the context it may make certain players feel uncomfortable. For example ex-war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress may not want to re-live a similar experience in such detail even in a video game. Also a passive audience may interpret it very differently than somebody else. With you having to finish this mission to progress in the game you could interpret it as meaning this type of violence is beneficial is achieving goals and is okay. Due to the out roar caused by this mission in the following game, Infinity ward warned players before they played equally as graphic section of the game. This was seen in Modern Warfare 2 in which a similar mission "No Russian" gave the player an option to skip due to it's graphic content.

No Russian (Modern Warfare 2)

In this mission you are an undercover agent working with a group of Russian terrorists. You wander into an airport with the terrorist group and mercilessly kill hundreds of innocent civilians. This caused much more controversy than the previous shock and awe as you played the perpetrator and have the option to gun down these people. The issue was that there was no consequence to these actions within the game. It doesn't show the punishment for war-crime rather just glorifies in a way by trying to make it into an entertaining game.

Turning a brutal massacre into a game for the players entertainment raises many ethical questions and can effect people susceptible to media messages in negative ways. Taking the hypodermic needle theory into account if this message was absorbed straight into a passive audiences mind then they may get the wrong idea. Due to their being no consequences for committing these crimes they may feel that killing people isn't so bad and they are no repercussions. In terms of the effects debate it is argued that many brutal scenes like this have actually caused acts of violence in the real world.

Anders Breivick

Anders was responsible for a mass shooting in Norway in the year 2011. He claimed that he used the game Call of Duty in order to train for the elaborately planned attacks. Although the game didn't appear to influence his actions it helped in aiding the act which can come into uses and gratification theory. rather than using it for entertainment purposes he used it as a simulation in order to complete a series of violent acts. Therefore, it is clear that some people can use media products for immoral and violent acts. However, he was diagnosed with borderline-personality disorder due to many events in his life which shows that the game was not a direct correlation between the murders. Rather, he used it as a tool to aid him in completing them.

Sandy Hook murders

The game could however be linked to have affected Adam Lanza the killer of 20 children and 6 staff members at sandy hook elementary. It is reported that he was obsessed with the game and it's weapons, sometimes spending a at least 16 hours a day playing multiplayer. Taking effects debate into account it could be argued that the excessive playing of the game may have contribute towards his violent actions. The aim of multiplayer is to kill other players and gain experience points so you can rank up and unlock new in-game items. Therefore, many susceptible audiences could see this as killing people is rewarding and become conditioned to believe that. If you go of the hypodermic needle theory than the message injected straight into the consumers mind would be "Killing people is fun and rewarding." It is not clear if the game directly influenced the killings however it is something to take into account considering his infatuation with the multiplayer aspects of it. If you take the approach that the killer was already mentally ill than the game may have simply been an escape were he could live out his violent fantasy without fear of persecution. However, it could also be argued that the game reinforced his already mentally ill and violent psyche.

Conclusions

Although it is not clear whether Call of Duty directly influences people to commit violent acts we can assume that it can potentially play a part in somebody who is susceptible to the media such as the mentally ill. Passive audiences such as children could pick up negative message from the games which is why there is an age rating. It is not hard to believe that shoot-em-up games like call of duty can influence people who are pre-dispositioned to things such as violence or lack of empathy. If you think in terms of neuropsychology, the reward centre of the brain releases hits of dopamine when you progress in a game providing a sense of well-being and achievement. Therefore, excessive playing can lead to the brain conditioning itself to believe that killing people is rewarding as that is the main aim of shoot-em-ups. Due to this, it is possible that this process played a role in some of the murders linked to the game.

Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto is a open world sandbox game in which the player will normally be placed in a fictional city as a criminal or gangster and have to complete various missions to progress. Due to it being free roam, the player can complete missions at his or her own leisure and do whatever they want in the city. Besides missions, players can kill civilians, buy guns partake in races, drug deals and even pay for prostitutes. This has to be one of the most controversial games of all time due to the freedom the player has to reek carnage on the innocent civilians within the virtual world. It also features adult themes such as drug use sexual content and bad language.

Criminal Activities

The game has been heavily criticised for promoting criminal activity contrary to previous games in which the protagonist engaged in heroic deeds. Rather in Grand theft auto you play the anti-hero and commit a number of crimes ranging from murder to armed robbery. The idea of being rewarded for completing illegal acts sparked much debate over the effects this game could have. Attorney Jack Thompson blamed the games graphic nature for the murders of a group of Alabama police officer by 17 year old Devin Moore. He called the game a "Cop Killing simulator" arguing that Devin Moore had no history of mental illness or criminal offences before spending countless hours playing it.

Like Call Of Duty, the game featured very few consequences for the characters illegal or unethical choices. Rather it glamorised them by the character gaining more money which they could buy material things such as houses and clothing with. This could portray to certain audiences such as passive ones that you will be successful if you are a criminal, Consequently potentially leading them to a life of crime due to this belief. It also showed that even extreme offences such as murder were easily avoidable by simply killing police offers or escaping.

Desensitisation 

What I have got into yet is how violent video games have the potential to desensitise players. I feel that the torture scene in Grand Theft Auto V is a perfect way to explain this. 

GTA V with it's realistic graphics puts the player in the shoes of a man working with the FBI to torture somebody. This brutal scene allows players to choice there torture device of choice and punish them as they see fit. This option of being able to choose what weapon to use forces the player to make a conscious decision of what they will do to him. Although, there is no option of helping the victim or letting him free. Rather, you are forced to do it in order to progress. This could potentially be ore damaging to an audience than say a movie as he or she is making the decisions therefore it feel more realistic as if they are actually doing it. On the other hand it could be argued that it raises awareness of issues such as torture by making the play feel guilt towards the victim. Leaving them no option means they have to torture him irregardless of how they feel. Therefore, it could be argued that this is conditioning people towards being violent.

As you can see from the video above the scene is very bloody and graphic. If you showed this to somebody 30 years ago chances are they would be more horrified than people are today. I believe this is due to the increasing realisticness and violence in the general media we have in the modern times. Nowadays, people are so used to seeing accurate depictions of violence that it doesn't phase them. This raises issues in effects debate as audiences growing up with this sort of violence may not perceive it as wrong or sickening. Therefore, when there are murders in the real world it is often debated whether the media which the consumed affected their actions.

As I have stated earlier, passive audiences such as young children are much more susceptible to the media influence and message that active audiences. After playing the game a six year old stole his parents car and drove 10 miles due to missing the bus. He claimed he learnt this from playing the game. As you can see the hypodermic needle theory can come into play when we are dealing with more vulnerable audience. As seen earlier, with incidents such as the sandy hook murders. Sometime the medias messages are injected directly into the audiences brain if they are in a vulnerable position such as mental illness or being a young child.

Uses and gratifications of Grand Theft Auto

People mainly seek this game for entertainment purposes and escapism. The open sandbox style of gaming means the player can do things which would be inappropriate in the real world with out facing real life consequences. It could be argued that this is a good thing as it lets people blow of some steam without taking actions in reality. Therefore, letting them live out their fantasies in a simulation rather than causing tragedies such as the Sandy hook murders. However, as I have stated I believe that somebody who is more vulnerable to the messages may take it a step further and the game can act as a catalyst in taking there ideologies into real life.

Minecraft

Although the public opinion on the negative affects of video games seems pretty bleak, it's not all doom and gloom. Some games have been proven to provide positive effects to people and the action which they influence them to take. A quite recent example is Minecraft.

Minecraft is an open world sandbox game in which the world is randomly generated by a series of blocks. The player mines these blocks which are made up of different material to create anything they want from tools to house and castles. The creative freedom of the game i what made gain so much praise in the media. This is due to the fact there is no real aim to it. Rather it is up to the player to make what they want to out of their gaming experience.

Educational Benefits 

Minecraft has quite recently began being implemented in school worldwide to teach children various different subjects such as maths and psychics. Due to the fact that you can mould the world within the game however you want it is very beneficial in being able to illustrate theories and concepts visually. Outside of school the game could make children interested in other topics such a electrics. With Minecrafts "redstone" system it make it possible for anybody to create simple to highly complex electrical circuits.

Therefore, in terms of effects debate you could say that the effects caused by this game could be beneficial especially to a more susceptible audience. This is because it allows people to explore their creativity and create things which they do not have the resources to build in the real world. Therefore it can inspire people to pursue things that they want as they can do it withing the game.

Due to the multiplayer aspects of the game it can help people develop communication skills along with teamwork skills. This is because you have to work together in order to build your creation therefore it could be beneficial for people who have issues communicating with other in real life and help them build social skills. In fact the game has been shown to be very effective in treating people with autism such as aspergers. This is because the logic and order of the game world makes sense to them and allows them to creatively express them selves freely which they would find difficult otherwise. However, you could argue that these social aspects of minecraft are negative. It could possible make somebody comfortable with staying inside for interaction and not seek any form of social interaction or enjoyment outside of the game due to it''s addictive and potentially obsessive style.

Conclusions

In terms of uses and gratifications, the main reasons people use minecraft are for creative freedom and entertainment The vastness and freedom of the game allows people to become immersed and sometimes obsessed with it therefore it is an efficient source of entertainment or escape. The possibilities are endless therefore people have the means of expressing themselves and being creative through a world with resources already set out for them. Minecraft is about exploring and discovering new things. This can in subtle ways, inspire people to take more risks in their life and be more curious. The quote shown at the end of the game reinforces this idea.

Assignment 2 : Creating media products for audiences

Introduction

Once you have profiled your audience it is important to create and tailor your products for the audience in which the product is aimed at. Newspapers are a prime example of a media product which is created and aimed at one specific audience. In this report I am going to comparing two different forms  newspapers (Tabloid and Broadsheet.) From this, I can explain how each newspaper is aimed at different types of audiences and how they attract that sort of audience to the product. Rather than looking at the psychical newspapers, I will be looking at their online services. The two online newspapers I will be comparing are "The Guardian Online" (Broadsheet) and "The Sun+" (Tabloid.)

Audience Profile

Demographics - The Guardian

Above is the demographics for the first onlin newspaper which I will be analyzing 'The Guardian.' "Guardian select" refers to sites and blog from around the net which are run by the guardian. Therefore, the target audience remains the same as it is for the newspaper and attracts the same sort of people. As you can see the Guardians main audience in terms of gender is women. This can sometime be seen through the advertisements and content in the newspapers and online. For example many of the advertisements are mainly aimed at females such as cooking books or women's clothing stores. In the newspaper which I am analyzing there are also some articles on childcare which also give the impression that the content is aimed at women.

Here is an example of an advertisement which is aimed at the female audience. First of all there is the colors. Pink is often perceived as a feminine colur therefore the background already suggests this is supposed to be associated with women. The content itself is about promoting tips on how to cook a Christmas dinner and be "stress-free". Peoples pre-conceptions are that cooking Christmas dinner is a very 'motherly' thing and it is mainly women that do it. Therefore, we can assume that this is aimed at a female audience. The fact that it is about cooking a "stress-free" dinner suggests that it is for older women with kids as cooking dinner for the family can be stressful. The idea that female guardian readers are older and have children is backed up by the demographics.

The Guardian website also has a section dedicated solely for women. There is however, not one for men which suggest a primarily female target audience.

The age group and number of readers that have children corresponds with the original assumption that the majority of guardian readers are older females with children. This is due to he fact that the percentage of guardian readers in this category is larger than the UK average. As we dive deeper into the demographics it becomes clear that this specific audience is mostly educated and in well-payed jobs.

In terms of social grade, the majority of guardian readers are A, B and C1 (Upper Middle class, Middle Class and lower middle class.) People within this group are normally associated with have well-paid respectable jobs. Therefore, much of the content is tailored for these social groups. 

Going back to the previous advertisement, you can see that it is sponsored by "John Lewis" and gives readers the opportunity to win some "Waitrose Products." This whole advertisement is very effective as it appeals to near enough the majority of the guardians audience profile. John Lewis is a retail shop who's core audience is 34-44 year old females. This reinforces the idea that this advertisement is aimed at older females. The prize for he competition is some products from Waitrose. Waitrose is often perceived as a shop for middle and upper class individuals therefore this advertisement also appeals to them. However, it does not appeal to the lower middle class on smaller incomes. That is until you notice that you can "Win" this prize. This attracts readers on lower incomes due to the fact they can get this high quality merchandise for free. Overall this is a very clever advertisement as it brings together the majority of The Newspapers demographics.

As you can see from the demographics above Guardian readers generally engage in social networking more than the average UK internet user. This suggests that readers of this newspaper are generally more "Tech-savvy" than most people. This is backed up with the audience profile which can be found on their website.

"76% of Guardian Select UK Audience are Progressives, who are affluent forward-looking individuals, curious about the world and embrace change and technology"

From the information above it is clear that overall guardian readers are tech-savvy and accept the modern age. This differs from the other newspaper "The sun" which generally promotes more old-fashioned values and focuses heavily on topics such as sports and celebrity gossip. 

This advertisement on the guardian website reinforces the idea that their target audience are "curious about the world." This advertisement shows this mainly due to the content. "Experience Extraordinary" attracts these progressive types of people as it is enticing them with the idea of "adventure." As I have stated earlier, the majority of guardian reader are also know to have expendable incomes so they could afford a holiday like this. This differs heavily from the advertisements in the sun which are more aimed at working class people with a lower income. 

The demographics above reinforce this idea of Guardian readers having a high and expendable income.

Above is an advertisement from the sun which as you can see is very different compared to the ones we have seen in the Guardian. First of all the text is very large and obnoxious suggesting that The Sun readers generally have a shorter attention span than Guardian readers. The fonts used are also very simplistic as well as the information being told to the audience is straight to the point. This differs form The Guardian advertisements which we have seen that are more text based and require more attention to understand.

The actual content of the advert is also a clear indicator of how the suns target audience is very different to the Guardians. In this one the main the designer is making it clear that you can save money. "Free £10" is in large yellow letters to catch you attention. This color scheme of yellow and green also portrays value for money as these colors are often associate with being "cheap." All of this suggests that sun reader have lower incomes and are therefore looking for value for money or freebies. The supermarket itself "Morrisons" is a very "Working-class" shop in comparison to the ones advertised in the guardian such as "Waitrose" which is more upper-class.

Demographics - The Sun

Above are the gender demographics for the tabloid which I analysed "The Sun". As you can see there readers are primarily male, with nearly 12% of the readers being male a opposed to female. A brief look through a copy of The Sun and it is clear that it caters heavily to a male audience due to content.

Articles and images of a sexual nature are often seen in the sun which backs up the demographics suggesting that the newspapers readership is primarily men.

Football and sports is also a dominant topic in the sun. Football is a sport normally associated with working-class men which backs up the male demographics. If you compare this to the guardian who's sports section focuses on other sports such as cricket which is generally associated with middle or upper class men.

If you look at the image above you can see that the vast majority of The Sun readers are in the C2DE section of the socio-economic scale. This is made up of the skilled working class, working class and unemployed. Therefore, it is fair to assume that individuals who read this newspaper are on low incomes. This is why football (a working man's sport)  is a huge part of the sun whereas Cricket is (upper class ) is in The Guardian.

The price of each newspaper is also a huge factor which affects their target audience. The Sun+  costs £2 a week whereas the guardian online costs £4 a week. This ties in with the idea of the Sun being aimed at people with lower incomes and the guardian being the opposite.

Although you are charged to read all of the content online, The newspaper has a compromise for their readers by giving away free vouchers if you sign up. This appeals to the lower class audience as they are on low-incomes and possibly struggling. Therefore, saving money is high priority for them. As you can also see the advertisements for this newspaper a far more "in your face." This may be due to the fact that people in this lower social spectrum will generally have lower education. Therefore, it will lead designer to think that they are more susceptible to manipulation through marketing.

In terms of the Young and Rubicams 4 c's theory I believe the Sun is aimed primarily at "Strugglers." I feel this due to the content and the themes and values in which the newspaper portrays. Strugglers are looking for an escape and this can be found in the Sun with there use of pornography, gossip and entertainment news. This is also why I believe many of the advertisements are for freebies as strugglers are generally looking for an easy way out of the negative situation they are in whether it be financially or socially.

The emphasis on pop culture and celebrity gossip ties into this idea of The Sun readers being strugglers. This is as they can find escape by immersing themselves in successful celebrities lives and aspire to be like them.

Psychographics 

As I have stated it is clear that the majority of guardian readers are upmarket and highly-educated individuals. The "progressive" category which guardian readers come into suggests that readers of this newspaper are acceptant to change and embrace new technology. 

The info-graphics above show that "Progressives" (The main group who read the guardian) are more interested in social networking and voicing there ideas. This suggests that they are more outspoken and self-righteous than the average person. Due to this, they may have strong views on certain subjects which I believe to sway more towards Left-wing politics. This can be proven through the content and the way in which articles in the newspaper are written.

Above is the headline and front page of the Guardian newspaper I was analysing. As you can see it is orientated around the NSA surveillance scandal. Being the front page, this is generally what the newspaper deems as the most important article. Therefore, it is easy too assume that The guardian feels that this topic is very important and people need too know. This is what lead me to believe that The Guardian sways more towards left-wing politics. This is because generally people on the left disagree with the government being a unanimous authority and promote their civil liberties. This idea of Guardian readers being more on the left and for freedom of information and civil liberties is reinforced by the way in which this article is written.

Above is the opening paragraph of this article. I have underlined the relevant points which back up my claims of The guardian being tailored for The Left.

First of all there is the word "mass" which is used to describe the scale of the NSA's surveillance program. The word "mass" suggests that it was worldwide and massive meaning that it makes the reader suggest that this was an outrage to happen. The word "revealed" makes the readers perceive Edward Snowden as a sort of hero or martyr. This is due to the fact that revealing something means that you are presenting a secret or something that has been sly and hidden.

If you compare this to the opening paragraph above from "The Sun" you can see that both newspapers have very different political agendas and views. "THIS" is the "whistleblower" tells us straight away how The sun feel about the NSA scandal. Rather than focusing on the problems it causes they focus on the person who revealed it. "THIS" is capitalized and straight away points the finger at the person who did it. The word "whistle-blower" is used to describe him which in a way belittles Edward Snowden. This is because the word whistle-blower is normally associated with somebody being a snitch. They also belittle the scale of the surveillance by using the phrase "internet snooping." This differs from the Guardian who referred to it as "mass surveillance" and makes it seem less serious. Overall, this article suggests that The sun is against Edward Snowden and view him more negatively than the Guardian. From this we can assume that the Sun is much more Right wing as they don't see this scandal as important.

If we look at the front page of The sun on the same day we can see that they dub the royal baby as more important than the Edward Snowden story. This suggests that they do not see the Edward Snowden story as a big deal and reinforces there right-wing agenda. As I stated earlier The sun is very heavy on old-fashioned traditions. This is why the royal baby is the front-page as the royals are an integral part of British Tradition.  Right wing politics also usually promotes old-fashioned values for example  many right-wing parties views on abortion and gay marriage.

In The Guardian newspaper which I analysed there is an article about the royal baby but it is very small and formal. This differs from the Sun which is much more sensationalist and makes a huge deal out of it.

So far it is clear that both newspaper have very strong and opposing opinions. However "Guardian readers" are known to voice there opinions. this is seen through the demographics which show us that they engage in social networking and blogging more often. Due to being Left wing The Guardians target audience generally believe in freedom of information. This can be seen through the fact that The Guardian is free too read online. However, the sun costs money which ties into there right-wing. Being that people should be self-sufficient and not rely on welfare as an income. However, as the demographics show readers of The Sun are generally working-class and on lower incomes. This can be seen through a range of elements in their newspapers such as the advertisement I presented earlier.

Overall, for The guardian I feel that it is aimed at highly-educated middle class individuals. These individuals hold strong opinions mainly residing in the left-wing and enjoy being outspoken and voicing there opinions. They do this through the means of technology which they embrace due to being curious about the ever-changing world.

In terms of The Sun it is generally the opposite. The newspaper is aimed at less-educated working class individuals who have old fashioned values. These individuals do not like change and therefore the newspaper remains quite straight forward. It resides mainly in the right wing and uses sensationalism in order to draw in there less-educated readers and persuades them to engage in the newspaper more by offering freebies and money of items.

Young and Rubicam 4c's

The Young and Rubicams 4c's is an audience theory in which various types of consumers are split into various categories. It was based of maslows hierachry of needs, which is a hierachy designed that shows what the average human needs to be happy. This hierachy was used as a tool to develop the 4c's.



"A graph depicting what maslow believed to be a humans basic needs"

 The 4c's stand for Cross Culture Consumer Characterisation as it is a way of classifying people from various culture in terms of what sort of consumer they are. These are the 7 categories that make up the theory.

The Mainstreamers (Average demographics) - These are the sort of people which follow the current trends and generally like whatever is popular to the masses. Examples of product this segment may like would be popular television shows such as "Britains got talent" or "The X factor." These sort of shows attract millions of viewers and are aimed at the mainstreamer category.

The 4c's tells us that peopled grouped into the segment are looking for SECURITY. This is because they look for products which they are familiar with and don't have to challenge. They respond well to big or "family" brands that offer what the majority know and trust. This is to fulfill their needs of security by not throwing them out of there comfort zones with a different un-familiar product which could seem new and unsettling to them. This is why many mainstream products are very similar in format and execution. This include countless reality T.V shows with the same premise but in a different context such as "Geordie Shore" or "The Only Way Is Essex."

I believe that sun readers may come into this category due to the articles in which they publish following popular celebrities and showbiz news. 

As you can see, as soon as you go to the homepage of The Sun you are already flooded with images and articles of celebrities and football. These are all very trending, conventional and mainstream subject which fit into the mainstreamer categories media product interests.

The Explorer (Younger student) - These type of consumers are generally the polar opposite to The Mainstreamer. Were the mainstreamers look for security, the explorer seeks out DISCOVERY to fulfill their needs.

Due to their need for discovery they activity seek out new and interesting products , sometimes ones that are trending but not necessarily hugely popular and familiar like mainstream trends. Products that people in this category may buy into could new innovative apps such as "Google Drive" or high tech revolutionary products such as "Google Glass" This is because they are always trying to find something new and interesting.

I believe that these are one of the types of people that read The Guardian as the online newspaper often publishes articles about new and interesting things such as technology.

Here is an example from the websites vast science and technology section which shows new ideas and tech. You wouldn't see something like this in The Sun as it is aimed more at older mainstream people. New discoveries and technology generally wouldn't seem important to these sort of people as they are looking for security rather than discovery. Also, due to their age group this fits in with The Guardian demographics.

If we go back to the advertisement from earlier, it links back to the theory of Guardian readers being explorers. This is because it is trying to incite people to book a holiday in Western Australia. Generally speaking, this isn't a conventional holiday that a Sun reader looking for security would look for. The slogan is "Experience Extraordinary" which is trying to attract the explorer type. This is because explorers like to experience new things. A Sun reader may want to go somewhere less adventurous and more conventional like Spain for example. This is in order to fulfil their need for security and feel safe in what they do. 

The Aspirer (Younger clerical/sales occupation) - This category generally applies to people who are materialistic and are concerned about their social status and how people perceive them. According to the 4c's these people are looking for status.

These sort of people may consume products such as new mobile phones and trends. not for the use of the product but simply for the image which it gives them. People within this category also often have lower level jobs such as sales assistant or retail jobs. Therefore, they are aspiring to progress in their work from the level which they are at.

I believe that in some ways the Sun could attract these sort of people. Although, I do not think this is the main group in which they are targeting. This is because they generally promote value for money and old fashioned values through their advertising and values. This goes against aspirers as they are materialistic. However, the Sun often shows rich and important people as we saw earlier with the royal baby. This can appeal to aspirers as they might look up to them as a successful person they would aspire to be. 

The Succeeder (Top management) - Succeeders are heavily goal orientated, organised and generally have a lot of self confidence. They are primarily looking for control in their life therefore they are usually in a position of power such as top management. In terms of products, they seek out the best of the best as they feel that is what they deserve.  

Due to being organised and self confident, they may buy into media products which progress their life or career. This is because they seek control over their life and want to reach the top. Therefore, they may be big consumers of business magazines such as "The Financial Times" or maybe health magazines such as "mens health magazine." 

I don't feel that the sun would appeal to this category. neither would the guardian. This is because the Sun is generally aimed at the working class and The Guardian is pretty left-wing and often biased against the wealthy.

The advertisement from earlier is above which reinforces the fact that The Sun couldn't possibly be aimed at succeeders. This is because succeeders want the best and discount advertisements like this on the suns website go against this.

The Struggler (D and E demographic) - As the name suggests this group are people who struggle within their life. They fit into the D and E social class which is made up of the working class and unemployed. These sort of people are looking for escape and consequently they are large consumers of junk food and intoxicating substances such as alcohol or cigarettes.

An example of a media product these sort of people may consume could be reality t.v shows such as "Jeremy Kyle." This is due to the fact that they feel their own life is miserable so seeing other peoples misery might make them feel better about their own.

I believe this is one of the categories that sun readers could fit into. 

Again, this can be proved by the advertisements on the online newspaper. They are almost always offers or discounts which to strugglers, can be helpful due to their low income. Also if you look at the language used in the advertisement. "Hard-up Brits" is used to make it appear the the Sun is emphasizing with their lower class and unemployed audience. This is because it is said in a quite actual and personal tone. This is the same as "save yourself a few quid" which also makes an attempt to relate to the lower class. This is due to the fact that they use slang such as "quid." Lower class and less-educated individual will be more likely to use slang therefore, it is an attempt to relate to this demographic.

The other example I have provided above also reinforces the fact that this publication is aimed at strugglers and D and E social classes. Due to strugglers generally not being happy with their life they try and find the easiest and quickest way out of their problems. Keep in mind they are huge consumers of alcohol which is often used to escape problems. The article above is explaining a diet where you can still eat junk food but still lose weight. This appeals to the struggler as they don't need to put in any work to get out of the problems which they face. Also note the image of the women which reinforces the idea of the Sun being aimed at men.

The Resigned (Typically older people) - The resigned are made up of traditional and compliant people with authoritarian values. They are typically made up of the older demographic. This category are seeking survival, they accept things for the way they are and endeavor to survive in this ever changing world as best they can.

I feel that again The Sun comes into this category as like I have stated earlier The Sun promotes old fashioned values and isn't interested in trying to solve the worlds problems. This is why their is a science section on the Guardian and none on The Sun.

The Reformers (Higher education) - The reformers seek enlightenment. They are anti-materialistic and like to focus on personal growth. Some examples of media products these sort of people may consume could be application which further them as a human being such as e-books on "Kindle" to give them more knowledge.

I believe that the Guardian is partly aimed at this group but it is still heavily aimed at explores. The guardian can still be quite materialistic with it showing new technology and trends.

However, rather than The Sun they often show the horrors and wrongs in society which can be seen above. A reformer would find this article important as they feel the need to change the world. Therefore, it would be important for them to hear the atrocities and bad things which happen within it so they can work towards solving social issues.

Codes and Conventions

Newspapers need to alter the way in which they approach communicating with their audience depending on who the product is aimed at. This is done through how they present and address certain elements of the product such as layout, images and content. In this section I will explain the codes and conventions and how they are tailored to the target audience.

Linguistic

Linguistics refers to how the content is written and the language used in order to get the information across to the reader. Tabloids (The Sun) are generally much less formal than broadsheets (The Guardian) and don't go into much depth.

"The Guardian"

"The Sun"

If we refer back to the two excerpts from earlier you can see that The Guardian go into more depth than the Sun when explaining the same aspect of the story. Descriptive and more complex vocabulary is used in the Guardian such as "incendiary new level." This differs from the Guardian with more slang words used such as "snooping." All of this ties into the audience profile for each newspaper. The Sun readers are generally less educated and working class therefore it is simple and straight to the point to cater to there intellect. Guardian readers or more highly educated and middles-class therefore a more vast vocabulary is used in order to stimulate there minds. After all, the majority of Guardian readers are progressive meaning they are more likely to write blogs and voice there opinions.

The Sun is also prone to swearing and slang words which may appeal to the working class male. This is because it is eye-catching and straightforward humour which appeals to there old-fashioned and fixed opinions and values.

Visual

If you look at the front page of The Guardian you can see, straight away, that it is not designed to be eye-catching. Rather, it is dominated by text and few images. This attracts their highly-educated target audience as it shows that it is full of information. The progressives are curious about the world around them and therefore enjoy in depth information about the world. This front page will attract them due to the large amount of text and information it consists of. The few colors which are used are also very dull and un-interesting. This portrays a much more formal feel to the newspaper.

The Sun on the other hand, is a different story all together and portrays much different messages due to it's aesthetic properties. This front page is very eye-catching and is heavily dominated by large images. The huge text, fonts and graphics used make the newspaper look exciting. This is effective as it appeals to there audience who are generally looking for an escape or entertainment. The color red is mainly used which portrays a feeling of intensity surround the newspaper and it's topics.

Audience Feedback

Audience feedback plays a very important role in how media producers create and change there product overtime to suit the target market. This is done through a range of methods such as polls, surveys, interviews or even complaints and how the public responds to general content. A perfect example of this would be when The Sun wrote an article about the Hillsborough disaster.

On the left is the article originally written by Sun journalist when the disaster first happened. They blamed the people from Liverpool and said insulting lies about them (libel) to project a negative perception of Liverpudlians to the public. This did not go down well with the North West and even today many people within that region refuse to buy the sun. it is not even not stocked in many newsagents due to this incident. This cut out a huge percentage of there readers base as the north-west has many economically deprived areas which hold many people within there target audience. This general response from the public in a way gave them feedback and eventually caused them to make emends. Many years later they were forced to apologize and ensure the public that there would be no more false reports.