Explore the impact of digital technologies on your selected industry - Nirvana

Explore the impact of digital technologies on your selected industry. 

In modern times, digital technology has been hugely important for three piece Grunge band Nirvana. When their album 'Nevermind' released in 1991 (Geffen Records), people did not have access to the modern technology that we have today such as the internet. This means that the band had to rely on live performances and 'word of mouth' to spread their popularity and ideology. 

The main form of digital technology that Nirvana used when their album was released was the live TV performances such as performances on Jonathan Ross and Top of the Pops. For these live performances they pulled 'PR stunts' as to make a huge impact on the audience and therefore become more popular via word of mouth. A example of this is their performance on Jonathan Ross where they were meant to play their song "Lithium", their most radio friendly song but instead they played they played "Territorial Pissing" there most radio unfriendly song. This stunt was sure to drum up a lot of attention and portrays the grunge ideology of rebellion and anti-estiblishment. 

Now in modern times we have access to many more forms of digital technology that were not available in the 1990's, such as youtube and iTunes. These on demand services means that the target audience can view and listen to Nirvana's songs/ music videos where ever and when ever they want. This contrasts to the 1990' where the music was only available on CD, radio and Tv channels (MTV). Itunes allows new generations to find older music because the technology is quick, simple and could be referred to as 'impulse purchases' . The fact that the music is ready available to the masses 20 years after the release ensures the longevity of the band.

Nirvana also have a large number of Fan sites all over the internet and social networking sites and this also ensures that the longevity of the band. The relative new appearance of social networking may not be as important for nirvana as it is to Lady Gaga, but it still has a huge impact. It means that the fans of Nirvana, both past and present, can meet like minded people virtually and engage in social interaction with them and this means that the band/ablum stay as a topic of conversation 20 years after album has been released. 

Genre theories - A wider view of Genre

Genres are created through a process of repetition and recognition leading to anticipation and expectations - Graham Burton 

By analysing technical conventions (the use of camera, sound, editing, dialogue, language, music) and  genre conventions we can see that films of the same genre have similarities. Films within the same genre are easily comparable yet each one is different. 'The same but different" - Nick Lacey. Once a genre has been established the audiences start to have expectations of that genre and they expect certain convention (Both technical and genre) to be in a text.
However, when film texts become familar they also become boring to an audience and therefore they become post modern because they conform to hybridity, new techniques, different characters and modern society issues.

By analysing past film texts, one can see the similarities and the differences between them; it allows us to see how the genres have evolved and developed over time.

Sin city conforms to many film noir conventions but these are partly diluted because of its hybridity. By looking at past texts such as 'The Maltese Falcon' and 'The big combo', we can see that conventions such as an urban environment, femme fatale and a "hard Boiled" by life protagonist. Sin city can also be compared to the text 'The Spirit' which is also a hybrid of Film noir and Comic book.

This is also true for the sci-fi genre.By looking at films such as 'Invasion of the Bodysnatchers' and Avatar, one can see the obvious use of technology and alien life which is instantly comparable to District 9. A more closely relatable film is 'The Fly" which is actually referenced (inter textual defence and therefore post modern) in District 9, the use of body horror and the consequences of technology are instantly recognisable in the texts.

Social realism film have also developed a massive amount over time mainly because of changing social issues. Issues that were relevant in texts such as 'A taste of honey' and 'Saturday night Sunday morning' ar eno longer applicable in modern society.

Fish Tank - Genre

Mt first text, Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank, is typical of its genre because it conforms to the typical genre conventions of the Social Realism genre. There are a mixture of technical and contextual conventions such as sue of only diegetic sound/music, Handheld camera and narrow depth of field and the problems with with under class lifestyle and injustices.

The first genre convention is the use of only Diegetic sounds because this reinforces the realism if the situation and makes the films as realistic as possible. Through the text the audience always see the source of the sound or music whether it be speech or a portable CD play. This can be seen When Mia William (Katie Jarvis) is practicing her dancing in the old abandoned flat and the audience see her set up a CD player and a set of speakers; this is too make sure that the viewer watching it know that the music is diegetic sound and therefore more accurate to real life.

Another technical convention of social realism films is the use of handheld camera and use of narrow depth of field. The use of the Handheld camera adds yet more realism to the scene because it seems that the cameraman/source is walking. This can be seen when Connor O'Riley (Michael Fassbender) is chasing Mia after she has just kidnapped his daughter. The camera is tracking them and shaking uncontrollably as the handheld camera follows them. This put the viewer in the position of a character and therefore adds to the realism.

Lastly, another convention is the narrative is set in a time of of social change and focuses in social injustices, in this case it is the under class and the idea that they are trapped in "Fish Tank" that they can't escape because they don't value education, have no jobs and live in a council estate. In my text, the narrative is set in between London and Dagenham , which is an area of huge social deprivation. Within the text, the main character Mia

Louis Theroux - Response

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/04/04/god-hates-fags-america’s-most-hated-family-in-crisis/   -    
On several websites and forums deep and intense arguments are being conducted by members of the public.

Madmen - target

Madmen question -

Most media texts target a wide range of audiences, how true is this for your chosen text?

We have chosen to study AMC’s Madmen series 5 episodes 3 titled “The Other Woman”. This show, aired on AMC and Sky Atlantic, targets a smaller niche audience but still attracts a wider niche audience than other Television shows for many reasons. The main target audience are active middle class men because they will be able to relate to scenarios and be able to decode the polysomic meaning of the text. Woman may also be able to gain gratification from the text because they too will gain something from the program

One such reason is the channel and Scheduling of the program. It is aired on both TV channels (AMC in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK) on a weekly basis at 9/10 at night. These channels are cables channels and this means that there is a fee for watching them; this immediately objects them to a much smaller audience than most TV shows. Statistics from Luke Lewis from the Guardian newspaper shows that Madmen was only getting an average of 250,000 viewers per episode (2010) and this is much lower than standard channels that do not require payment. However, the time of the program would subject them to a slightly wider audience because the target audience would be at home after a day at work and they would be more likely to gain gratification from programs.

The complex representation of females would also attract a slightly wider audience than a simplistic representation because more females will be able to gain models of behaviour from the characters and therefore be gratified by them. The positive representation of the character Peggy would gratify the strong, hardworking women because in the episode “The Other Woman” she looks for a way to improve her career and outgrow the males that are suppressing her, such as the main protagonist Don. She does this by applying for another job at a rival company and using her hard work and determination get the job and better pay. This contrasts to the character of Joan who uses her body as a way to gain influence in Don’s advertising company. These are two very different representation and these will attract more woman to the shows because it is more realistic they may seek models of behaviour of how to gain influence in a company.

The setting of the text may also attract a niche audience because only a certain section of the audience will gain the preferred reading of the text. The text centres around an advertising business in America in the 1950’s and this meant that a very small audience will be attracted to this, such as modern business men who can relate to the different scenarios in the text and the varying character models. 

music Industry questions - Lady Gaga

Marketing Via Digital Technology

Lady Gaga used marketing via digital technology when producing music videos in order to promote each of her five singles that were released from her album "The Fame". These music videos were cleverly designed in order to gratify her target audience with a specific mode of address. An example of this is visible in the music video Poker Face when Gaga can be seen in a huge mansion and this provides a certain amount of aspiration to the target audience suggests that they to could have everything that she has and to be like her. e.g. Own the huge mansion, have lots of friends and lots of expensive gadgets (Branded Headphones). Also, at the same time it allows a sense of escapism as the viewer would be gratified by the music video and it would enable them to escape from their "normal" lives for a short period of time and dream of what it would be like to live like her. Social integration (pies) also applies in this music video. The target audience would be able to gain insight into her circumstances, in this case it would be the immense wealth that she has. The Poker Face music video also has another point of social interaction as it allows the preferred audience to have a "basis for conversation" and gives them a topic to discuss. This could be known as the "water cooler moment".

Accessible with the unaccessible.

The Use of Twitter And its benefits 

Lady Gaga is known for using the social medium of Twitter to communicate with her social networking teenage fans on a regular basis. via adapting this strategy of digital technology in her marketing lady Gaga increases sales by creating a Para-social interaction/relationship between her and her fans. An example of this is when Lady Gaga "retweets" or replies to her fans on twitter. This creates a "false" relationship between her and her fans which her fans believe is real. This means that her fans will feel like they are special and have a connection with her when actually they haven't. Then because they feel they have a relationship they are less likely to pirate her music and more likely to buy it through legitimate ways. Other social media sites, such as youtube, have also allowed her to increase her popularity and increase the "Relationship" between her and her fans. When Gaga opened up her youtube account for three and half days for questions, she managed to receive 54000 questions. This means, on average, she was a receiving a question every six seconds. These digital technologies also free advertising to her 33 million followers on Twitter and in return it gives them an insight into her life, therefore reinforcing the Para-social interaction. 

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IIfxXAV4uQYC&pg=PA44&dq=post+feminism+definition&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1ijwUNKTF4TS0QXQ94GgCQ&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA