Example answers for Representation, Audience and Codes & Conventions using Case study areas of Sport, Fashion and News

1. How
far
does
the
pla/orm
on
which
they
are
consumed
determine
the
construc6on
of
media
products
in
your
cross-­‐media
study?
Pla%orm
has
an
impact
on
the
construc2on
of
media
texts
that
can
change
the
content
quite
significantly.
In
my
case
study,
all
three
pla%orms
exploit
their
most
engaging
feature
in
order
to
engage
audiences.
I
examined
the
Observer
Sport
monthly
as
a
print
produc2on,
and
BBC’s
Match
of
the
Day
as
both
a
broadcast
and
web
produc2on.
The
Observer
Sport
monthly
aHracts
a
slightly
older
audience
that
are
generally
more
interested
in
the
characters
and
personali2es
of
sport.
As
a
print
produc2on,
of
Marxist,
one-­‐way
messaging
produced
in
advance,
the
text
cannot
offer
audiences
up
to
the
minute
informa2on.
The
text
therefore
engages
audiences
through
providing
some
more
unusual
perspec2ves
on
the
lives
of
athletes
and
sports
stars.
The
front
covers
are
oLen
par2cularly
good
at
represen2ng
athletes
in
an
unusual
and
surprising
way
that
subverts
the
stereotype.
The
cover
also
uses
coverlines
to
interest
audiences
with
the
range
of
stories
available.
Inside
the
magazine,
photography
con2nues
to
be
important,
with
a
number
of
ar2cles
appearing
more
like
model
shoots
or
Sunday
magazine
features.
There
is
close
aHen2on
to
the
mise-­‐en-­‐
scene
and
a
sense
of
spectacle.
As
a
print
produc2on,
the
text
fully
uses
the
opportuni2es
it
has
to
visually
gra2fy
the
audience
with
a
product
they
are
able
to
physically
keep
and
refer
back
to.
The
construc2on
of
print
produc2on
is
in
some
contrast
with
both
the
broadcast
and
emedia
of
Match
of
The
Day.
As
both
of
these
are
updated
more
regularly,
commen2ng
on
recent
sports
‘news’,
the
main
func2on
is
to
provide
the
audience
with
accurate
and
full
coverage
of
football
matches.
In
the
television
broadcast,
commentators
do
provide
light
relief
and
give,
oLen,
humorous
opinions
as
well
as
predic2ons
for
future
play.
However,
the
main
audience
expecta2on
of
being
informed
is
met.
The
studio
appears
professional,
containing
props
and
icons
of
importance.
Match
of
the
Day
also
fully
exploits
the
pla%orm.
A
non-­‐diege2c
soundtrack
is
used
to
inspire
emo2on,
and
technical
features
such
as
split
screen
and
quick
edi2ng
create
an2cipa2on
in
the
audience
of
ac2on
that
is
to
come.
The
guiding
narra2ve
voiceover
and
commentary
of
Gary
Lineker
acts
as
the
elite
primary
definer
crea2ng
the
preferred
reading
for
audiences.
However,
the
majority
of
the
programme
does
contain
extended
segments
of
football
ac2on,
allowing
audiences
to
experience
footage
they
may
have
missed.
The
website,
again
features
content
which
is
not
directly
related
to
sport,
as
a
means
of
holding
the
aHen2on
of
audiences.
For
example,
the
homepage
features,
as
one
of
the
main
stories,
a
playlist
of
the
music
from
Match
of
the
Day.
This
enables
the
site
to
promote
other
BBC
products,
such
as
the
range
of
Radio
Sta2ons.
In
addi2on,
links
are
made
to
other
services
such
as
Spo2fy.
Video
clips
and
footage
also
feature
heavily
on
the
site,
as
well
as
addi2onal
content
to
reward
‘real’
and
‘loyal’
fans
of
the
show.
As
with
print
and
broadcast,
the
emedia
uses
its
ability
to
link
to
other
content
to
full
effect.
A
twiHer
feed
provides
immediate
informa2on,
and
audiences
can
watch
live
through
linking
to
the
iPlayer.
Another
sports
website,
the
official
WWE
site,
shares
many
similari2es
with
the
BBC
MoTD
site.
It
contains
a
lot
of
short
audiovisual
clips,
each
one
available
for
individual
sharing
on
social
networking.
In
addi2on,
links
are
made
to
a
number
of
other
products
of
both
the
brand
(WWE)
as
well
as
promo2ng
third
party
products.
Overall,
individual
texts
such
as
MoTD
become
new
products
for
different
audiences,
who
use
them
for
different
purposes
when
accessed
through
different
pla%orms.
The
immediacy,
control
and
freedom
of
naviga2on
allows
for
very
different
content
to
that
in
a
magazine
or
on
a
pre-­‐recorded
programme.
K
McCabe
@evenbeHerif

2. Explore
how
representa6ons
are
constructed
in
media
products
from
your
cross-­‐media
study.
Representa2ons
can
differ
significantly
depending
on
the
pla%orm
they
are
communicated
through.
For
my
case
study,
I
chose
to
inves2gate
Vogue
Magazine
as
a
print
produc2on,
Vogue
Website
and
America’s
Next
Top
Model.
Vogue
magazine
presents
women
in
a
stereotypical
way.
Women
are
always
beau2ful,
immaculately
dressed
and
objec2fied.
Their
purpose
is
to
look
aHrac2ve
and
display
the
clothing
for
the
fashion
designers.
What
is
no2ceable
is
an
absence
of
women
in
natural
poses,
laughing,
talking
etc.
The
women
most
oLen,
have
blank
expressions
on
their
faces,
reducing
them
to
physical
bodies,
rather
than
individual
characters.
As
Vogue
is
a
print
produc2on,
this
is
inevitable.
Print
uses
only
text
and
visual
image
to
communicate
to
audiences.
In
a
magazine
such
as
Vogue,
it
is
the
visual
images
which
are
of
primary
importance
-­‐
audiences
are
drawn
into
the
beauty
and
luxury
of
the
items
they
see.
Communica2ng
largely
through
photography
reinforces
the
one-­‐
dimensional
representa2on
of
women
that
fits
with
the
dominant
ideology
of
the
male
gaze.
Vogue
website
creates
a
slightly
more
rounded
representa2on
of
women.
Although
the
site
s2ll
only
shows
women
who
fit
dominant
ideals
of
beauty
and
perfec2on,
it
does
show
representa2ons
of
women
in
slightly
more
natural
poses.
Celebri2es
feature
much
more
heavily
on
the
website,
to
engage
audiences
further
and
provide
addi2onal
content,
not
available
in
the
magazine.
These
images,
as
they
are
not
of
professional
models,
are
oLen
more
natural
and
less
stereotypical.
Another
feature
of
the
website
which
adds
to
a
less
objec2fied
representa2on
of
women
is
the
opportunity
for
moving
image
videos
and
clips.
Women,
on
an
emedia
pla%orm,
are
not
longer
simply
viewed
as
passive,
they
are
shown
as
‘real
people’.
An
example
of
this
is
this
month’s
video
featuring
Kate
Moss
talking
in
detail
about
her
feelings
about
Marakesh,
showing
a
side
to
her
that
could
be
overlooked
in
a
print
produc2on.
This
is
also
true
of
Elle
magazine
website,
which
features
many
celebri2es
and
uses
video,
crea2ng
an
alterna2ve
representa2on
of
the
s2ll,
silent
Model.
Finally,
broadcast
produc2on
oLen
creates
representa2ons
which
subvert
dominant
ideology.
The
mix
of
moving
image
and
the
need
to
maintain
high
audience
viewing
figures,
means
that
content
is
oLen
challenging,
emo2onal
or
surprising.
In
America’s
Next
Top
Model,
a
reality
contest,
audiences
have
an
opportunity
to
be
voyeurs
in
the
model
business.
The
show
features
emo2onal
confessions,
the
culture
of
an2cipa2on
and
a
spotlight
on
the
insecuri2es
and
vulnerabili2es
of
models
–
a
representa2on
which
is
never
shown
through
fashion
magazines
or
emedia.
This
representa2on
is
very
successful
and
engaging
and
keeping
audiences.
In
conclusion,
different
pla%orms
allows
audiences
to
experience
different
representa2ons
in
media
–
with
each
providing
more
or
less
of
the
stereotype.
Print,
as
a
one
way,
Marxist
produc2on,
showing
the
most
typically
representa2on
of
women
and
models
and
television,
in
a
drive
for
higher
ra2ngs,
showing
the
least.
K
McCabe
@evenbeHerif

3. When
we
engage
with
media
we
both
act
and
are
acted
upon,
use
and
are
used.
Consider
how
much
control
audiences
have
in
rela6on
to
their
use
of
media
products
from
your
cross-­‐media
study.
For
my
case
study
I
examined
BBC
television
news,
the
BBC
news
website
and
App,
and
finally
the
Guardian
newspaper.
These
products
share
similari2es
in
the
extent
to
which
audiences
have
control
over
media.
Television
as
a
pla%orm
is
an
elite
medium
which
allows
for
one
way
communica2on.
The
text
producers
broadcast
dominant
ideologies
to
mass
audiences
and
have
the
power.
This
is
very
true
of
the
BBC
and
BBC
news.
The
BBC
is
the
public
service
provider
channel
in
the
UK,
funded
by
the
government
and
the
tax
payers.
They
have
a
global
reputa2on
and
which
programmes
must
meet.
BBC
news
is
a
flagship
programme,
demonstra2ng
the
ideals
of
honesty
and
integrity.
Due
to
this
–
the
restric2ons
of
the
pla%orm
and
the
ins2tu2on,
audiences
have
very
liHle
control
over
the
content
.
As
the
ins2tu2on
has
these
ideals
to
uphold,
it
cannot
allow
audiences
to
interact,
upload
or
create
content.
However,
local
BBC
news
does
allow
for
an
element
of
audience
interac2on.
In
programmes,
which
do
not
appear
at
prime
2mes,
audiences
are
encouraged
to
send
in
images
of
local
weather
condi2ons.
This
nego2a2on
of
power,
or
hegemony,
gives
audiences
a
sense
that
their
voice
and
opinion
is
important.
Likewise,
BBC
television,
due
to
it’s
convergence
with
digital
media,
allows
audience
some
power
to
control
their
consump2on
of
television
products
through
the
internet,
choosing
when,
where
and
how
they
watch.
BBC
website
as
an
emedia
pla%orm
also
limits
the
amount
of
control
audiences
can
have
over
texts.
Unlike
many
other
internet
texts,
which
are
oLen
liberally
pluralis2c
and
encourage
audience
interac2on,
the
BBC
website
simply
acts
as
a
digital
front
for
the
ins2tu2on.
The
website
represents
the
BBC
and
so
again,
does
not
allow
for
user-­‐generated
content.
Users
can
control
what
they
choose
to
look
at
by
naviga2ng
through
the
site,
and
follow
stories
of
their
own
personal
preferences.
In
addi2on,
there
are
some
opportuni2es
to
comment
and
share
stories,
although
this
is
not
a
promoted
as
with
sites
such
as
the
mail
online.
For
readers
of
the
Mail
online,
with
a
younger
audience,
this
feature
is
far
more
important
to
the
reader.
In
contrast
the
App
allows
for
very
liHle
audience
control.
The
content
is
minimal
and
as
a
result,
the
app
works
as
a
one
way
source
of
informa2on.
Finally,
my
print
source
of
news,
The
Guardian,
again,
audiences
are
passive
receivers
of
the
news.
The
Guardian,
like
the
BBC
prides
itself
on
its
high
journalis2c
quality
and
professionalism,
repor2ng
the
news
in
an
unbiased
way.
The
greatest
cri2cism
of
ci2zen
journalism
is
that
audiences
cannot
report
news
event
with
this
kind
of
accuracy
and
reliability.
The
Guardian
offers
a
very
limited
opportunity
for
audience
control
as
a
print
text
distributed
as
a
finished
product.
In
contrast
the
guardian
website
does
aim
to
appeal
to
a
younger
audience
by
encouraging
a
great
deal
of
interac2on.
Audiences
can
sign
in,
create
a
personalised
home
page,
comment
etc.
In
conclusion,
the
amount
of
control
audiences
have
over
media
products
depends
largely
on
the
pla%orm,
with
digital
media,
typically
offering
greater
opportuni2es
for
interac2on.
However,
with
elite
ins2tu2ons,
such
as
the
BBC,
control
is
s2ll
not
given
to
audiences,
as
the
texts
are
a
reflec2on
of
the
quality
of
the
BBC
brand.
K
McCabe
@evenbeHerif