Moral Panic

1. How do the two texts (the Independent article, and Play Store entry) use Media Language (Media Concept) to attract its target audience? (8 marks)

You are about to see a video clip that reveals a character for Star Wars Rebels an upcoming CGI animated series produced by Lucasfilm and Lucasfilm Animation.

The series is scheduled to premiere on Disney XD this October in the UK with a one-hour special.

Disney XD is an international digital cable and satellite television channel that is owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit of Disney-ABC Television Group, part of the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company. Aimed primarily at male pre-teens and teenagers 6-14 years of age, its programming consists of original first-run television series, current and former original series and made-for-cable films from sister network Disney Channel, theatrically-released movies, and live-action and animated programs from other distributors.

Lucasfilm Limited is an American film and television production company. The studio is best known for its films, such as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as its leadership in developing special effects, sound and computer animation for film. The Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm in 2012 at a valuation of $4.06 billion. Disney bought out Lucasfilm with the intention of creating a new trilogy of films. The first of which will be released in 2015.

Media Institution

What is Disney hoping to achieve by revealing this behind the scenes footage? (12 Marks)

Media Form

How is the video constructed to engage the audience? (12 Marks)

Media Representation

How is rebelliousness represented in the clip? (12 Marks)

Media Audience

How does the Disney Corporation appeal to a wide audience with this clip? (12 Marks)

Under The Skin (2013) certificate 15

Under the skin is a film in which Scarlett Johansson (Avengers Assemble (2010), Her(2013)) stars as an alien seductress who preys upon hitch-hikers in Glasgow. The men lured into the van by Scarlett Johansson's character were not actors. Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast (2000) Birth (2003) had hidden cameras installed in the van and only informed the men afterwards that they were in a film. This was a relatively low budget Independent British Film that has had critical success but with a modest box office: Opening Weekend $133,154 (USA) (4 Screens) Gross $1,086,000 (USA) (6 April 2014).

Halo is a commercially successful, science fiction FPS game that was first developed in November 2001 for Microsoft X Box. Versions were developed for Windows and MAC OS X but fundamentally it now remains exclusive to the X Box 360, the second console developed by Microsoft and as such, has received critical success for being one of the best first person shooters on a video game console. Some gamers prefer the format and mode to the successful COD (Call of Duty), also a FPS and similar in terms of high production values, suggesting the game has a more balanced environment.

The game was developed by Bungie in 2001 but is now managed by 343 Industries and owned and published by the global conglomerate Microsoft. Bungie sold Halo to concentrate on other games but like Blizzard with World of Warcraft are solely associated with the development of the project. Bungie now (January 2013) work under the Activision Blizzard banner. Bungie flirted with both Microsoft and Apple when they first announced the game in 1999 to the point that it was one of the key releases at Macworld Expo that same year. Microsoft brought Bungie in 2000 however with the sole objective of developing Halo for their new X Box console.

The first Halo, Halo: Combat Evolved sold an impressive 6.5 million copies and was so well received that two sequels were announced by Bungie, Halo 2 in 2004 which made $124 m on release day surpassed by Halo 3 in 2007 which made $170 m in the same 24 hour cycle. Once Halo 4 was released in November 2012, this figure set further records by making a stunning $220 m in just one day.

Media Forms

How does the trailer use the conventions of a typical Film extra?

Media Representation

How does the trailer represent violence?

Media Audience

What pleasures does the advertisement offer its audience?

Media Institution

What is Microsoft trying to achieve by using behind the scenes footage?

Uh oh, it looks like your embed code is broken

MEST 1 Section A Media Representation

What assumptions does the advert make about gamers?