For my coursework, I have decided to create film posters and TikTok videos to advertise a rom-com film produced by a low-budget independent film company. This brief appeals to me as I would like to gain experience in producing TikTok videos. I believe this is an important skill as advertising evolves, due to TikTok being a very popular platform which is used by many people. I believe that TikTok videos are an engaging and easily accessible format, which appeals to Gen-Z and younger people as many people do not have a large attention span. Therefore making TikTok an ideal modern advertisement platform. The creation of posters also appeals to me as I hope to improve my graphic design skills and believe I will enjoy creating an engaging poster for my product. I also think it is important to gain experience in creating traditional advertisements, to appeal to a diverse audience. 

I aim to create engaging advertising materials which audiences can identify with and will be intrigued by to encourage them to watch the film. I intend to make the advertisements for an LGBTQ rom-com to normalize this for a mainstream audience. I will ensure that my content avoids Mulvey’s male gaze by painting lesbian relationships in an authentic and respectful light. My project will also promote diverse gender roles which subvert stereotypes which link to Gauntlett’s theory that the media plays a significant role in shaping gender. 

My primary target audience would be younger women between the ages of 16-25 –particularly those in the LGBTQ community- who are seeking representation in the media. I also aim to make the movie appeal to those with interest in rom coms through engaging TikTok posts, which will follow stereotypical romantic comedy conventions using stock characters to make it appeal to a wider audience. This will also appeal to those who frequently use social media and like to follow trends. 

Within the TikTok videos, I intend to use bright colours and visuals to portray a lighthearted feel which suits a rom com’s tone. In my first TikTok, I would like to include snippets from the film in a trailer style which will have comedic aspects. I also intend to create a behind the scenes style video which will help to humanize the production and project transparency whilst also promoting the film creating excitement and star-power from the actors involved and building anticipation for the release of the film. Finally, I intend to produce a TikTok video which could become a trend. This will likely involve a snippet from the film where the characters are dancing, encouraging other creators/ social media users to make their own video or duet this one. This will create word of mouth promotion for the film. 

I aim to create film posters which are bright and consistent whilst each being unique. I will do this by using uniformity in the tones and characters featured in each poster. I will ensure that my posters use clear photographs to make the film look professional. The posters will advertise a Summer release as this is the most popular time to go and see new films in the cinema.  

I want to create a video where I will introduce the first episode of a new baking series. This will include things like a montage, introduction of the host/s and a cool way to display the main title of the show. I also aspire to create a web page. This will consist of things such as the main concept of my baking series (competition), the logo I will create for the series and links to the social media platforms linked to my series. I also plan on creating 3 Instagram posts which will display behind the scenes, action shots of the bakers and the winner of the show. 

I’m interested in narrative structure and how things are created and put together to make a story. I find this interesting as I love to see the different ways in which stories are created and the techniques used to produce meaning. Narrative theorists (such as Todorov on equilibrium, Claude Levi Strauss on binary opposition and Vladimir Propp on stock characters) also pique my interest. I am also interested in semiotics which I aspire to explore in my products. Semiotic theories, such as Ferdinand Saussure theory , interest me and I’d like to use this denotation, connotation and myth in my products.  

I want this to be aimed at almost everyone, mainly people aged 10 plus and both genders. In terms of Psychographic profiling, such as Rubicam’s profiles, I am targeting aspirers, succeeders and explorers. These types of roles and audience all have common characteristics that will mean they will be interested in my baking show. They all want to succeed and always aim for the highest possible results when doing things. In terms of uses and gratification, I am aiming to create products that provide a sense of belonging and excitement within bakers or aspiring bakers, as ai believe my products will bring this community together.  

The Great British Bake off will be my main inspiration when I will create my media products, meaning that the tone, pace and style of this show will be transferred onto my products to ensure I will create them on a professional scale. For example, the Great British Bake off uses a lot of close ups as well as montages in their show, in terms of their Instagram, they create a personal connection with the audience due to the captions they use and the people they feature on their page. I aspire to do the same, to create a closer relationship with my audience and to allow me to create a professional snippet of my show.

I will create a short 3-minute video that will introduce the concept of my baking show. This idea will be carried on to my instagram posts as I will create a post on ‘how to have your cookies’ which is a direct link to the britishbakeoff Instagram posts. I will also use consistent branding and iconography, such as the title and strapline to ensure iconic and indexical signs, which links in to the theory of C S Pierce. I would also like to include sections on my website that will feature the contestants of my show, these contestants will also be seen in the video as well as the three Instagram posts. 

I plan to produce two media products for set brief 6. As this set brief is based on digital media containing numerous news stories, this has taken my interest as I wish to expand my knowledge of media in broadcasted stories and to develop my skills as a journalist when I finish my studies.  This brief has grabbed my attention as I am engrossed in current affairs within the local and international area and how liberal news can substantially alter the views of an audience constructed through sensationalized headlines.  

The audience that I aim to target will be teenagers who are beginning to emerge as political voters, they will essentially be 16-18 years old, educated to Key Stage 5 and possibly looking to go onto university. In terms of Psychographic profiling (Rubicam and Young), I am targeting ‘succeeders’,’ reformers’ and ‘aspirers’. These types of roles presented in society are my main target as they all display characteristics in common, such as the desire to be successful in life and curiosity as to what impact they can achieve to change society for the better. In terms of uses and gratification, I am aiming to create products that provide information about the world that connects individuals, families and communities together through a greater awareness of social and political issues.  

The Guardian and Financial Times will be my main inspiration when it comes to creating my media products. This means that I will ensure the tone, style and register of my web pages will reflect these professional products. For example, the Financial Times uses a lot of quantitative data (numerical) often presented in graphic form, such as statistics, which I shall include on my home and two detailed web pages. In terms of audio production, I usually listen to a radio channel called Radio 4. It is a very successful media representation of broadcasting programmes to display important affairs in today’s world. For example, The Today programme, reveals various details on the current affairs of the day so again my audio products will reflect the formal tone of this news broadcast.  

I would like to make both productions to be connected in terms of content and representation, so my audio will be the same as one of my main articles from the home page, but rather include the actual voices of the people I choose to represent which were originally from my previous article. I will also use consistent branding and iconography, such as the title and strapline to ensure iconic and indexical signs (C S Pierce). As with the written articles on the blog, I intend to use a formal register of language. I would also like to include other opportunities such as sections on my website specifically for the youths to gain a wider range of knowledge in universities and jobs that are available to them to build their future. 

I am producing two products for set brief 3. I have selected this because I am very interested in producing print media, such as posters and magazines. I find the film aspect intriguing and want to develop my skills in both print and film. I have chosen brief 3 because the idea of promoting a romantic coming of age film has many theoretical lenses in which I can investigate. I am particularly interested in exploring gender theories where I can play on stereotypes and explore the male and female gaze. I aim for my NEA product to explore modern views on gender stereotypes and how over time the film industry is changing to appeal to newer contemporary audiences. 

My products target audience will be fans of independent films, who are 13–20-year-old females. They will be teens and young adults who are fans of the coming of age genre specifically as the universal theme of love often appeals to them. According to the Psychographic profiling (Rubicam and Young), I am targeting ‘mainstreamers’ and ‘strugglers.’ In terms of uses and gratifications, I aim to create a product that entertains audiences through the eccentric narrative arc and diegesis and to provide escapism as the audience becomes immersed in the film’s themes of love, excitement, and growth. Furthermore, the register of my products’ text will be rather casual in order to appeal to younger audiences and provide relatability and familiarity. Therefore, my aim is to draw in fans of traditional coming of age movies and provide a unique perspective on the film.  

As I often watch romantic/coming of age movies, I already have an understanding of the genre conventions that often appear, and so I can ensure that they are present in my product to reflect professional works. For example, the posters of ‘Anyone but you’ use lots of bright colours and have the two main protagonists as the dominant signifier, central to the page. In terms of my TikTok videos, I will use signature music and show the key points of the film yet leaving a cliffhanger at the end to entice the audience to want to watch more.  

I want to exploit the opportunities for media convergence between my products through using the same colour schemes and font styles throughout both my videos and posters as well as repeating the same taglines and slogans throughout my products in order to create a sense of unity. My media products will appear consistent, so audiences can recognize my products are from the same campaign.  

I am going to produce 2 media products from set 3 brief. My aim is to create a TikTok which promotes a coming-of-age movie, for instance a movie such as gossip girl. I have chosen set brief 3 as I have an interest in social media and have experience in making TikTok’s, I have been thinking of becoming an influencer when I leave school. What drew me to this brief was the making of movie posters as I believe I have a strong point in this area. I have also chosen this brief to better my knowledge and understanding. Secondly, I will produce 3 movie posters to advertise my movie, these posters will also relate to my TikTok’s. I’m going to explore Todorov’s narrative theory as I believe it relates to my media products and it will help me develop my understanding and learn more about it. The target audience I believe my NEA would apply to the best is teenagers and young adults, particularly between 14-20. I believe this would be the best age category for my products as it relates to the target audience. This is because they have either been through or going through a similar experience too, both media products are also aimed towards both genders. This is because although stereotypically a coming-of-age story with the main protagonist being a girl is mostly targeted at girls, I want to create a piece that will entice both audiences. Recently, I have watched some coming-of-age movies on Netflix and the film that particularly stood out to me was Mean Girls. The main story line of this movie was how they realised there is more to life then being nasty. This movie is a perfect example of how I want my product to have a good meaning and to inspire people. I also watched to all the boys I’ve loved before; I really enjoyed this movie however I don’t think this movie relates to my product as much since its more about finding love rather than finding yourself. My products will be linked with each other as they will have similar signs and styles. The main factor will be the colour theme and the same name. This will connect both products, but they will still differ from each other. C.S Pierce talks about indexical signs, which I will be focusing on in my products. For instance, I will be using symbols in my movie poster to intrigue the audience of what’s going to happen.

Genre is ‘a style or category of art, music, or literature.’ The main theorist is called Steven Neale, his theory is that all genres have their similarities and repetitions but what separates them is their differences. Neale sees genre as something that evolves over time, not just a set of fixed categories that use the same repertoire of elements. He believes that genre is a historic specificity, which means that different genres change over time. For instance, a sci-fi movie in the 1950s has changed drastically in comparison to modern day sci-fi movies. As genres are changing and as new additions are added to the body of similar texts, Neale refers to as the corpus. A hybridisation is when two genres are combined. For example, a rom-com or a sci-fi/western film.

For my product, I intend to produce a front cover, contents page and a double page spread for a gaming magazine in the style of PC GAMER. I have chosen brief 2 as I thoroughly enjoy spending my spare time playing video games on a variety of platforms with friends. I mainly enjoy gaming on PC, so I have gained a good understanding of the industry over the last few years.

For some of my images I will use character styles that have connotations with currently used video games as this may intrigue the reader. I will use language like that seen in other Gaming magazines. On the front cover of popular gaming magazines, a large font is often used alongside a San’s Serif font. I am going to replicate this throughout my products to match the style used previously by major gaming magazines to increase potential audience.

My target audience will be young males between the ages of 18-36 who are keen gamers and want to develop understanding of the gaming world. This audience will be interested in gaming as a hobby or those who participate in E-sports events to make money. The product will not be difficult to understand and set in a format that beginners can understand. I will make sure isn’t too complicated, yet still relevant to those who have more of an in depth understanding. It will be aimed to those with mainstreamer and explorer psychographic profiles (Rubicam and Young)

I often read PC gamer; a magazine intended for those with a key interest for gaming on a PC based platform. It is often entertaining and informing, with news about new games or updates. New products are often advertised in the magazines too.The front cover of these magazines often consists of a large image of a powerful male videogame character, and I intend for my products to also have this to mimic what has been previously produced by popular magazine companies. I believe this is used as statistically more males play videogames than females. By using a strong and powerful male character, males may use these as idols they wish to be like. This is also used in the media industry in advertising to promote products to increase sales. This will not be done in a style that may intimidate a female audience and allow it to be targeted to a wider audience. I will follow a style of digital based products but maintain a realistic standard as gamers seek for quality when it comes to graphics within their games. The industry often intends to bring the virtual world to life so characters look as similar as possible to people.

I plan to refer to a digital platform where further information is offered as media has progressed overtime across into the technological world where information is displayed online on websites and forums. This allows for the maximisation of audience as popularity of magazines has decreased overtime and popularity of online news is becoming increasingly popular. ( David Hesmondhalgh)