subjectivity & objectivity: question time ft. Nick Griffin

News stories, in theory, are supposed to be impartial and unbiased - however, this is not always the case - for example, when Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, the other panelists clearly turned on him, and it's noticeable that Griffin hardly had anytime to answer the questions / reply to the accusations before he was interrupted again. This is a case where a panel, who should've been objective, were obviously subjective.

Rupert Murdoch / News Corporation [media institutions]

The Australian-born American Rupert Murdoch began with one newspaper in Adelaide, and now owns his own media empire, covering television, filmed entertainment, cable network programming, book publishing, direct broadcast satellite television, magazines and newspapers operating in the United States, Australia, Continental Europe, the UK, Asia and the Pacific Basin. Currently, he's the 123nd-richest person in the word, with a net worth of $4 billion. In Britain alone, he owns The Sun, The Times (thus owning the majority of the British media circulation) as well as Sky Television, though is more famous for his ownership of Fox News in America and News Corporation overall.

Originally, this institution was funded by Murdoch's own business success, however, today his profits are generated from advertisement revenue, subscriptions and profits gained from his many corporations across the world none of them are government funded, though Murdoch is renowned for having personal meetings and the like with various political leaders and candidates across the globe. This also means that the institution is regulated by the regulation corporations that are connected to each country his institutions are circulated in.

Murdoch's institution is also famous for supporting a right-winged political stance, which has been known to cause controversy concerning biased reportings in his news stations and accusations of portraying some people more favourably than others.

The Joker Blogs [intertexuality]

VISIT THE JOKER BLOGS HERE

I am analysing the Joker Blogs, which is a series of fan made videos inspired by the film 'The Dark Knight'.

The series makes various references to the original text – the main character, the Joker, played by an unknown actor, is clearly based off Heath Ledger's version – the make up and costume is identical, and the actor has even imitated some of the Joker's body movements and the like. This may cause an emotional response, since the original actor from the film tragically passed away – some fans maybe amazed and respect the similarities between Heath Ledger and this unknown actor, whilst some maybe upset and infuriated.

There are even other characters from the Batman universe included (either by actual appearances or quick mentions), such as Harleen Quinzel, Doctor Jonathan Crane, Carmine Falcone, etc. Though knowledge of these references aren't required to enjoy the series, fans of the comics and the films may enjoy trying to catch these hidden 'easter eggs', increasing their interest in the series.

The series has accumulated many fans, and has accounts on various sites, such as Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Deviantart. They've received many gifts from viewers, most notably drawings and other pieces of art. The Joker Blogs themselves produce their own art for the series, and publish them on their Deviantart account. They have their own website which includes the videos, a screenshot gallery and a public forum.

batman begins [film clip]

click here to see the clip

This is an analysis of a clip from the film 'Batman Begins'.

The scene is set within a room inside a prison; the walls are plain white, with one side having stripes (the wall behind Crane), and the other having horizontal tiles (the wall behind Falcone). The setting appears very clean and clinical, with no foreshadowing concerning the following events. At the end of the clip, Crane steps into the prison's corridor, which is mostly brown and grey shades.

The props in this clip include a table that is situated between Crane and Falcone, Crane's briefcase, and the Scarecrow mask. Interestingly enough, the briefcase is normal and unassuming, despite what it actually contains, and it provides a contrast to the tatty, raggedy mask that Crane pulls out of it. The briefcase adds a sense of professionalism to Crane's character, which matches his career as a psychiatrist. Also, the aforementioned table may symbolise a 'barrier' between Crane and Falcone – one that is overcome once Crane dons his mask and leans across it.

Primarily, the scene is between Dr Jonathan Crane (aka the Scarecrow) portrayed by Cillian Murphy, and Carmine Falcone who is played by Tom Wilkinson. Having only two characters in this scene makes the clip all the more harrowing and personal. There is a third actress at the end of the scene, who provides a reaction to Falcone's breakdown at the end.

Costume-wise, Crane wears an a-typical black suit – somewhat expected due to his profession of a psychiatrist. Falcone on the other hand wears a simple blue shirt and a white bandage around his left wrist (this is to confirm an earlier comment in the film where someone mentions Falcone cutting himself in order for an insanity appeal). Interestingly, their articles of clothing can be seen as a somewhat contrast to one another; Crane, the 'villain' in this scene, wears darker clothes whilst Falcone, once a crime lord and now the 'victim', is wearing lighter apparel. Crane is wearing more layers than Falcone too – a jacket over a jumper and shirt, which could suggest that Crane is better 'protected' than Falcone.

Crane's glasses and, of course, the Scarecrow's mask are particularly focused on in this scene – as soon as Crane takes off his glasses (a sign of the trouble to come, perhaps?) he almost immediately pulls on the mask after – this swap could signify when Crane is swapping from Jonathan Crane to the Scarecrow.

Finally, the lighting in these scene is mostly natural – it seems to be appearing from the side of the set, off-camera, indicating that it is daytime. There isn't the typical dark shadows that's usually present in horror scenes, in fact, this lighting makes the environment appear relatively harmless. Once Crane steps out of the room and into the prison's corridor, the lighting is slightly darker and more artificial, being provided by lights along the ceiling of the corridor. This could represent Crane stepping into a world more darker and grimmer after attacking Falcone.

teenager drink article [news story]

click here to see the article

The above article is from the BBC News website, and discusses how teenagers from the UK - particularly girls – have shown to have the highest rate of drunkenness in Europe, and it also compares various other factors from other countries.

The article itself begins with a very neutral tone – it discusses only the findings from the survey, comparing the facts and figures to those in different parts of the world. It does mention some positive findings, particularly discussing that teenagers from the UK have: ' above-average state funding, a high quality of school life, below-average child poverty and low levels of bullying.' Still, it goes onto say, 'But in their personal lives, the UK youngsters are characterised by alcohol abuse and high rates of teenage pregnancy.'

Further on, interviews with the co-reporter and the child minister of England are presented – it should be noted, however, that there are no interviews or opinions from teenagers themselves - I believe this is rather unfair, since the youngsters in question may want to share their own views, or experiences concerning the subject, and without their opinion, the report seems rather one-sided and more focused on what adults in the UK believe. If the results were such a concern, then perhaps bringing a teenager's attention to this article could help with the problem?

However, the report ends on a happier note, claiming that '"Recent statistics have shown encouraging decreases in teenage conceptions during the first half of 2008, that fewer teenagers than ever before are choosing to drink alcohol and we know that drug use among young people is falling."'

Brick [film poster]

click here to see the full-sized poster

This poster is promoting the American 2005 film 'Brick'. The poster mostly uses dark colours, featuring an illustrated image of a hand in water, with a darker liquid surrounding it. At the top of the poster is the word 'BRICK' in bronze lettering, with 'a Detective Story' written underneath in white. At the bottom are various details about the people behind the film, and below that is the film's website.

The dark colours and tones in the background of the poster could indicate the general mood of the film – gloomy, melancholy and bleak, which is further supported by the dark-reddish liquid appearing from the right-hand side of the image, which resembles blood. As a contrast to the surrounding colour scheme, the image of the arm is in lighter colours, providing a bright contrast to the rest of the poster, which could be used as a way to focus the attention onto the picture.

Interestingly the picture looks like a painting – some of the colour is even trickling away from the fingers which gives the impression of the water washing everything away, and those who have seen the film will know that the painting is resembles one of the beginning and most iconic shots of the film.

This dark colour scheme is even evident in title at the top of the poster, which partly blends into the background, and this also appears in the subtitle 'a Detective Story'. The subtitle is in a italicised, somewhat elegant silver font, and simply states the genre of the film. This could be a way of letting the audience know what type of film Brick is, and appealing to those who enjoy such films. At the bottom of the poster, the film's details are in a bright white text, which makes it clear and easy to read.

Overall I think this poster is a very effective advertisement for the film – it's unique and somewhat mysterious, not revealing much about the film itself and making onlooker's curious about the content of Brick.

Media Diary

This will be my media diary - for the following year I will blog about different types of media.