OCR G322 - Casualty (Disability) mock question

In this clip disability is represented through three different people and each of these people represent the stereotype of vulnerable. The first character which we see is seen throughout most of the clip. When we first see him he appears aggressive and seeking sympathy. We can see this because he is using his disability as a reason to be unpleasant and to not act as though he is happy with his life. His brother then tries to avoid the situation by pushing him out of the store. This shows the vulnerability of the disabled brother as his able bodied brother is able just to wheel him out of the store and therefore has more power over him. 

The next scene where we see this disabled boy, he and his brother are in the disabled toilet together. His able bodied brother is having to help him go to the toilet. Doing this shows he is vulnerable because he cannot do every day things such as going to the toilet without help. The disabled boy also says to his brother how he is going to look into getting a 'carer'. This suggests that he has the stereotype of vulnerable because he cannot look after himself and will need someone there to constantly help him. It is also suggesting that he feels as though he is a burden to his brother and will need somebody else to help him with everyday things. In this scene, the able bodied brother has more camera time and more prominence over the camera, suggesting that he as more power than his disabled brother. This gives the stereotype of vulnerable because he has less power and would be more vulnerable compared to his brother. When looking in the mirror the able bodied brother is also bigger and higher than his disabled brother. This again gives the implementation that he is more powerful and is superior to him, most likely due to his disability. 

The final scene in which this disabled character is in is in the cafe. When receiving their coffee, the disabled brother receives an extra biscuit. By giving him extra food would suggest that the woman in the cafe pities him and wants to treat him. This would give the stereotype of vulnerable because people feel pity for him because he is different and incapable of doing things for himself. He therefore is seen to stand out against other people and look inferior to able bodied people. When leaving the cafe the camera also has to be lower when filming him, this would suggest that he is lower and weaker to his able bodied brother. The able bodied woman and brother also have to hold the doors open for him. This again shows how he is incapable of doing simple things himself and needs the support of others. This shows his vulnerability because it conveys that if he was to be on his own he would not be able to do simple things such as opening a door and would be stuck. 

The next character we see with a disability is the man in the ambulance. He is not shown as frequently throughout the clip but nevertheless shows the stereotype of disability. When in the ambulance he has blood on his face and is being supported by a neck brace. The blood and neck brace suggest vulnerability because the blood is causing him danger and 

To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area you have studied?

As the music industry has developed and changed a lot has happened in the terms of digital media, distribution being one of the main developments. The Majors (Sony) have had to adapt to this, as well as Independent (Indie) Record Lables (Domino). However the audience has seemed to of blossom in this new age, becoming more active in there own age of music (prosumers). Then you have unique individuals like Beck 'Score and Song Reader' who have completely changed the way things are done in the music industry with their D.I.Y attitude.

Major record labels are greatly effected by digital distribution. Sony, is one of the big three a group of the most influental companies in the music industry, so much so that they own over 78% of the muisc industry, alot less than they used to but still powerful. The big three however used to be the big four; EMI was a previous major but was shut down as the technology age came about and more importantly the internet, this was as they tried to stop things like copyright infringement. This more importantly is digital distribution as the internet allows audiences to download for free. Then there is the matter of marketing, the usual typical way of advertisement was through billboard, radio, tv etc. However with the new Digital age they've had to adapt there marketing techniques this though is done in hidden ways. A huge successful way that Sony has used to advertise their music is through X-Factor a hit TV show all over the world, but mostly sticks to western cultures. Using there subsidiary label SyCo they have worked in the backgrounds hitting the charts as there mainstream audiences follow the trends of downloading the music from the favourite artist on the show. This is there main adaptation, also due to website allowing free access to music as well as downloads they have also had to change the way the audience consumes the music. With little to no money in buying music they instead make people pay for the experience. Tickets to attend these X-Factor live performances are greatly expensive so they get what they lose in music sales on ticket sales. Also, the idea that you can 'vote' in X-Faxtor is a fraud you vote for Sony statistics, they want to know what the audience thinks and the audience truly believe they keep the ones that they know the audience would like, not only for the music but for the looks. Visualisation is a huge part of the X-Factor, it has got the artists where they are now. An example of this would be one-direction a world famous group that is more famous for there looks and style then their actual music. In conclusion, you could say at first Sony were greatly affected by this new digital age but have learnt to adapt their marketing and consumption techniques to suit there large mainstream audiences by not directing their focus on the music and becoming even more vertically and horizontally integrated in the music business, this is only enhanced through visualisation.

Then there are Independent record label (Indies), not as large as majors, but they have thrived in this new digital age. The indie label I looked into was Domino. Indie labels typically have niche audiences, which are loyal to them a community almost. This means that they don't need to reach out to advertise their artists or their music. The audience would go to them and their website is full of promotions for each and every artist. With there more famous artists however, such as 'The Arctic Monkeys' they get there fans to advertise their music, they either follow the group or artist on a social networking site and will spread news fast of a new song, album or event happening. Furthermore as the artists have Niche audiences they get more money as their audience wants them to succeed, wants them to produce more as they are a loyal fan base, completely different to mainstream downloaders. But much like majors, Indies still use the same methods to sell the music to their audience which means that if there artists do become famous, such as The Arctic Monkeys, then mainstream audiences would illegally download the songs and the hard work that the niche audiences have put in to helping them succeed wouldn't have done much good for the group in the long run. Also they don't need to reach out to find new artists, the audience finds them for the label. So, overall, for Indie they depend on the internet in order to keep going like they are and even make themselves better. Some Indie labels like domino have started to reach to audiences at a national level which is only really possible due to digital advancement. So it greatly effects indie labels, but in a good way as it has helped them reach out and develop to next levels.

The audience has embraced the digital age with open arms. The part of the audience that is prosumers works hard in order to make their own music. However this isn't their own as they haven't produced the  music in its original form only mash it up along with other song but the amount of songs can vary depending on the Prosumer. This however goes back to Sony as even though it is huge copyright infringement the audience, but this is free advertisement for them as eventually the prosumers become quite famous. Madeon, a french prosumer, has become quite famous due to his music 'music culture'. However all prosumers are online and there advertisement comes from a slow growing fan base that they hope would tell their friends about them. But prosumers do this for free however they can put there music on places like iTunes, but it is incredibly expensive so for the most part they keep there music on free sites as unless they are really successful like Madeon then there music won't really sell. So prosumers don't really gain anything from the new digital gain anything, they just help promote other artists as well as leave viewers wanting to listen or buy one of the song in the mash-up so they help both majors and indies. So in the case of prosumers digital distribution is affected to help the labels as prosumers mashup-ups not only apply to mainstream but also niche audiences.

The D.I.Y (Do it yourself) attitude has spread across niche audiences with the help of Beck. He is an independent artist that has posted his music sheets online that his niche audience, especially the part of the audience that performs music. Beck uses his audience to market his songs as he doesn't stick to a specific genre of people meaning that his niche audience is more widespread. This means that when his music is reproduced there is larger fan base. But Becks' D.IY attitude has really flipped the stereotypical   ideals of music as by letting people use his music he is advertising himself and his music. Also as these are niche audiences the new artists would need to give credit to beck who would then be getting a larger fan base as everyone would want to hear the original version. This is his marketing, through digital media and more importantly free sights such as YouTube, he has largely promoted his audience. This then means a larger consumption rate. Furthermore if the artist become quite popular then beck could perform/tour with them as he owns the rights to the song. So all in all digital distribution has affected the D.I.Y attitude in the sense that it has given it the opportunity to expand.

In conclusion, you could say that digital distribution has effected marketing and consumption greatly. But this is both for the good and the bad as it has allowed everything to expand massively and fully allow it to reach its potential. Even majors who at first greatly opposed of this found that digital media has effected to the point where it has become better.

Going over Music industry

Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of texts?
 - EMI
 - Synergy
 - Vertically and Horizontally integrated

Conclusion

Many issues could be raised by media ownership. Prosumers could be seen as one of the most important influential group in ownership as they own nothing and yet they still have freedom to do so. Prosumers are the main reason that PDE have blended together as they don't stick to the music traditions. But there is also the issues with sony and the other majors, this is their music being used and posted all over the internet and they have little to no control over it, which companies that own over 70% of the music industry wouldn't like. EMI, a previous major that was shut down, has shown the other majors that trying to control the internet in terms of ownership don't get them anywhere as the world is on the internet so they have to embrace this copyright infringement.

BECK AND INDIES

Music Industry - mock exam

To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area you have studied?

Digital distribution affects both the artists and audience. For major labels and independent labels it means audience can access their music for free and are also able to give their feedback on the music. Prosumers also use digital distribution to get their music and produce their music. Digital distribution has also meant that beck can use music produced by his audience and distribute it online. Digital distribution has meant that production, distribution and exchange have all blurred together in some way. 

Major labels have been affected by the introduction of digital distribution as their music is now not only in shops but online on sites such as Spotify, Soundcloud and on iTunes. The marketing of major labels now being online means that they are less likely to get an income from selling their music, meaning the only way they can make money is through live performances. However, the major labels have had to adjust to this as if they do not 'connect' with the audience then they will 'die'. EMI are an example of a major label who did not adjust to the new ways of selling music and were shut down because they did not connect with the audience. Major labels distributing their music digitally is also an advantage for the audience as they can now access their music for free. They can also leave their feedback on the music meaning the record labels will be able to see what the audiences like and develop their music to their taste. Major labels also use TV to distribute their music. For example Sony uses the TV show X factor to promote their music and to find a new artist for their record label. Using X factor is a way of digitally distributing their music as they will only select the songs to be sung from their record label; this is called synergy. The audiences will then be interested in buying/listening to that old song again or the song sung by the contestant on X factor. Major labels can also use digital distribution to their advantage because mainstream audiences now care more about the appearance of the music rather than the music itself. Digital distribution will support this as with distribution such as YouTube or X factor it is all about the image. Therefore people will watch it even more as they care more for the visualisation than the music. This means these songs will then become more popular, may be bought and therefore making more money for Sony. Major labels are therefore affected by digital distribution in positive and negative ways. They can connect to their audience better and get feedback from them, however they are conclusively losing money as the audience rarely pay for their music. 

 Indie labels have effectively become more popular due to digital distribution. Using digital distribution the record label can now get their music more global, consequently gaining a bigger audience. Indie labels will then become more successful as their previous niche audience will become international. Audiences becoming more aware of indie labels also gives them more a varied choice of music rather than just mainstream. They can then give their feedback to the indie labels, shaping the future of the production of music from the indie label, similarly with the major label. The effect of digital distribution on indie labels is very similar to major record labels as their music is now less likely to get bought, however they can now get reviews and a more global market. Conclusively, indie label music has now become more worldwide thanks to digital distribution and therefore more popular. Audiences also now have a more varied choice of music and can also access indie label's music for free.

Prosumers have had a huge advantage thanks to digital distribution. Prosumers can now access major labels and indie label's music for free and recycle their music to create their own. Being able to access this music is also thanks to digital distribution as most music is now online on sites such as YouTube or Soundcloud. Prosumers can then create their own music using recycled music and distribute it on the sites where they found the music. Using digital distribution they can then get their music noticed and eventually gain a bigger audience. Madeon is an example of a prosumer which has been successful in his work and his created music from lots of other songs. When prosumers then upload their music online they can then get feedback from the audience and find out what they like, again shaping their future production. Prosumers are an example of how PDE have all been blended together, and this is all due to digital distribution. 

DIY music has also had an advantage due to digital distribution. Beck is an example of a DIY music creator as he has written the music and then gives out the written music to his audience. With digital distribution Beck has been able to get the different creations of his music heard and therefore sell his music. People are then also more likely to hear of him and what he does and be interested in trying it for themselves, getting Beck more popular and obtaining a global audience. Beck's music shows how his audience produce his music, he then distributes it and gets feedback (Exchange) from the audience. Again, digital distribution is shown to have an effect on PDE as it has been blurred together.

In conclusion, digital distribution has affected marketing and consumption as the audience are now more involved. It has affected consumption because the audience can now access music for free, meaning prosumers can create more of their own music with little cost, and majors and indies have to connect more with their audience to allow them to take their music for free. Digital distribution also helps with the new idea of visualisation because music videos are now shown online and through TV, meaning those that are more interested in image will be satisfied with watching their music online. Audiences also become more involved as through digital distribution they can now give their feedback online, therefore shaping the future of production.