Video Games and Me

When I was younger, I loved to play video games as it was a good form of entertainment. Having owned consoles such as the Gameboy, DS, Playstation 1,2 and 3, Wii, etc. It made playing games a lot easier and more enjoyable due to differences in experience from the range of consoles. I would usually play games on my own as well with family and friends. Games like FIFA, GTA or Mario Kart would be games played with friends and family. On the other hand, games like Pokemon or Super Mario would be played on my own as they were usually single player games. I still play games now but rather than on consoles, I play on the PC as it is much easier nowadays to digitally download the game, then having to purchase it as a hard copy. Additionally, PC's are usually compatible with most titles, therefore specific consoles aren't necessary. 

Minecraft Task

I think that Minecraft: Pocket Edition is a good adaptation of the PC version, having played the PC version myself when I was younger. Personally I found it harder to play on the iPad due to limited controls but I was still able to make a dwelling to escape the monsters at night. Minecraft is a sandbox genre, in which allows users to make anything they want due to unlimited possibilities.
In the past, I usually played Minecraft on my own in my room, as it gave a sense of escapism. However, having played it in a group session on the iPads made me realise that the game was in fact designed for single player use, as there wasn't much communication during the play time.

My Breakfast Show Segment

1. Did you fulfill all the content requirements; both in terms of including all the correct features and as well as the actual choices made.

I think that we did manage to fulfill all the content requirements as we followed the brief and running order. The opening track outro we used was Forget You- Cee Lo Green and the winning track we used was Fountains of Wayne- Stacy's Mom. Despite that both of these tracks are not British, we compensated for this by including an outro song; She sells sanctuary- The Cult, as they are a British band. We were also able to include jingles for Radio Latymer, Celebrity Gamble and the news. They were achieved by Dara playing a short melody whilst saying things like "Welcome to Radio Latymer..." Within our show, we had Zain as the radio host, myself as a member of public and Dara as the news reporter. We played Celebrity Gamble, in which we used teachers as the celebrities and chose one of their songs to play, which therefore showcases audience interaction. After the choice of song was made, opinions were read out from Twitter with both positive and negative reactions, which is another form of audience interaction. We also tried to create humour between the interaction of the member of public and the host but failed to do so with the news reporter due to issues with time. Throughout the segment, we tried to constantly remind the audience about our celebrity guest, Ms Kelsall, therefore keeping the audience hooked as well as having the news about the Latymer community, such as issues with lanyards or uniform problems.

2.Have you nailed the conventions and style of Nick Grimshaw and the Radio 1 Breakfast Show?

On the whole, I think that we were able to nail the style and convention of Nick Grimshaw and the Radio 1 Breakfast show through the use of humour, direct address and informality. Therefore having the same style as the show. However we could've included more young British artists, as well as having humour between the host and news reporter to make it more like the Breakfast show.

3. How did you manage your running order/ timings? 

Despite having a script, we managed to go over the 3 minutes we were allocated. Nevertheless, in our final recording, we managed to record it in 3:08 compared to our first recording of around 6 mins. We did this by cutting down the script significantly and cutting down the length of the jingles. We also avoided any unnecessary pauses between the people to make it more natural.

Analysis of Music Video: Current

Noah Cyrus- Again

1. Cutting to the beat

Throughout the video, many examples of cutting to the beat can be seen. This is because it is a common convention to include such a technical feature. In this example, it shows a cut from the face of the singer to the setting, which is needed to move the story along as the shots need to progress. 

2. Uses of CU/ Beauty Shots

The use of beauty shots is also a common convention amongst music videos. In this specific example, we are able to see a CU of the singer's face. This is done to emphasise her emotions after hearing the lyrics therefore allowing the audience to feel the same way.

3 . Fast Paced Editing

This is also a common convention as fast paced editing is also used within this music video. This is done to have a "montage feel" which makes the video seem fragmented despite having a slow tempo to the song. 

4. Mise en Scene 

Throughout the music video, the same setting can be seen. The graveyard shown is a good example of Mise en Scene as it portrays the feeling of the singer- In this case, having a "dead" relationship. This is very effective and it also feature shots of the graveyard throughout the day and night which may represent the progress of the relationship. 

5. Extreme contrast in shots

The music video also features extreme contrast in shots as it is a common feature through other music videos. In this example, we can see a wide shot of her and the background but next shot cuts to an OTS shot of her walking which allows the audience to focus on her actions after being shown the setting.