Eleanor N - A level Media blog

  I have chosen to do a NHS feature for my big issue cover because as the elections are coming up, a main proposal for left wing parties, especially labour are highlighting a NHS pay rise etc. This conveys with the Big Issue as although they don't follow a particular political stance, it is clear that they portray left-wing views and don't feature big businesses or banks, so to achieve this, having an NHS feature is very significant for the values and ethos of the big issue. I followed the Big issue house style and conventions by illustrating a powerful colour palette, through the rainbow and contrasts of yellow and blue make the cover stand out. For the background i used yellow to represent positivity an happiness, illustrating the 'sun' so that it can shine among the NHS staff. On this background i have engraved 'NHS' among it to make it seem unique and also give more appreciation to NHS and convey the values of Big Issue. I have chosen this specific cut-out o...

  What is the purpose and ethos of the Big Issue? The Big Issue as a brand is considered to be a business that functions to produce money, which is socially invested to create employment and ease poverty for people rather than providing profit for those who own it. They give jobs to homeless people or those in need by giving them the role of street vendors to sell magazines so they can get back on track The Big issue ethos is to represent those who are underrepresented They are left-leaning, socialist and don't actually have a specific leaning Big Issue conventions and house style: Very colourful colour palettes- easier to sell Cartoonist and lots of editing/photoshop used Features celebrities who have made a positive impact on the world/share socialist views- Greta Thurnburg, David tennant, Marcus Rashford Attentive on issues such as climate change, racism, poverty Big bold typaface House style is diverse- they are experimental Intertextuality Top 3 covers: I have chosen this cove...

The set pages of the big issue clearly represent the values and ideologies of the magazine Their pages represent the homeless in a positive and sympathetic light, because supporting the homeless is the main goal for the magazine The magazine typically represents a a underrepresented social group The representations arent all positive though- they do include some gritty details of homeless culture Left wing ideologies are clearly represented throughout the magazine The magazine paints a reasonably negative picture of conservative government Negative representation of trump for example, ties in with negative picture of right wing values It is clear that in some pages it is dominated by men- could be down to the writers of the big issue who are predominantly male, and the fact that men are most likely to be made more homeless than women, so their focus might be on creating more positive role models for men Multiple images of men in agressive power e.g. film heros or villians, but there is...

  How has covid affected the big issue? Articles now focusing a lot more on mental health and how to improve it Set up Big Issue RORA jobs and training to help create opportunities and provide job security More mention on the NHS and respecting them Using the Big Issue Shop as a way to bring in revenue "find love in lockdown" issue- they have changed the type of stories to fit in with lockdown Big Issue now sold in shops due to vendors being unable to sell on streets etc- McColl's and sainsburys outlets They have been campaigning to make the big issue digital for now "Customers will be able to purchase copies in 164 Sainsbury’s stores initially, extending to 315 over the coming weeks, and 1,430 McColl’s stores, for the price of £3. The Big Issue is also going to be launching an app" The Guardian would publish a story about the big issue because it represents their liberal ideology and their values. The Guardian are more of a left wing paper who support equality ...

  Review: Who or what is being represented on the front cover, and how does this like to the ethos and ideology of the big issue? A hand up not a hand out- this tagline makes it clear that the big issue was created to allow those who needed support to be financially dependent. The Big Issue is not a charity and the tagline constantly reminds potential customers what its ethos is, as well as challenging stereotypes attached to the big issue and those who sell the publication Masthead is present, recognisable and is placed at the very top (conventional) Central image of Romesh Ranganathan- positive expression- well known comedian discussing poverty, comedy and insecurity Colour palette (black, green, yellow etc) Feature article- happy money returns (pun) - relevent to current affairs cover lines link to money How do these front covers link to ethos and ideology? Marcus Rashford: As Marcus Rashford is promoting free school meals for children and trying to raise awareness of children n...

 Intertextuality - reference to another text which the audience are meant to make links between (subtle jokes etc) The BI use intertextuality very liberally because it represents the audience values and their cultural contexts of what they understand. Big Issue and Politics: Fundamentally, the Big Issue are continuously critical of politicians, big businesses, banks and their inability to attack the big issues. *The big issue doesn't support any party*- they will come after any party who don't address and change social issues (hold politicians of every stripe to account)  Target mission is to dismantle poverty and fight for social inclusion They offer business solutions to social problems- ethical capitalism They do this by giving those in poverty a hand up to become vendors and set up their own micro business.  Explain why magazines outside the commercial mainstream construct alternative representations. Refer to the big issue in your answer (10) They are ...

  The Big issue- representation What is representation? It is the medias portrayal of events, individuals, social groups in a particular way Example- Phil Mitchell from East Enders: Image seems to portray him as a man who is intimidating, serious, masculine Represented as a stereotypical man on eastenders as geezer/criminal/hardman He suits the audience needs- important to story line Constructed for a reason Producers want audience to see picture of him and know what kind of person he is (tough and serious) Hands in pockets- stern, controlling and scary Who does the big issue represent and why? From looking at the front covers, the Big issue represents a variety social groups from children to ethnicitys, to emphasise support and their social needs. For example, the american racism history cover is not just targeted for the American audience, but to everyone in society all across the world as it is a huge social issue that needs to be changed. It can be argued that the Big Issue cho...

  https://youtu.be/z4HCQuSIiA0 The big issue- industry The Big issue ltd is an independent magazine company and is not part of a large conglomerate They partner with Dennis Publishing to print the magazine Not for profit basis, and any excess revenue goes to homeless people Distribution- sold on street by vendors instead of in shops Street vendors purchase copies of big issue for £1.50 each and sell for £3 each Vendors can use this money to support themselves legally When setting up the magazine they needed to secure external funding and secured a grant from The Body shop (£50,000) Gordon Roddick (one of founders of big issue) married Anita Roddick (founder of body shop) 1995 diversified into the big issue foundation- supports homeless directly (info, workshops etc) 2005 started The Big issue invest- financial fund available for charities/small businesses  2016 online shop-  All revenue goes back into helping the needy Many brands with similar ABC1 audiences choose to pla...

 What is the purpose of the Big Issue? https://www.bigissue.com/about/ Big Issues purpose is to dismantle poverty by creating opportunity, through self-help, social trading and business solutions Its magazine launched as a result of a growing number of rough sleepers on the streets in London It is an award winning publication which has challenged and shaped public perspectives Since 1991, the magazine has helped over 92,000 vendors earn £115 million Big Issue invest- social merchant bank  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K9Ni44CGYA&feature=emb_rel_end Micro-enterprise for the vendors (offering a job for them) Its a step into building someones life again Helps the most needy in society to start their journey away from homelessness https://www.bigissue.com/support-the-big-issue/ You can subscribe/donate to the Big Issue to help them further With the money they can Provide additional welfare help in the form of food vouchers, meter top-ups and other emergency aid Message...

  Magazine conventions: Analysing different front covers: The masthead is very feminine but also reflects strength and power- Red colour palette but the use of serif font makes it seem attractive and professional Cover lines are used to show what content is in the magazine- lots of health articles and tips Joe Wicks mention is juxtaposed with the ideology of the magazine- it is women's health White, black and red colour palette contrast but complement each other. It could represent strength too. Mid Shot angle used to show Kayla and illustrate the feature article;4-week full body plan "free access" tries to persuade the reader to buy it as its exclusive to the magazine Mode of address is happy, light and healthy- reflects the values and attitudes of paper and its reader Very masculine- model 'showing off' to audience about muscles The tag line "big arms, broad shoulders, no BS" is informal and attracts a younger audience. The catch phrase makes reference...

  The Big Issue magazine was launched in 1991 by John Bird with the aim of transforming the lives of homeless through its slogan "A hand up not a hand out". The Big Issue is sometimes referred to as a street paper. It supports the homeless and those seeking to escape poverty. Vendors buy the magazine for 1.25 and sell it to the public for £2.50. They get 50% of the profits. The big issue has helped over 100,000 people since it began, and it usually sells 80,000 copies a week(pre covid). A big issue reader is likely to: Be university educated be interested in politics, popular and high culture Have a limited disposable income want to help make a difference to the society we live in The front covers and content of BI must therefore attract this reader. The type of media language and the representations it constructs must also appeal to the reader in order to ensure street vendors can sell each issue and make money. Media language -Refers to the technical elements used to constr...

1.        Explain how meanings are established through intertextuality. Refer to source A in your answer [10] Magazines typically use intertextuality to convey their meanings to the audience, because the reader will more likely be interested in it if its something they are culturally aware if, or make the front cover relatable to another so it also reflects their values, and add deeper meanings into the text. The Big Issue is a good example of a magazine that frequently uses intertextuality in its front covers each edition. They need to make it relevant, interesting and attractive in order to appeal to its ABC1 audience demographic, which is sold by street vendors,   who are typically homeless people. This automatically gives the magazine a better reason to buy it, as 50% of its value goes to the vendors. Because the average big issue reader Is likely to be well educated, interested in politics and high culture, as well as wanting to make a differ...