AQA GCSE Media Studies Student Book

221 Unique selling point Many of the briefs will require you to create a new media product that has a unique selling point – or USP. In order to appeal to a target audience, your product will need to be similar to existing products in some ways, so that the audience understand the genre and the basic conventions. We all like familiarity to some extent. However, a successful media product also needs to be different in some ways – this is what makes it unique and encourages audience members to engage with this specific product. In Chapter 1 there were examples of five separate magazines about carp fishing. Each one has to compete with the others by providing something slightly different for its readers. House style The briefs for magazines, newspapers and websites will often mention the need to use a house style. This tells you that you need to consider a common look to the pages, so that they clearly belong to the same media product. Look at the pages below from the January 2018 issue of Q magazine. Each double page spread is from a different section of the magazine, so there are style changes between the different sections, such as the use of fonts. However, black, red and white are used throughout, along with rectangular boxes and borders; one side of a double page spread is often devoted to graphics – headlines or photographs – while the other side has both graphics and text in columns. The Statement of Intent You will need to submit a Statement of Intent for your NEA work. This will be discussed in more detail later on in this chapter. It is in your Statement of Intent that you set out what you what you want to achieve and what you intend to do with your media product. You will need to outline how you will use media language and media representations to create your media product and its meaning. As well as this, you should explain how you intend to meet the requirements of the brief and meet the needs of the intended audience. For more on carp fishing magazines see page 38. Link Choose a magazine genre (such as music magazines) and carry out an image search for front covers within that genre. Can you identify the USP for each of the different titles you see there? Look at a range of different covers for each title to help you do this. Activity 6.1 48 JANUARY 2018 C ongratulations,youare officiallyan Inspiration. Howdoes itfeel? JamesDeanBradfield (singer,guitarist): Ihave averysimplesetofemotions.Awards ceremonies,I’m 48 ,thenextalbum isour 13 th,soIaccepttheseawardswithabsolute magnanimityandglee.It’s just lovely. NickyWire(bassist): OurfirstQAward was in 1996 .We’vehadBestAlbum, IrememberwhenwehadBestBandIn TheWorldandJamesgotupandsaid, “Bestband intheworld…exceptNorth America”,thatwas 1998 .Butthere’sbeen somemegadosattheQAwards.Itshows howoldwearethatwhenwedidthevideofor ADesignForLifehere, itwasapileofrubble, theRoundhousehadn’tbeendoneup. Iforgottosaythat inmyspeech.Shit. Andyou’vegotagigtodoafterwards too, it’snot justa jollyforyou... NW: I’mgladwe’redoing it.It’souronly indoorgigthisyear. JDB: I’ve justcomeoffthebackoffluso ImightsoundabitJoeCocker.I’llsound likeaman. What’sbeenyourhighlightoftheyear? JDB: Finishingourstudio,becausewegot chuckedoutofourotherplacebecausethe BBCwantedtomove intowhere itwasand we lostthe leaseon it.Sowebuiltanew studioandthehighlight ishavingtheManic StreetPreachers’clubhouseback,where wecango,wecanpiss,wecanmoan. NW: It’s justoutsideNewport.It’smore rural, lessurban. Howareyousettling in? NW: Ittookawhile.AsLiamwouldsay, it’smovingandgroovingatthemoment. JDB: Itfeels likehome,we’vestarted recordingthere,tryingtomakesenseof what’shappeningwithusmusically. What’sthenextmovefortheManics? MANIC STREET PREACHERS Q INSPIRATION AWARD Presented by Presenter: Michael Sheen The Welsh trio have spent 2017 revamping their clubhouse andworking out their nextmove.Ahead of the 30th anniversary of theirdebut single, anotherburstof reinventionbeckons. NW: The lastfewalbumswerehigh-concept, andIthinkweranoutofconcepts.We’re justtryingtodoamasterclass insongwriting. We’remakingabitofheadwayfinally.It’s comingfastnowbut it’sbeenabitofagrind. What’sthebestthingyou’veheard allyear? NW: St.Vincent’sMasseduction.I lovethe graphicnatureoftheartwork,thecolours, thewayshefusesartandmusic,theguitar playing,the lyrics.It’sreallyhigh-concept, whichI love. JDB: PrisonerbyRyanAdams.I love thatrecord.It’sacrystallineversionof somebodysaying,“Imaybeofanothertime, Imaybeoutofstep,butI’m justgoingto maketherecordthatIalwayswasgoingto make,”even if it isaboutthebreak-upof amarriageandwhogetscustodyofthe sixcats. NIALLDOHERTY Spreading theword: (aboveand far right) ManicStreetPreachers play theRoundhouse after theAwards ceremony;(mainpic, from left)SeanMoore, Q InspirationAward presenterMichael Sheen,NickyWireand JamesDeanBradfield. ALEXLAKE R ACHE “Whenwe did the video forADesign For Life in the Roundhouse, itwas a pile of rubble.” NickyWire 26 JANUARY 2018 T alkusthroughyour day,please. Yeah, it’sbeenalright. Ifeelveryawkward attheseevents,to betotallyhonest.Itmakesmevery nervous,but it’snicetowinanaward. Whohaveyoubumped intosofar? PalomaFaith’sonmytable,andIsaw Wileyearlier.Ikeepbumping into himatfestivalsandstuff.He’sanice dude,Igetonwithhim.Iremember thefirsttimeIheardhim,hewas doingsomethingtotallyon itsown, thatcameoutofgarageand jungle andstuff.It’skindofserendipityhow it’sallcomebackaroundandthose guys–everybodyknowsabout itnow, withgrime,which isfuckingamazing. What’sbeenthehighlightofyour yearsofar? Apartfromhavingmy littleboy [ son Reubenwasborn inearlySeptember ] , which isobviouslygonnagodown in historyasoneofthemost important thingsever–Isaythat,becausehe’s probablygonnaknowaboutthis in yearstocome–yeah,you littleshit! Apartfromthat, it’sthefeelingthat I’mgonnabeabletodothisforafewyears, like it isn’t justaflash inthepan.Ithink peoplehavereallyembracedthisalbum, andmeasanartist,and itfeelsreallygood. Idon’tfeel likeI’m justgonnadisappearoff intotheether,andpeoplewillforget.I’m workingonmysecondrecord,and it’speople allaroundEuropethathaveembracedmy music,so itfeels likeapropercareernow! Youhavewidergoalsnow?America? We’vedoneprettywell inAmerica,but it’sa differentbeast, innit,totheUK.AndI’mnot reallythattypeofperson–Idon’thavethose things, like,“Oh,I’mgonnaaccomplish this .” We’llkeepgoingbackandseewhathappens. Whatwasyourbestnightoutthisyear? Wewentout inLAafteragig.Itwasmybass France isanotoriouslydifficult market,andParis isahardgig– abit likeLondon,peopleare reallyfuckingcool,andthey don’t justrolloverforanyone, youknow?ButI lovethat. TheFrencharewicked. Haveyouhadaholiday? HaveIfuck!TheonlytimeItook offwastwoweeks,andthatwas tohaveababy!So,no,Ihaven’t hadaholiday.We’regonnahave thewholeofDecemberoff– havesometimeout,andgo awayorsomething. Sohowwerethosetwoweeks inSeptember? Justfuckingnerve-wracking, forthestart.Iwas inAmerica touring,andmymissuswasdue atthetime,soIwas like,“IfI don’tgetback,she’sgonnahave thisbabywithoutme”,and thatputthefearofGod into me.ThenwhenIgotback itwas justanotherwaitinggame– like, “When’s itgonnahappen?”So, yeah, itwasallsortsofemotions, andwewerebothknackered, but itwasalsoabeautifultime.Iheldmyson forthefirsttime,andwegottobeafamilyfor a littlewhile–beforeanyoneannoyedme. DidyouhaveanyNewYear’sresolutions thisyearandhaveyoustucktothem? Idon’treallydothat.I’mprettysureIdidn’t thisyear.Ifso, itwasprobablytodrink less, butIdefinitelydidn’tdothat.Ha! Whatareyou lookingforwardto in 2018 ? Digging intothenextalbum.I’ve juststarted on it.I’vebeen inthestudioforthepasttwo weeks,becauseIwrote loadsofstuffonthe lasttour,andwe’veputdowna lotofsongs already.There’satotallydifferentsound, andatotallydifferentethosaroundthe makingofthisalbum.We’rewritingthe album likeaband,basically. ANDREWPERRY RAG’N’BONE MAN Q BEST BREAKTHROUGH ACT Presented by player’sbirthdayandwepartiedwith [ porn legend ] RonJeremy.He’safunnyguy,and I’mafanofhiswork,so… Anyoneyou’vebeenstarstruck infront ofthisyear? ImetB-RealfromCypressHill,thatwas prettyamazing.He’sahero.Itwas justat afestival.HewasdoingtheProphetsOf Ragething,andhewas justwalkingby.Liam Gallagheractuallywasprettycool,too.We hungouta littlebit,he’sarealsafedude. We’vebeendoingthesamefestivals–one was inHolland–soyoubump intopeople. Whatwasthebestgigyouplayed? The lastgigwedid inPariswasoffthechain. Presenter: Paloma Faith It’sbeenquite theyear forRoryGraham.In-between becoming a father and partyingwithRon Jeremy, he released the biggest-selling debut of the year. “It isn’t just a flash in thepan,”he says. Who’s thedaddy?Rag’n’BoneMan receives hisQAward forBestBreakthroughAct. SIMONSARIN,ALEXLAKE XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX NE A JANUARY 2018 27 “I don’t feel like I’m just gonna disappear off into the ether.” Happy together:Paloma FaithandRag’n’BoneMan enjoy themoment,backstage at theRoundhouse,Camden, 18 October, 2017 . 2017 50 The Let the countdown commence aswe look back in the company of Squeeze, Baxter Dury,Muna, TheWar OnDrugs, Cigarettes After Sex, James Murphy and Sampha, all ofwhom have made it intoQ’s select half-century of 2017. Ascompiledby JohnAizlewood,MattAllen,Laura Barton,MartinBoon,ChrisCatchpole,HannahJ Davies,NiallDoherty,TomDoyle,GeorgeGarner, RupertHowe,TedKessler,DorianLynskey,Simon McEwen,RebeccaNicholson,PaulMoody,James Oldham,AndrewPerry,SimonPrice,VictoriaSegal, LauraSnapes,KateSolomon,PaulStokes,MattYates. ALBUMS OF THE YEAR Hello, Isabel,TheWitch is in Q’sAlbumsOfTheYear. Yesssssssss! Howdoesthatfeel? Itfeelsreallygreat.I’mreally, reallyhappy.Q isamassive institutionand it’samazing, it’s great.Haha!It’s incrediblenews. Howdoyou lookbackon makingthealbumnowyou’ve hadsometimetoreflecton it? Istillfeelquite insideof it.Iread articleswithartistsandassoonas they’vefinishedrecording,they pressstopandthey’reover it,but Istillfeelquite insidethemusic. I’mreallyproudof it, it’sourfirst LP,ourfirstproperbigrelease. What’sbeenyourhighlight oftheyear? OhGod.Therehavebeen loads. Goingandplayingthealbum throughand listeningto itwith Dan [ Carey,producer ] andJimand Alexfromthe labelandtheband, just listeningto itforthefirst timeoncewe’dgoteverything inorderwasamazing.Itwas emotional.Thegigshavebeen incredible.Eachplacehassucha uniqueflavourandyoureallypick uponthatwiththecrowds.The GreenManFestivalwasamazing. Theygaveusan 11 pmslot,which wasniceofthemand itworked. Ireally likehowtheyprogramme –they includea lotmorewomen attheirfestivals,a lotmore lead vocalwomenandthat’snice. TheWitch isarecordabout strongfemalefigures,quite apertinentthemenow. Yeah, it is.Thesongshappencos youfeelthattheme isrelevant, whatever’sgoingthroughthem. Also,I’mhalf-ChileansoI’vegot abitofSpanish inmyblood,so ItranslatedPriestessandLions’ Denwithmydadandwe’regoing tobereleasingthem inSpain. Politically,there’sthisseparatist themeandthegovernment is shutting itdown inaviolent way.Youcan’t justshutdownan opinion,sowe’rereleasingLions’ Den,which isessentiallyabout therulingclassandbeingheard. Ihopethatwilltranslateand they’llhear it. INTERVIEWBYNIALLDOHERTY VOCALIST ISABELMUÑOZ-NEWSOME ONMAKING PUMAROSA’SDEBUTAND LAUNCHINGHEROWN SPANISH INQUISITION. JANUARY 2018 55 THEWITCH TheBackstory: Abandwho lefttheirEastLondonrehearsal roombehindtocrafttheirsongs ina disusedcinema inSouthernItaly. TheClincher: It isarecordthat inhabits itsownfantasticalworld, withanthemsaboutpriestessesand witchesandtracksthatswayfrom baggybeatstosprawlingrock. WhatTheySay: “A lotofthefigures beingsungaboutarewomen.There’s ageneralfeelingofpowerlessnessor anger.”IsabelMuñoz-Newsome KeyTrack: Priestess NIALLDOHERTY 50 N O “A record that inhabits its own fantasticalworld”: Pumarosa, featuring IsabelMuñoz-Newsome. PUMAROSA A selection of pages from Q magazine January 2018 Unique selling point (USP) The factor that makes a specific product or service stand out in comparison to other similar products. The USP of a community radio station could, for example, be that it plays music by local artists or that it features news about the local area. Key term 6 Non-exam assessment