Evaluation!

1: Is your production a reflection of the issues or a solution to the issues discussed in your Critical investigation.
(With explicit examples - discuss how) - explain why your other features are important- so why you did it?

my production is a reflection of the issues i have looked at in my critical investigation.My website shows how obsessive fans can be and how they express there feelings towards a celebrity. Celebrities are famously recognized in a society or culture, they are people who have the quality of being widely honored and acclaimed. I was able to show this on my website as i uploaded a video of a fan explaining how much she loves "BitterSweet" she quotes " i love them from there swagger, there personality, there album to there posters, i have the same outfit they wore on there video, they are my role models" the video shows how fans become familiar with celebrities and what makes us love celebrities and feel so involved with them as if we have a personal relationship with them - this links to the uses and gratification theory. Fans also left comments which showed how obsessive they can be e.g. " i have the same tattoo Riona has on her ankle and the same hair stile Belule has at the moment. Call it OBSESSION and i love it and i love them even more." .We are drawn to know more about celebrities because of a kind of personal connection we may feel with them; the relationship we have with a celebrity is easier than many of our real life relationships. Another fan commented "I Can’t Explain How I Love You When I See You On T.v Or On Anything I Really Start To Cry Really I’m Not Joking. i love the way i can relate to your music and every single one of you individually." i chose to use this features as they show how fans can be celebrity obsessed and so involved with celebrities and their lifestyle.

2: On a scale of 1 – 5 (5 being the best) to what extent does your production demonstrate autonomous, secure and confident use of the chosen technology,

(With explicit examples – discuss how) - compare AS AND A2! more

Looking at my production i would mark it 3/5, because i believe that my production shows that i am able to use technology correctly. Compared to my AS coursework it shows how much i have improved,i was able to use photo shop more to add effects to my pictures which i lacked last year. i also edited the social networking sites logo to fit the colors of my site.i was able to upload and edit a video. i was able to use my peers feedback such as changing my font and some of my images as it was meant to be as eye catching as possible. i used conventional features of a video box such the play,pause, fast forward and rewind button. i had also made sure that hyperlinks where in the correct place. my AS worked lacked in all of the above, i was able to apply it my A2 production. To push my production further up the scale i could have made my website more animated and also included some sounds to show i can apply advanced techniques, to fit my website.

3: On a scale of 1 – 5 (5 being the best) – to what extent does your production engage with institutional and genre codes and conventions and show aesthetic credibility.
(With explicit examples – discuss how)

i would give my production a 4/5 because i believe i have demonstrated a high level of understanding of genre codes and conventions based on fans and celebrity obsession and the issues i raised in my critical investigation. i was able to use the general codes and conventions of a fan site such as fan comments, twitter comments and latest news, 'todays top members', tour dates and photos.

Fan comments: on each of the fan comments it has a picture on the left hand side followed by there comment.

Twitter comments : the twitter logo was on the left hand side followed by the comment. the name of the person who posted is underlined.

News and updates: the news and updates were current and up to date. the title was bold and the news was shortened so that viewers can click to read more.

Today top member: includes a picture of the top member followed by basic information such as when they last viewed the site and little information such as 'room dedicated for bittersweet' .

through research i realized that these were the features and genre codes and conventions of a fan site, i had looked at cheryl Cole's, justin beibers and the saturdays fan site.

4: On a scale of 1 – 5 (5 being the best) – to what extent does your production reflect your knowledge and understanding of the chosen area.
(With explicit examples – discuss how)

i was also able to take the points i have made on my critical investigation as examples for my website. for example how drawn and connected we can be towards a celebrity, the comments i used on my site was able to show this. my context reflects my knowledge and understanding of images. i was able to take many shots of paparazzi style pictures and also pictures of the girls at many events to make them look as a conventional celebrity - dressed up and glamorous. i did this to make the fan site as conventional as possible
my layout remained constant as it tends too in most fan sites. the layout is very simple and easy to navigate. the texts used was funky and easy to read. i also used a footer and navigation menu which i made myself, making each page have a separate hyperlink as if the whole menu was a link

5: What does your production explore in terms of ? -
- text(s), (With explicit examples – discuss how) Website -

Website E-media platform I have conventionally used all the qualities that should be in a typical website which is fan based, including images, context, layout etc.

Video - Broadcast platform i have used all the conventions that should be in a home made fan video

- themes, (With explicit examples – discuss how)

• fandom
• celebrity obsession
• bright colours.
• layout remained constant

- issues (With explicit examples – discuss how)

• how drawn and connected fans can feel towards a celebrity.
• how fans express there love towards a celebrity.

- debates (With explicit examples – discuss how)

• is it really obsession
• is it just fans expressing their love towards a celebrity.

6: Looking at the Mark Scheme –
What Level does your work fall into and explain exactly why.

i think my work falls into a high level 3 , low level 4 because it demonstrates high production values and technology such as a video and a number of edited pictures using photoshop and iweb itself. my website remained constant throughout all four pages. the colours and text suited the of the girl group and was eye catching. i have demonstrated that i can use technology sufficiently. for instance i had to take many shots, then upload it from the camera onto yoube and then copy and paste it onto the site. as it was a fan video it had to look homey and informal.it appealed to my target audience which was females aged between 14+. my content related back to my critical investigation and fits to purpose. to move my work to high level 4 i have to make it more interactive. i should also add elements which makes it fit institutional genre codes and conventions.

media magazine "Fans and Fandom"

Being a fan - taking part in the shared activities and practices of a fan community- seems to have become an ordinary,everyday part of media use.

The author of fans (2005), cornel sandovos, offers up the following: "i define fandom as the regular, emotionally involved consumption of a given popular narrative or text."

like a ind of 'love',this emotional involvement may even be so intense as to go beyond an individual fans ability fully to put it into words and explain it. partly for this reason, and partly because fan love is often felt to have an authencity and a privacy for fans.

fans are highly critical and creative audiences; they don't just criticize their beloved shows or franchises when they fall short of expectation, they also make their own fan films, or write their own fan fiction.

fan authencity can also be a matter of getting early access to media content, with movie fans typically wanting to attend the earliest possible previews of screening and TV fans wanting to see YouTube clips or other on demand content ahead of official broadcast.

conventional media fan objects from brands that we are emotionally invested in; that we regularly and perhaps habitually consume; that we might have built up considerable knowledge about, and which may have become part of our self identities.

fandom and music have a particularly close relationship probably because, more than any other medium, music can evoke very strong emotions in its audiences. for most, music is little more than entertainment and individuals identify themselves as fans of certain genres. for others music is identified.

when fans become emotionally attached to a celebrity, this creates a form of obsession because they are drawn to the celebs and want to know the ins and outs of their lives. many people become fans because they can relate to them in some way. some people feel connected to the celebs which gives them an identity.

Also when celebrities are constantly shown to us through the media , we automatically become fond of them in some way and before we know it we find ourselves fans. whether we like to think we are or not. seeing them constantly becomes our norms.

Research: X Factor and Sweet 16

My Super Sweet 16 is an MTV reality series documenting the lives of teenagers who usually have wealthy parents that throw huge celebrations of their 16th, 18th and 21st birthday.

Teenagers tend to imitate celebrities.

The daily mail criticized “In an age of celebrity, where anyone desperate and rich enough can get their 15 minutes of fame, the series is a depressing indictment of our next generation’s goals and aspirations”.

people will do anything to become a celebrity. By not doing much to become a celebrity, it makes audiences feel closer to them; we can become a celebrity. This generates celebrity obsession because celebrities provide us with false representations of life and ultimately become the reality of our everyday lives.

Also shows such X Factor and Britain Got Talent give people hope and a chance to follow there dreams to become a celebrity. These shows are a gateway to become successful and a step closer to fame.

Research on Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama

• Many celebrities in the media landscape are seen as role models, for example Oprah Winfrey is a television host, actress, writer and producer and has also been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century
• Oprah is the most influential woman in the world. In the 2008 presidential election in the US, Oprah was publicly authorized to a political candidate for the first time, hosting a fundraiser for Barack Obama and appearing with him at campaign events. It is controversially believed that her support was crucial to him winning the Democratic nomination and the presidency itself.
• This goes to show how celebrities help other celebrities, generate a fan base, which then leads to obsession as people become intrigued with them and more involved in what they do.
• a woman as powerful as oprah can turn anyone into sales blockbuster

Telegraph: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3026893.ece

oprah : oprah and barack

Research on rihanna and chris brown

We feel a personal relationship with these celebrities because we may be able to relate with their life’s in some way for instance when Rhianna was domestically abused by her ex boyfriend Chris Brown many women and men were able to relate to Rhianna and Chris as they may have been going through the same issue. Chris disclosed in the Tyra Bank Show in 2007 that “some people, their families go through domestic violence and stuff like that. I don’t want to mention the persons name but there was somebody who hurt my mum, me having to deal with that from the age of 7 all the way through to 13, me seeing that and being visually abused by it – it affected me.” Many people feel connected to Chris Brown even though what he has done is remarkably wrong, but many abusers may have gone though the same thing as kids. Also many abused woman felt connected to Rhianna as they have also faced domestic violence. Rhianna has influenced many women to speak out instead of keeping silent. Her advise to young girls affected by domestic violence is “don’t react of off love forget love, come out the situation and look at it third person of what it really is love is blind”.

when chris abused rihanna the audience became torn between the two, they were both highly popular with their audience, they were both young and many people can relate to them. eventhough what chris done was significantly wrong, his fan based still remained high. however some audience wer extremly shocked and did not feel the same way about chris as they once did.

institutions wer very much involved with chris and rihanna's story as they are well known in the industry and its what the audience wanted to know about but why?

when a celebertity has high status and poularity, we become involved in their life and pretty much want to know everything about them. the more we see and hear of them the more we want to know.

Telegraph : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/4582574/Chris-Brown-and-Rihanna-Singer-condemns-domestic-violence.html

Youtube: Rihanna interview on ABC talking chris brown beating

Research: Nikki from Big Brother - Rise to fame

A celebrity such as Nikki Graham from Big Brother best known for her temper tantrums was given her own reality TV show after leaving the house, titled Princess Nikki. She was also the 12th most ‘written about’ person of 2006 in the UK, according to a channel 4 poll. Nikki has now become one of the UK’s most talked about celebrity because she is known for her temper tantrums and bubbly personality. She has been constructed by the media to be a celebrity. She now becomes a celebrity, through institutions, advertising and magazines. Her popularity is not only driven by institutions but by audiences to. The more we see celebrities through the media, the more we want to see them and our demand increases for them. This gives them their celebrity image. It is said that “A star is an image not a real person that is constructed out of a range of material for e.g. advertising and magazines etc

Nikki Grahame rose to fame on the popular reality TV show Big Brother. Nikki described herself as special because she has so many special qualities. Its the special qualities that have made her by far the most successful of all the BB7 HM's.

her rise to fame tarted from a realtiy tv programme and from then the audience has created her popularity , which how her fame began. the more we see nikki on our tv screens the more involved we become woth her and the more intrigued we are . whiech then starts celebrity obsession.

Essay: First Draft

My critical investigation is going to focus on celebrity obsession. I will be investigating on the influences, status and power of celebrities on fans, audience and society. I will be looking closely as whether institutions create celebrity obsession or if the celebrities gain status and power to create their own image. The media is present everywhere we go and in everything we do, we can’t escape the media and we can’t live without it. Celebrities tend to be the most influential people in the media. Due to the institutions involved and once again the image created of them not only through institutions but audience as well. The way in which the media portrays text to us automatically becomes our reality. When texts are released to us by the media on a daily basis it becomes our norm. This is how celebrity obsession begins.

What is a celebrity? A celebrity is someone who is famously recognised in a society or culture. A celebrity is someone who has the quality of being widely honoured and acclaimed. Being a celebrity does not mean having the fame, glamour and lifestyle; its being recognised for something they have done.

A celebrity such as Nikki Graham from Big Brother best known for her temper tantrums was given her own reality TV show after leaving the house, titled Princess Nikki. She was also the 12th most ‘written about’ person of 2006 in the UK, according to a channel 4 poll. Nikki has now become one of the UK’s most talked about celebrity because she is known for her temper tantrums and bubbly personality. She has been constructed by the media to be a celebrity. She now becomes a celebrity, through institutions, advertising and magazines. Her popularity is not only driven by institutions but by audiences to. The more we see celebrities through the media, the more we want to see them and our demand increases for them. This gives them their celebrity image. It is said that “A star is an image not a real person that is constructed out of a range of material for e.g. advertising and magazines etc.

A celebrity image is not just his or her texts, but the promotion of those texts, public appearances, interviews and biographies. Their image comes from what people say or write about him/her. Not only do celebrities make themselves recognized through promotion, public appearances and websites but also through what the audience thinks of them through negative and positive criticism. For instance on YouTube audiences have the choice to comment on a video and give there feed back.
Justin Beiber a talented boy discovered first by fans on YouTube then Usher a well known RnB singer. He is now one of the youngest millionaire musicians. A subscriber on YouTube commented “I like Justin because he has the world looking at him and he is not in drugs or partying like insane. He has a very supportive mom. Congrats Justin and stay humble as you are:” Comments from these fans generate celebrity status and popularity.

We have become infatuated with celebrities in today’s world that the number of people we know in the ‘artificial world’ – actors, singers etc is much larger than the number of people we know in the real world. People feel as if they know a celebrity because of the way they are portrayed to us on TV. We believe that we know these celebrities because they have become a part of our everyday lives through the media. Were drawn to know more about celebrities because of a kind of personal connection we may feel with them; the relationship we have with a celebrity is easier than many of our real life relationships. Yet, our connection to a celebrity can bring us closer to those around us.
Not only do we love celebrities, but many of us want to be celebrities. Our culture has emphasized the importance of fame, and many people are desperate for it. We think it is a quick fix to our lives, and that when were discovered; all our dreams come true. Programme such as x factor and Britain’s Got Talent

We feel a personal relationship with these celebrities because we may be able to relate with their life’s in some way for instance when Rhianna was domestically abused by her ex boyfriend Chris Brown many women and men were able to relate to Rhianna and Chris as they may have been going through the same issue. Chris disclosed in the Tyra Bank Show in 2007 that “some people, their families go through domestic violence and stuff like that. I don’t want to mention the persons name but there was somebody who hurt my mum, me having to deal with that from the age of 7 all the way through to 13, me seeing that and being visually abused by it – it affected me.” Many people feel connected to Chris Brown even though what he has done is remarkably wrong, but many abusers may have gone though the same thing as kids. Also many abused woman felt connected to Rhianna as they have also faced domestic violence. Rhianna has influenced many women to speak out instead of keeping silent. Her advise to young girls affected by domestic violence is “don’t react of off love forget love, come out the situation and look at it third person of what it really is love is blind”.

Our relationship with them can get complicated, because we might feel an illusory intimacy with not only the star but there character too. The characters of shows such as Friends become incredibly familiar because they are with us all the time. Jennifer Aniston said that when Friends was a prime time show, people on streets would approach her and yell at her for something disagreeable her character Rachel did. In the media saturated world the difference between reality and media representations, becomes blurred to us.

The power of celebrities to move and change the world, events, political views and fundraising campaigns has threatened institutions. Technological and media changes have happened so quickly that it has given birth to our celebrity culture in a short period of time.

Many celebrities in the media landscape are seen as role models, for example Oprah Winfrey is a television host, actress, writer and producer and has also been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century. To some Oprah is the most influential woman in the world. In the 2008 presidential election in the US, Oprah was publicly authorized to a political candidate for the first time, hosting a fundraiser for Barack Obama and appearing with him at campaign events. Barack Obama has used Oprah as his key to the media landscape as she is highly recognised by the audiences that Barack was targeting. Oprah is a role model who inspires many so her interest in Barack will therefore lead to an increase in his popularity. It is controversially believed that her support was crucial to him winning the Democratic nomination and the presidency itself. This goes to show how celebrities help other celebrities, generate a fan base, which then leads to obsession as people become intrigued with them and more involved in what they do.

This could be linked with the parasocial theory this is when one party knows a great deal about the other but the other does not. People seek out media content because they are motivated by peoples in this case celebrities goals, needs, desires or preferences.

The mass media were once thought of as separate, as reflecting society , as modern, the media showed us how society was, now society and the mass media are so closely connected that society has become subsumed within the mass media; society and the media has merged together to show us how we should live. “We only accept reality through TV and other simulacra”, many of us believe that what the media portrays to us is how we do live life- it’s our reality. So because celebrities are living the ‘glamorous’ lifestyle we should also do the same. When in reality the media texts are not ‘real’.

My Super Sweet 16 is an MTV reality series documenting the lives of teenagers who usually have wealthy parents that throw huge celebrations of their 16th, 18th and 21st birthday. They tend to imitate celebrities or try to be a celebrity. The daily mail criticized “In an age of celebrity, where anyone desperate and rich enough can get their 15 minutes of fame, the series is a depressing indictment of our next generation’s goals and aspirations”. The crippling excesses of fame and capitalism that have come to symbolise our society. The rise of the relationship between people that is mediated by image is found in the emptiness of a celebrity, people will do anything to become a celebrity. By not doing much to become a celebrity, it makes audiences feel closer to them; we can become a celebrity. This generates celebrity obsession because celebrities provide us with false representations of life and ultimately become the reality of our everyday lives.

The direct communication channel between artist and fans means that the artists have much more control over material that is released to the public, and ultimately more control over the image they convey. A number of artist now promote themselves through websites such as MySpace or Twitter, they often release snippets of there tracks, post pictures and often update statuses to keep fans informed of what they are currently doing. The idea that artist releases their material to the public they have some control on how people react to them or how they are represented to their fans.

“Since the media are more or less omnipresent in all our lives, this means we are all influenced to some extent by what we view, listen to and read. Celebrities tend to be the most influential people in the media. They are constantly being followed by paparazzi and on the front covers of magazines and newspapers. This makes us some what involved in the celebrities’ life through what we read about them and how they are pictured. Teenagers are generally influenced by celebrities either positively or negatively. Institutions use celebrities to advertise their products and to influence young adults especially girls to focus on their appearance. Heat magazine has pages such as ‘star styles find it’, ‘star stalker’ and ‘one week for hot look’, Heat know what readers want and that is to have an ideal image of a celebrity. So for readers to look like their idol or to have the same clothing as a celebrity, they start believing that they are a celebrity. The Sun has a page called ‘Bizarre’ that gives an insight on celebrity lifestyle and gossip on a daily basis.

The media industry and institutions have the power of how an image is portrayed to us. They have the ability to make something bad look exceptionally good or vice versa. Rhianna’s video ‘Rude Boy’ has a negative influence on girls her lyrics “come here rude boy, boy is you big enough take it, take it” has sexual connotations and could influence to take part in sexual activities. Even though many of us may not agree with her lyrics, what she says does not effect how we feel towards her, yet she still remains popular with the audience and fans. Her appearance on mass media text such as the X Factor and on the covers of magazines makes her remarkably popular in audience, the way she is portrayed in each text, reflects a different portrayal of her. Wish is why the obsession towards her remains the same.

Justin Beiber movie trailer has inspired the youth to be who they want to be and never give up. Being an ordinary kid who does normal teenage things, whose fame was found through YouTube has been an inspiration. A fan comments ‘he came from a small town, he’s an inspiration he gives us hope”. The trailer emphasizes that you should never give up, you can always be who you want to be, never give up and should ‘never say never’. Many young people see Justin as a role model as he was once a normal kid, but grew to fame at such a young age. The trailer quotes ‘they said it would never happen but you never stop believing.

It can be seen that celebrity obsession starts from the way celebrities are portrayed to us in the media