Social Action and Community Media Research Task 1

Social Action and Community Media

Existing Product Research

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Case Study: NSPCC – Child Abuse

Purpose: When looking at this campaign poster I can work out the main purposes and reasons why this poster has been created. First of all the main purpose is to raise awareness of the child abuse issue. NSPCC have used a very simple technique to make the audience more aware of the child abuse issue. I think another purpose to why this poster has been created is to try and change local issues as well as national issues which may be caused by child abuse. The campaign’s main purpose is too provide information about child abuse. I think this poster is very complex and in depth it makes the audience really think about the subject and it allows the audience and people reading the poster to build up an understanding and relationship with the subject of child abuse. I think that this poster is also to build up a campaign. That children who are being abused need to talk to someone about it. Another purpose of this campaign poster Is the challenge dominant representations and agendas. For example child abuse is often recognised with children with cuts and bruises, however this poster presents the child suffering in silence this shows that the representation can differ in child abuse.

Aims:The main aim that this poster is trying to reach is to prevent child abuse from happening. The poster has done this by putting a helpline number which children can call if they need help. I think another aim which this poster is trying to do is to make people more aware of child abuse. Often children are too shy and quiet to speak up however this poster aims to make other people understand what they are feeling they have done this by using small quotes such as ‘I should tell someone’ this suggests that they are trying to make the audience understand what people are thinking and what they should do.

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Techniques:

This campaign poster uses many different techniques to try and get the message through to the audience this poster will firstly grab peoples attention by the colour scheme which has been used. The NSPCC have presented this poster to be very gloomy and depressing. They have done this by using a colours which will automatically set the mood of the image. The main colours used are blue, black and grey. These are all very dull colours which represent sadness and depression. As it is just an image of a young girl sat on a door step, alone and looking very sad. The audience will maybe feel guilt or helpless from looking at the young girl. This is another technique which the NSPCC have used to leave a lasting impression on the audience. One of the main techniques used is the fact the girl is covered up with a jumper on. This suggests that maybe she has been abused before and is covering up her scars, bruises and cuts. The fact that a young girl has been used in the image will bring a lot of attention. As young girls are much more vulnerable and weak this will leave an impression on the audience as they will feel sorrow for her. The expression on the young girls face is very sad. This automatically brings awareness as young girls are normally represented as happy and cheerful. Her expression suggests that she has been through a lot. The NSPCC have using quotes these are above and at the side of the young girl. These are all thoughts from people around the young girl. ‘Maybe I should tell someone’ This quote has been used as a view of friends and family of the young girl. Using quotes like this will raise awareness and suggests if you know someone who is suffering child abuse you should tell someone. The image is of a girl sat on a doorstep of a cracked door this suggests that she is alone and she has no one to speak to. The font used at the bottom of the page is very bold and straight to the point. ‘Don’t talk to yourself out of it. Talk to us’ this quote is simple and very understandable and suggests that the NSPCC are there to help. I think that all of the techniques used will raise the awareness of child abuse and will allow people to realise the effects of child abuse and what they can have on children.


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Impact: Evidence of any change being brought about through projects using words and or graphics.

http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics


This evidence is taken from the child help website which shows the statistics and changes within child abuse through time. The graph shows the changes from 1998 to 2010. The graph shows the number of child deaths per day due to child abuse and neglect have increased rather that decrease. Although that the statistics show that have slowly increased the graph does not state other child abuse problems and doesn’t state the improvement within child abuse. This means that the campaigns against child abuse are not very successful.

The other statistics show facts which have gained a pattern throughout time. The child abuse consequences state the effects that most abused children will face when they grow up.

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Case Study: Smoke Free – Stop Smoking

Purpose:There is many different purposes that this poster has been made for. One of the main purposes is to bring local, national and global change. Smoking is a very common habit which is carried out by many people not only is it a local matter however it is effecting people all over the world. This poster is trying to make people realise globally what effect smoking is having. Another purpose is to change peoples attitudes towards smoking. Most people who smoke don’t realise the consequences and the effect that smoking is having. This poster is trying to change the attitude that people have by giving them the impression that smoking is bad and telling the audience what could happen. Another purpose of this is to provide information to people about smoking and one of the main problems it can have. This is a campaign poster which means that it is a group of people trying to change something and campaign against sometimes. Another purpose is to build a relationship with the subject. The subject of smoking is a very sensitive subject and by including other things such as how it could effect a baby really brings attention to this poster. I think that telling the effects of what could happen to a new born baby builds up a relationship with the audience and the poster as they will feel sadness which will make them realise what could happen if people carry on smoking.

Aims:I think the main aim of this poster is too try and get people to stop smoking. However another aim is to try and prevent smoking in pregnancy from happening. Using simple words such as ‘every cigarette harms your baby’ gets straight to the point of the the poster. The poster is telling the audience how their actions could harm a baby. The aim of this poster is to get people to view smoking from a different point of view and to think of others.

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Techniques:

As the campaign poster is to try and prevent smoking, smoke free have used a very overpowering way to do this. The different techniques that smoke free used to achieve this are very strong and build up a relationship with the audience. One of the main techniques used is the colour scheme. The colours are very dark and the only colours used in the poster is grey, dark grey and black. All of these very dull colours represent death and harm. This is the message that they are trying to get across to the audience. As the subject is about smoking in pregnancy the colours that have been used represent this and bring a tone and atmosphere when looking at the poster. Secondly is the way the composition of the poster has been put together. There is an image of a women on the left hand side of the poster which is a silhouette which represents darkness. The silhouette of the women is smoking and she has a very large belly which indicates she is pregnant. On the right hand side of the poster there is smoke coming out from the women's belly. I think that this is a very wise technique to use as although this poster is to campaign against smoking in pregnancy the smoke coming out of the belly and going into the atmosphere presents that it can also be effecting babies and young children and not such babies through pregnancy. The way that the smoke has been presented looks very toxic. It is thick black smoke on a grey background. The smoke in the image is spreading into the atmosphere and this presents that it could be harming other people. This is a simple poster however with a very unbearable subject that is made so people realise. The text used is inside the women and is put in a white colour which stands out. The copy reads ‘EVERY CIGARETTE HARMS YOUR BABY’. The text is in capital letters which allows it to grab much more attention. The text is in a sans serif font which shows that it is straight to the point and there is no explanation needed. The text is simple and stands out to make people read it and think about it.


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This data that I have gathered from the cancer research website shows the % of adult popular who smoked a cigarette from 1948 to 2007. From looking at these statistics I can identity that the number of people have rapidly decreased each year. This shows that the campaign to stop smoking has worked and advertisements are working to prevent people from smoking.

My second piece of evidence is another piece of information taken from the cancer research website which shows the statistics of pregnancy when smoking. It shows that there a been a fall in smoking in pregnancy. These statistics prove that the campaigns and posters to prevent smoking and smoking in pregnancy did have a positive effect on people and is changing peoples ideas.

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, low birth weight and stillbirth. In addition, IARC states that there is sufficient evidence that parental smoking (mother and father) during the preconception period and pregnancy increases risk of hepatoblastoma in offspring, and limited evidence that parental smoking increases risk of childhood leukaemia in offspring. In 2005, 32% of women smoked in the year before or during pregnancy (a fall from 35% in 2000) and 17% (a fall from 19% in 2000) smoked throughout pregnancy. The rates were even higher for mothers in routine or manual jobs: 48% smoked in the year before pregnancy or during and 29% throughout pregnancy compared to mothers in managerial or professional jobs whose equivalent percentages were 19% and 7%.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/types/lung/smoking/lung-cancer-and-smoking-statistics

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Case Study: WWF - Global Warming

Purpose: I think that the this image has many different purposes and has been created to allow the audience’s imagination think of the reason behind this campaign. This image has been created to fulfil many different purposes the main purpose to to raise awareness of global warming problems that are happening around the world. Another main purpose this has been created is to bring local, national and mainly global change. I think when looking at this campaign some people may get confused with it being a stop smoking poster. However this poster has been created to change attitudes towards the way we live and the pollution that it creating damage to the environment. I think this advertisement has also been created to strengthen communities by showing that it is a global environment issue and that the community and national groups need to work together to create a big impact. I think that the purpose of this issue is to also to provide information about what is happening to the world and that there needs to be some action taken to prevent the world from being destroyed by humans. Although that there is no text I believe that this image is very powerful and leaves a very effective impression on the audience as they can see what is happening to the world.

Aims:The aims of this poster is to change global warming. To let people know the effects it is having on the world I think that this poster has captured a powerful message. I believe that the message is to stop pollution and let the world breathe. Day by day the world is becoming polluted by smoke and other toxic fumes and this image shows the effect it is having on the environment.

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Techniques:

Although this poster is just taken of a picture I think that the image is very powerful and has a strong meaning. There is no text needed as the image allows the audience to build up there own ideas and opinions of the campaign poster. The techniques used include using a very ‘green’ and eco-friendly colour scheme. The colours used are different shades and tones of green. This represents the natural environment and will automatically bring an idea to the audience of what it is about. The image used is very well-thought about and a very smart different image. I think that the the image’s message is that people need to be more aware of the environment and let the world breathe. The advertisement shows lungs in the middle of the image which brings all attention straight to the centre of the image. The shape of the lungs are made out of trees. In the bottom right hand corner of the right lung all the trees have been destroyed and there is just a mud left there with dead trees. I think that this image presents a small example of what the environment has become like however the way that a small section of the trees is destroyed this gives the audience the impression that it will develop and the rest of the environment could become damaged and destroyed. The image is an overview of nature and what it is becoming like.

Case Study: WWF – Global Warming

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Case Study: WWF – Global Warming

Although global warming campaigns are extending and growing every day so is the global temperature. My evidence shows a graph which states the current global average temperature within 10 years. The graph shows that the average temperature has rapidly increased within the years. This shows that the global warming campaigns are not having a big effect on their audience as global warming is increasing.

My second piece of evidence is the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere this shows how much heat trapping gas has increased within the years. The numbers of toxic carbon dioxide gases has increased by the years which has a large effect on global warming and the danger of the earth becoming destroyed.

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Case Study: Conservative Party – Politics

Purpose:

This poster has been created to change the views of peoples minds about politics. This campaign poster is from the general election in 1979 and one of the main purposes that this poster campaign has been created is to change voting behaviour. This poster was released by the conservatives in the hope that more people would vote the conservative party. Looking at this poster another purpose is to change attitudes of the public. Especially the people who are voting the labour party as the conservatives want too persuade as many people to vote for their party instead. I think that this campaign poster was also created to strengthen communities as I think they have used this as a way for communities to support each other. However in some cases this isn't what happens and sometimes communities will go against each other and vote for different parties. This poster is also created as a campaign. The campaign is too get the public to vote for the conservatives. They have done this by going against the labour party and creating a poster which states the labour party isn't working. I think that another purpose to why this poster has been created is to challenge dominant representations and agendas. Conservatives not only want the public to support them instead of the labour party however they want to change the way society thinks.

Aims:The aims which this poster wants to achieve is to change the mind of the public by doing this they have presented an unemployment office and which shows a long queue of people. This gives the impression to an audience that if you vote labour party there is a less likely chance that you will be employed and when seeing this people will automatically think they will loose money so they will vote conservatives.

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Techniques:

The techniques used in this political campaign poster are very smartly created and have had a lasting impression on the public eye. The techniques used to grab the attention include a very bright colourful colour scheme. It is mixed with a range of colours varying from blacks, to browns and greens and reds. This very bright colour scheme will automatically bring attention from the public to look at the poster. Another technique which has been used is the copy. The copy is a statement not a question. A very simple, straight forward bold, to the point statement which will cause people to consider if labour really is working. I think a very interesting and powerful technique that has been used is the fact that the poster states ‘labour isn't working’ and underneath is a long line of unemployed people. The statement and the image work together as the message that comes across to the audience is that labour isn't working and neither are the people in England. This poster has presented this and will create a huge recognition from the public. The way that there is a long line of people waiting to go into the unemployment office suggests that there is way to many people. I think that the conservatives have created this to say to the audience that the labour party are creating less and less jobs however if you are supporting the conservative party then we have lots of jobs available. When first looking at the campaign poster the first thing I noticed was the big bold title which is a very straight forward sentence however when looking down there is another statement which states that Britain is better off with the conservative. It has been created in this way because the title are the top of the poster will draw the attention and then when looking down the public will see the conservatives name. I think all the techniques used on this poster will draw the attention of the public and maybe persuade them to vote conservative.

Case Study: Conservative Party – Politics

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Case Study: Conservative Party - Politics

This piece of evidence which I found from the general election, gives information of which party won the election. The conservations was the first party and the seats they won was 339 closely behind was labour party which was 269 and lastly it was the liberal party. This evidence proves that the campaign poster which was created was highly effective and could’ve persuaded people. I think that the conservative party created the poster because there biggest competition was the labour party however because the conservative party won this shows that the poster did bring more attention and persuaded some people to vote for the conservatives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_1979

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Case Study: Accessible Arts & Media

Purpose:

Accessible arts and media is a community run group in York which allows people with a disability to get involved with the media and to give them an opportunity to take part in activities that they may not have had a chance to experience before. This community group has a purpose to create access to media production for non-traditional groups. This means that everyone in the community has chance to take part within the media. Some of the examples of what the accessible arts and media take part in includes radio broadcasts, creating a website and also making music. Another purpose of this community group is to challenge dominant representations and agendas. Sometimes people with a disability have the representation that they can’t take part in particular activities because of their disability. This small community group challenges this and proves to the public that people with a disability are no different and can take part in activities within media and arts. I think that another purpose for this is to strengthen communities. A lot of the time communities are not very close. However this group will help a lot of people make new friends and build up relationships with similar people. I think that this group will also bring the community together as it will allow the community to support each other in a positive way.

Aims:This community group has many different aims to which they want to achieve. I think that the main aim of this group is too allow people with disabilities and other problems to have a chance to interact with the media. The goal is to give other people a chance. I think that doing this has help the community to be more helpful and encouraging.

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Techniques:This small community was created and aimed at young children, different techniques used grab the attention of the audience include using bright, colourful colour scheme. On the website there is a border which is filled with pictures and colours like purple, blue, green, yellow and red which are all highly contrasted. This will grab the attention of young children and it shows to other people that this particular community group was made for young children. Another technique which has been added is the font of the text used. The text is in a serif font and gives the impression that it is very ‘child like’ and recognised by children. As the font is in a child font this suggests to the audience that the community group is aimed at young people and children. I think that the reason they have done this is because automatically it will give people the impression of who its aimed for instead of having to read through the website. Another technique used is on the website they include lots of pictures. The images shown include young children with disabilities taking part in the activates. Not only are they just photographing them taking part in the product however they look very happy and that the activities are enjoyable. This will attract attention from the audience as it shows that the community group looks fun and entertaining. The photographs picture young children taking part in a singing project also radio and painting. These activities on the photographs look really entertaining and fun. Another technique which they have used is the small box on the right hand side which says face book, blog & news, twitter and donate now. This box on the website shows that this community group is very reachable and is also a good way to get donations for the community group.


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This is an example of an achievement which has been achieved by the community group. This post was uploaded online on the website and it states that the community group is celebrating their 30th anniversary. This is evidence that the community group is very successful and has been running very well within the past 30 years. The post states that the group is very pleased with all the support that they receive from the people. It also states that they would like to thank the members, staff and volunteers for their contribution to the organisation. This shows that their website has created a positive change and that the organisation is very successful. The second source of evidence that change has happened in the organisation is another poster from the website. This post says different projects which the accessible arts and media have been part of and have successfully created. From this information I can see that the community group has had a encouraging effect on the community and change has been brought through.

http://www.a-arts-media.org/html_docs/about.shtml

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Case Study: Infiltrate Mainstream Media

Purpose:

During the 2010 election billboards promoting the conservative party were targeted by graffiti artists people who were against the conservative party. The purpose to why they have created this is to change peoples attitudes. The people who have created this are against the conservative party and wanted to change people attitudes by using graffiti on the billboards. Not only did they want to change attitudes however they wanted people to stop voting for the conservatives and vote for the other parties who was involved in the election. By changing peoples attitudes this will then lead to effecting the voting behaviour of people which is one of the things that the graffiti people wanted. I think the people who created the graffiti on the poster wanted to also challenge dominant representations and agendas by changing people opinions. The conservative party had quite a positive representation from people who supported them however I think that that the graffiti artists wanted to change this. Although that it may have not been their intention the graffiti artists managed to infiltrate mainstream media as images were uploaded to Google, as other people saw the graffiti more and more people decided to do it on billboards. This resulted in a group of people creating a website being made especially going against the conservative party. The website includes images of made up jokes of the conservatives and its members. The website is called http://www.mydavidcameron.com/.

Aims:I think that the aim of the graffiti was to get people not to vote for the conservatives. The images show jokes and quotes which could change peoples minds and how they think. This is what the graffiti artists wanted to achieve as they was against the conservative party taking over.

http://www.mydavidcameron.com/


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Techniques:

The techniques which have been used are very different to another advert. One of the main techniques is the link with the original billboard. The original billboard is a picture of David Cameron with a persuasive quote to persuade people that the conservatives are the people to vote for. The graffiti overlays this image and the artists who have done the graffiti have graffiti over David Cameron’s face and also tried to edit some of the text. I think that this technique has been used to try to prevent people from seeing the original quote. The original advertisement is very plain and straightforward I think that this is why it is even more exposed to the graffiti as there is room to write more text.

Another technique which has been used is the bold text. On each of the images the text stands out and automatically grabs the attention from the audience. The audience will then be intrigued. I think that the second image uses a technique which will make the audience laugh. The technique which has been used is that the original advertisement has been linked with a funny subject. On the second image the graffiti artists have intereperated with the original advert by using the top line ‘we cant go on like this’ and then adding the song lyric ‘with suspicious minds’ they have included pop culture as a technique to gain more attention from the audience. Not only have they used the song lyric however they have created the hair style on David Cameron and impersonated Elvis Presley. This is a technique which has been used which will interest the audience and the public.


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This is evidence that the graffiti did have a impact and change did happen. The first image is taken from the website http://www.mydavidcameron.com/ This is a website where there are photos of David Cameron with jokes aimed against the conservative party. This shows that the graffiti on the billboards caused it to infiltrate mainstream media by creating a website and it becoming very popular with the public. It became so popular that the public can even make their own billboard joke on the website.

The second image shows a election results from the 2010 election. The results show that the conservatives won, the labour party came second and the liberal democrat party came 3rd. This shows that the graffiti didn’t cause people to not vote however it brought more attention to the conservative party allowing them to win the election in 2010. This data was from the website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_2010.




