The Big Issue Front Cover - Stranger Things x Christmas 2025

 I have chosen the theme of Stranger Things intertwined with a symbolic code of Christmas, specifically those used in the iconic scene within a Season 1 episode of the sci-fi Netflix show. The purpose of these lights being polysemic allows those of a teenage and millennial background to identify these lights as representing Christmas festivities (reflecting the zeitgeist) and those eagerly anticipating the release of the final season of the show, the show’s finale culminating into three sectioned release times over the winter period. Furthermore,I have taken a slightly unconventional approach of blurring the ‘Big Isssue’ typeface in order to further convey the mysterious, unfamiliar environment and peculiarity of the show which the front cover aims to reflect, also generating a USP for my magazine. I have also used a sans-serif font to place the capitalised layer of ‘ALIVE!’ over the masthead of the cover, appearing striking and appealing to both younger and older audiences (the Duffer brothers target older teens as well as their parents who may decide to watch the show. I have adhered to the conventional approach of placing Big Issue’s aim on the front cover, accompanied by a barcode and cover lines/skylines within the copy. I have used a paronomasia (play-on word) of ‘Saving Sink’ with Sadie Sink being an altruistic, reverent A-listing celebrity who is featured on the cover of the magazine (who encompasses the ideologies of feminism and veganism) displaying paralanguage that induces panic in the fast run-up to Christmas. Another example of a visual pun used within my front cover is through the headline of ‘Running up to Christmas. Additionally, I have used a cultural code of portraying the issue number as 11, which avid fans and readers of the Big Issue may recognise as being a prominent character in the show.  

To improve my Big Issue front cover, I could enlarge the image and potentially use a deeper shade of red such as wine or mahogany red to enhance my presentation of Stranger Things and create semantic codes connoting of the Upside Down: inverted, disorientated and gruesome. This would complement the Big Issue masthead colour, as this could be changed to a bold black again a white-coloured ‘ALIVE!’. I would also use a higher quality image of Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield in the show) to create an immersive and attractive front cover, hence incorporating Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory.

 

Hall’s Reception Theory - Dixon Chapter 17

The reading of the Dixon Chapter 17 within Mark Dixon’s Media Theory for A Level - The Essential Revision Guide has enhanced my knowledge and reading skills of Stuart Hall’s Reception theory vastly. I have learnt that there are broader topics and factors which largely influence whether an audience member will adopt the dominant, oppositional or negotiated reading when encoding and encoding the producer’s intended message, learning how media products interweave various iconic signs into their works in order to appear polysemic. Furthermore, the contributor of audiences potentially making misreadings shapes which reading position the audience member will uptake, dependent on the complexity and illegibility of a text.

I have also learnt that multiple other theorists (including Albert Bandura and David Gauntlett) might challenge Stuart Hall, such as George Gerbner’s cultivation theory, where he believes that even the strongest of audience members may experience attitudinal change as a result of media exposure. Linking closely to Neale’s Genre theory, there is the concept of genre-driven mediation within the Reception theory, where producers will recycle themes and characters in order to drive the narrative and to appeal to the audiences. This audience collects information  and forms their own perspective if they constantly view the same charcsters perpetuated via the media, they may form a political bias, learning to potentially dominant, oppositional or negotiated readings. 

Hall also believes that an invisible set of rules help to govern and dictate our behaviours, based upon what we consume from media industries. He believes that political opinions and biases build the foundations of political ideologies of the public, leading to the re-inforcement of legitimacy through parliament and its systems by reporting. Additionally, the audience may create ‘situated logics’, actively and selectively filtering information portrayed to them through newspapers by selecting articles orientated around their knowledge and past experiences within society.

Here is my PowerPoint which I made at the beginning of Media Studies in Year 12, allowing you to identify where I have expanded and elaborated in my knowledge:

Stuart Hall Reception Theory

Set Advert: Shelter - ‘The Government in FULL of Landlords’

This advert uncovers the harrowing truths behind living in squalid conditions, under the harsh ruling of a ‘rogue landlords’, a proportion owners who rents out inadequate and substandard apartments and housing, flouting any legal obligations that must be adhered to. Members of Parliament are supposed to be forming a new law for landlords with one MP stating during a session: ‘I feel private landlords have a pretty thankless task.’ Another MP raise the idea that ‘We should be helping landlords and tenants equally’. This short video encompasses the almost failed promise made by Parliament, through the passing of the Renter’s Reform Bill. The debate has caused national controversy, with a split Parliament it has been a vastly difficult decision as to whether this bill should be passed into a law. ‘I cannot support this bill tonight’, one MP spoke defiantly against the proposed introduction of amending the housing conditions for tenants. Rather intriguingly, the informative video published by Shelter captures a victim of eviction within a protest, his poster reading: ‘172 families are served a Section 21 eviction notice every day’, re-enforcing the charities intended message and emphasising the unwavering uncertainty of potential eviction from your property. Four years after the initial drafting of the legislation, the bill is finally legalised, but yet again, uproar arose and protests proceeded outside Westminster. Despite the introduction of this reform act, it has taken one-hundred days to see progress on the law after its initial enrolment into society, predominantly due to one factor. The House of Commons chamber comprises of six-hundred and fifty MPs, with over eighty  of them being landlords themselves, it being essential to save their reputation and prevent being held accountable. Shelter’s aim is to demand Labour’s Cabinet to place pressure on the self-interested, entitled landlords, as well as to strengthen the awareness of the Renters Reform Bill for those who are in need of it most. 

I chose this article because I thought it would closely link to one of the prevalent reason as to why homelessness occurs, associating with ‘rogue landlords’ This article is orientated around government accountability, predominantly one of the main reasons as to why homelessness has become such a dilemma nationally. I believe that this article based around landlords conveys a serious narrative, evoking a sense of uncertainty yet defiance against landlord MPs. The video article is simplistic, supporting a liberal and social perspective. Additionally, this advert reflects the ideology of altruism, reflecting the genuine desire where the public should act selfless towards each other, voluntarily helping others to support their cause. The advert encourages the public to donate, actively participating in the charity’s cause by making the advert have a unique selling point, to ‘stand out’ and presenting people in an authentic, suffering manner. 

Super-Curricular Media Magazine Article

 Lionsgate is one if the largest filming companies in the world, rising to prominence after the release after 2013’s highest-grossing movie was shown in cinemas, produced by the major corporation. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the second instalment in The Hinger Games saga, reaping almost half a billion dollars at the box office. This revolutionary production made by Lionsgate featured Hollywood stars such as Jennifer Lawrence, as well as Josh Hutchinson, who rose to fame in his childhood after starring in the heart-wrenching children's film, The Bridge to Teribitha back in 2007. However, despite the revolutionary release of the new film in the franchise, with fans adoring the sequel after the incredible successes of The Hunger Games, an issue has occurred regarding the credit given to the film. It cannot strictly be classed as a ‘Hollywood film, due to production rights and Lionsgate being deemed as a ‘mini-major’ company, opposed to bring categorised as a Hollywood-certified film, produced by one of the dominating movie giants. Lionsgate has fluctuated amongst the kings of the filming industry for many years, with three global contenders forming the most established, global studios, being 20th century Fox, one of the most iconic Hollywood studios, accompanied by Paramount Pictures and Lionsgate respectively. The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest media conglomerates worldwide, owning companies such as Pixar, Marvel and the media network ABC News. Despite Lionsgate not being a media conglomerate (owning several other companies under one dominant corporation), the media content Lionsgate publishes are known as ‘pick ups’, where they take films made by other sources and advert them under the brand of Lionsgate. Furthermore, it can be argued that Lionsgate is incomparable to Disney, based on the financial magnitude of the two companies; Disney’s market capitalisation as of August 2014 equated to approximately $155 billion, but Lionsgate accumulated to only $4.5 billion, significantly less than the likes of Hollywood-renowned Disney. Nevertheless, the low budget of Lionsgate has not hindered their success. Releases such as The Hunger Games series and multiple other franchises has been transformative for the company, with profitability levels soaring as a result of their low-cost runnings but extremely high profit margins. Conversely, Lionsgate initially struggled with making The Hunger Games, appearing in the film industry as a ‘low-key, hit or miss’ company. Once the books by Suzanne Collins had taken off and millions of copies had started to sell very quickly, the movie was not as victorious. After pressure increasing by fans and the first book reaching its climax, Lionsgate widened their budget up to $80 million, leading to the company falling into debt. As the yeas and fandom progressed, Lionsgate quickly converted their debt into profit, announcing themselves onto the global stage of producing the next generation of blockbuster films.

This article may apply to my studies, by noting how competitors may try to replicate their rivals when it comes to selling media products. Steve Neale’s genre theory shows us how newspapers, film and media content use similar materials or completely different concepts when creating a newspaper cover or film poster. Therefore, you could potentially link the emulations of similar designs in films, such as using red and weapons to present horror movies with companies trying to repeatedly use the ‘blockbuster strategy’, enabling producers to form closely linked ideas together into their films. The use of this method aims for media businesses to enhance their profitability, whilst reducing any costs made during manufacturing or production. This can be applied to our media studies, by identifying how genres have evolved over time, with Psycho being an initiator for horror movies. Over time, other companies have used the basis of Psycho to create their own film elements, incorporating changes into their designs (e.g. a cliffhanger or plot twist) to intrigue and captivate their audiences.

SHSG Print Advert and Elaborated Comments

 I have learnt various skills when utilising the DSLR cameras, such as using the aperture and action shot settings, applied to various surroundings. I also developed my understanding of adjusting the main and focus ring to capture detailed images. I adapted the camera with a shutter priority in order to take motion blur photos with accuracy. I was able to experiment with types of orientation modes, such as portrait and landscape in order to record the mise-en-scene in different perspectives.

Within Photoshop, I have been able to drag and import photos from Safari to use as my backdrop for my Sixth Form and perfume advert, providing depth and additional layers when producing classwork for Media Studies. Using the eraser, the selection tool and adjusting the font size have been crucial elements to my work which I have been able to incorporate into my studies, aiming to improve the overall quality of my adverts.

It was fascinating to explore the school from an entirely different viewpoint; through the lens of a camera. Taking the photos allowed myself to showcase the school in its' academic environment, whilst still maintaining a social and interactional manner by taking photos of students engaging with teachers and savouring extra-curricular opportunities (playing the piano in reception). However, a criticism of taking the photos during lesson time restricted my ability to take photos of students walking between periods and participating in lunchtime clubs. Next time I would continue to capture 'school-life' moments by using the camera during break and lunch, with student permission.

Prada - Perfume Advert

 My chosen demographic is aimed to represent the desires of young females, particularly those of a BC1 audience. This is because the fragrance features luxury and a variety of scents with flowers and jasmine essence. The unique selling point of a triangular bottle is appealing and enticing to viewers who may be captivated by an uprising idea advertised as a perfume in the media industry. The use of the simplistic design with limited writing on the bottle helps to amplify the prestige of the product. Accompanying this, the pink liquid and botanical wall are targeted towards the female audience, stereotypically associated with women and feminism. I used the slogan which is endorsed by Emma Watson, an activist who advocates for women's rights globally.I believe that my advert would be effective when published as it uses a hashtag as an allusion to a wider campaign. The colour palette is limited within the advert, specifically targeting the female-gendered demographic.

Super Curricular - The Hack: Episode 1

 

The Hack is entirely relevant within Media Studies, exploring one of the biggest missing person cases in history: the disappearance and major hacking scandal associated with Millie Dowler.  Episode 1 delves into the largest national scandal in media history, uncovering celebrities such as Piers Morgan, Wayne Rooney, including members of the Royal family such as Prince William, accountable for being victims of having multiple phones hacked. The true crime series is intriguingly captured from a first person perspective, with Nick Davies breaking the fourth wall. The episode begins with the breaking revelations made over Rupert Murdoch's media empire, reigning over one of the world's leading tabloids, News of the World. Investigating journalist Nick Davies exploits the truth behind the extensive investigations lasting over twenty years, resulting in the closure of a 168 year operation of the 'red top tabloid'.

The untimely corruption of the scandal lead to several prominent resignations within the organisation, such as Rupert Murdoch's son, holding the position of executive chairman within the company, as well as The Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson who was a prevalent figure in the Hillsborough disaster (1989). Sacrificing their careers after an anonymous cue as a lead towards the phone hacking scandal, Nick Davies and Alan Rusbridger - former editor chief of The Guardian exposes the underlying truths behind ringleaders of those who deliberately tampered the investigation. Furthermore, the case has arguably been named as the largest invasion of privacy within the UK legal system, compromising human rights and freedoms of the victims involved. The Hack is particularly significant for Media, as it can be addressed to the whole national audience as an affair of public interest, representing the zeitgeist during the investigation and those affected and is accessible to A, B, C1, and C2 audiences, gaining a large viewership for ITVX.