News and Semiotics

Front Page Headline: Queen's tax haven scandal

News Values

1. Threshold- the Queen has a great impact on most people in the UK.
2. Unexpectedness- the day before this story, no one in the public would have known about this scandal therefore it is unexpected.
3. Negativity- this is negative because it seems as if the Queen and other people have been deceiving the public because they haven't been paying tax. 
4. Elite persons/Places- The Queen is the elitist person in the UK. 
5. Unambiguous- It is easy to understand that the Queen along with others have invested their money offshore which means they aren't paying all their taxes in the UK. 
6. Personalisation- If they had just said 'Important Peoples £10 million Tax Haven Scandal' then it would not have the same effect as using the 'Queen'.
7. Proximity- As this is happening in the UK in London it is close to home for many people reading this newspaper.
8. Continuity/Currency- As this piece of news only came out yesterday, it hasn't had the time to continue. However it will still be in the news for many days because more people are being named in the tax haven scandal. 

Audience

The stereotypical reader for the Daily Mirror are Labour Party voters. However these people are low income, they religiously feel that anyone with a posh accent is evil.

Judging this information above the Queen is a prime example of someone with a posh accent hence why she is presented in such a negative light. 

Another reason why this newspaper has targeted its audience well is that Theresa May is portrayed unfavourably because May is from the Tory Party.

Masthead- The name 'Daily Mirror', the word 'mirror' could suggest reflection, they reflect on each piece of news they receive. The masthead is all in capital letters which suggests boldness and that the information is factual and simple.

Layout and Style- On this cover there are 3 headlines/ lead stories. It is reasonably easy to identify these three sections as they are have different colours and are compartmentalise into three boxes. The main image seems to be the couple who left Strictly, however the main headline is the Queen's tax haven scandal. The fact that the Queen's scandal takes up half the page, shows that this is the focus of the newspaper another thing about this headline is that it is in a bold large typeface which is quite in your face and it forces an opinion to the reader therefore we can't really form an opinion ourselves.

Language- The language is very simplistic, there are no 'big words' that cannot be understood. All the words are in short quick snippets making it easy for the reader to read, this means that the readers can decide in a short space of time, whether they want to buy this newspaper.

Connotations/Denotations

The red colour in the masthead clearly shows that the Daily Mirror support the Labour Party. The red poppy within the masthead is obviously a special as it is the month of November but this connotes the war and soldiers who have died, this shows the newspaper care about this    and are happy to present it on their front cover. The different typefaces for the different articles show that the articles are varied and different. The use of the stand first 'cash secrets of super rich' being written in red connote there love for labour as well and also the colour red generally suggests danger and therefore we think the Queen's scandal is dangerous- they are planting ideas into our heads. 

Front page Headline: Sex scandal will 'clear out' ministers

News Values

1. Threshold- Government ministers have a big impact on the UK, as they have significant control over our control.
2. Unexpectedness- shock factor that it's the ministers accused of sex scandals.
3. Negativity- both sex scandals and home- schooling loophole have an interest on readers, as they create both disappointment and upset.
4. Elite persons/places- the ministers have an important role in government, so it is more intriguing to see if it's true. Also, the representation of Trump is a leading role of USA, who are a big nation.
5. Unambiguous- the use of headings and subheadings makes the story easy to understand, as they tell you what you need to know. However, the main image can be difficult to understand, as there is little or relevant information on the subject.
6. Personalisation- the closest thing to personalisation is the '20 people' killed in the Texas Church shooting, however if they included the young girl that sadly dies, it would have had more impact and human interest. 
7. Proximity- the sex scandal is occurring around London, which is within close proximity to many people, so they feel more interest in the story. 
8. Continuity/currency- the story based around the offshore funds has been increasing in names of rich or famous people that have been 'exploiting the poor'.

Audience

The stereotypical audience for the Daily Telegraph are conservative supporters. The Daily Telegraph may want their audience to be people who disapprove of the rich, due to their negative depiction of the offshore funds. However, this news has been put aside, suggesting they want Trump to be the main focus, where anyone who has an interest or hate in Trump would want to read about him. 

Masthead

Unlike several other newspapers, The Daily Telegraph have a masthead in lower case letters. The main interest is focused on the font style, which isn't simplistic, but is more stylised. It appears in a old-fashioned and traditional way, further implying they want their readers to be older people.

Layout and Style

In this newspaper cover there are roughly 10 mini articles which go into brief detail, they are clearly separated on the page so it is easy to read them quickly. I feel the picture of Donald Trump in the middle is quite confusing because it is obviously the main image but it doesn't seem to correlate with the articles surrounding it, I feel the image is just to cover the page up and as Trump is a massive topic at the minute, the editors have just put it on the page to please their readers. 

Language

The language in the headlines seems to be formal, they are not trying to make puns or provide comedic language to the reader, this shows the the newspaper is purely there to provide facts to their readers without any colloquial distraction. The language used to describe the Queen's offshore funds is quite neutral, they are not depicting her badly but they aren't presenting her positively either.  

Analysis of Film Opening (Ghost Ship)

 Analysis of Ghost Ship Opening

  In this opening of the film, there are various signs that hint to  the audience what is about to happen.

Firstly in this film opening, the title is in a pink, soft font, this deceives the audience because it makes them think it is either a 

romantic or Disney film. The camera angle circles around the boat as if it is a ghost surrounding its prey. Once you get inside 

the boat, the female singer is wearing a red glamorous dress, this could either connote love and passion or blood and death.

Behind the singer there are males playing the violin and the strings on the instrument could foreshadow the wire that soon

slices the dancers on the rooftop, the producers have given us a snapshot of what is about to come. In front of the vocalist, there is a

waiter who's wearing a slightly regimented waiters outfit, as he is serving champagne to the crowds he has an eye-line match with the

singer which shows that they are hiding something together that no one else knows. Also below deck, there is a limbless statue that appears in a cylinder of water near the dancing stage, this is again a sign that people are soon going to be sliced in half, losing the limbs. When the camera moves to the top deck where the stage is for dancing, the female singers voice is heard through a speaker, this makes the music sound echoed which carries eerie connotations, it is also where the event happens.

Then the camera turns to a young girl sitting down playing a game on the floor, the fact that she is the only child that we see on the boat suggests that she is vulnerable but she appears very innocent as she is wearing a white dress (white connoting innocence). Another factor making her seem exposed is the fact she is sitting in front of flowers; which represent life (that is soon going to be destroyed). the flowers are also red that hints to the massacre of blood that will soon be showed.   

 

In the opening there are many signs that it will be a wire that will kill the people on deck. the first hint is the boat itself because it is straight like the wire. Another hint from the boat is that it looks very much like the Titanic and everyone knows that has a bad ending. The light that beams across the boat could also foreshadow the slicing at the end.

 

 

 

Semiotics in Film Covers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Semiotics in Bridget Jones's Baby

(Denotations and Connotations)

The female lead is carrying a red iPad case, this carries the connotation of love and passion which is in her hands, she is in control of it and she writes about her love life and displays it in her diary. The woman is holding the iPad tightly, this could connote that she doesn't want anyone else to see it. The tight grip could suggest it is her secret. The fact that the woman is stood in the middle suggests that she is the focus of the film, also the title has her name in a different colour making it vibrant and therefore it stands out. 

Both males are opposite each other on the cover, this highlights their opposite personalities. Another reasoning for Bridget being in the centre of both males is suggestive that she is being fought over. The male on the left seems to be wearing smart clothing (suit and tie) which could connote that he is a professional figure whereas the male on the right is wearing less formal clothing suggesting that he has more of a laid back attitude. Another observation is that both males appear behind the woman which could mean that she is oblivious to the males fighting over her as she cannot see either of them.