MSVC 105: Celbrities and Stardom

For this assignment i chose the following essay question -

A star image ‘speaks to us in terms we can understand about things that are important to us’ (Dyer)
With reference to specific examples suggest how audiences ‘use’ stars.
I decided to anaylse the fans of stars particularly hip hop fans, and discover what different ways audiences interact with stars and for what reasons.

Read my assignment HERE

MSVC 104: Genre: Assignment

For this assignment we had to chose one genre to analyse, and attempt to uncover factors which make up that genre through deconstruction of a chosen text, for example iconography and narrative. I chose the gangster film genre and my text was Martin Scorsese's Casino (1995).
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MSVC 102 Postmodernism Literature Review

We had to pick one theoretical area to write abut from the ones we having been studying. I chose postmodernism as i felt i needed to read more around the subject as i wasn't sure about the concept . I was pleased with how this assignment went and feel i am regaining my essay writing skills slowly!

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MSVC 103: Assignment 1

This was the text i chose for the close textual analysis. Apart from being one of my favorite films, it was also shot in Cardiff so i felt it to be quite topical and interesting to watch it again now i actually live here! Justin Kerrigan directs and gives an fair social commentary of British youth culture in the 90's.

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Curriculum Vittae

Qualifications

GCSE
Mathematics B
English Literature A
English Language B
Science (Double Award) C
German C
Art C
Geography C
Information Technology C
Design Technology E

AS Levels
Geography C
Media Studies C
English Literature C

A Level
Geography C
Media Studies C
English Literature D

Non Examination Subjects

Philosophy, Religion, Ethics and Citizenship, Physical Education


Commendations

Information Technology
English
Geography
Science
2001 Bronze Award for outstanding all round achievement

Special Academic Awards & Achievements

June 2001 Bronze Award, UK Maths Challenge

Employment
Position/Location/Date

Kitchen Porter / The Stags Head / May 2003 - Jan 2004
Kitchen Porter / Dunster Castle Hotel / May 2004 - Feb 2005
Food Production and sales / Shepherds Plaice / Nov 2005 Aug 2006
Plastics Engineer / Deso Engineering / August 2006 - September 2007
Barman / The Quay Inn / May 2008 - Present

Extra Curricular Activities / Skills

I have been a keen surfer since 1995, growing in confidence and skill each season. I also enjoy playing basketball, and twice attended Milfield Basketball Camp, allowing me to increase my ability. I am a keen football fan, supporting West Ham United and enjoy attending both home and away fixtures. I have a deep interest in film, keeping up with the latest releases, and have the beginnings of a varied DVD collection of both modern and classic films. am a fast learner and a dedicated worker with experience of full time employment for a successful company.

Personal Progress Entry

I have just completed my first assignment and feel relieved to have done so. I will be publishing a version of my analysis on here in due course. It felt good to actually have something to tune my brain into and am eagerly anticipating feedback. I found the analysis difficult in certain areas, i found i was repeating myself and had to make some adjustments after proof reading my work. I'm not sure why this was the case. If it was the fact i ran out of points to make because of my choice in sequence and frame or because of detail and depth of my analysis. But i'm sure this will become clear after we receive feedback.

Text in The City

We were set the task to take pictures of different forms of visual media texts that represented different forms of culture within our new home Cardiff. These are what we came up with.

This image represents to me the vast range of restaurants available in Cardiff. Cardiff offers a extensive collection of restaurants offering food from different cultures. The sign is bright and bold, and is also illuminated as are many signs in Cardiff. This draws the eye and gives the city a modern feel. This text signifies to me Cardiff has a wide choice of food from different cultures, also representing the different cultures that live within the city. This was an attraction of city life to me as this choice was never readily available to me before!


This image is an advertisement found outside a beauty salon. It shows the culture of the people of Cardiff, focusing on women in particular. I thought this was an interesting image as in coincided with discussions in our lectures relating to the representation of women within the media. This text is built up of several images showing different representations of women either receiving beauty treatment or simply looking good. This highlights an ideology that people have a need to look beautiful which is becoming more apparent in modern society especially among women. We were discussing how representations of women within magazines have added to this idea.


This text shows the wales millennium center. The writing on the building is in welsh, signifying the countries language. In modern welsh society, Cardiff in particular, only a small percentage of the population speak welsh. This and many other texts around Cardiff show a sense of pride in maintaining the use of the language. The letters are large and illuminated, which give breathe life and color into a building which has established its reputation as one of the World`s iconic arts and cultural destinations. This shows Cardiff's efforts to strive forward as a major European city.