Social Action and Community Media

Social Action and Community Media

Existing Product Research

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Case Study: Think Before You Speak

Purpose: To change attitudes. To campaign. To create or strengthen communities

Aims:The aim of this campaign is to stop the use of negative language against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT). They aim to create a safer and more comfortable environment for LGBT students, as figures show that frequent harassment towards them occur at school and college.

Creative Media Production 2012

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Techniques:This advert uses a black and white image behind blocky yellow text. This is very eye-catching, while it also makes the text easy to read. The black and white image gives off a more serious impression than a colour image would. The copy is written in a straight forward manner which is easy for the majority of audiences to read and understand. The black box in the bottom right hand corner has short and snappy sentences along with two of them being questions, which makes the reader think and this is also including the reader or “you”. The large yellow font is blocky and all in capitals which draws the readers attention and it is easier to read that the white text in the black box. This piece of text looks more handwritten, as if one of the victims of this LGBT bullying is writing directly to you. The image in the background shows a male student who is likely to be a victim of this kind of harassment, who could have had the phrase “that’s so gay” said to him. The quote written over the top of the image could apply to him, as an experience of his own, which makes this aspect of the advert more personal.



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Impact: A recent survey conducted by the council shows that there is a large difference in attitudes and behaviours towards the use of offensive LGBT slurs.



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Case Study: Respect For Animals

Purpose: To campaign. To change attitudes. To raise awareness. To infiltrate mainstream media.

Aims:This campaign aims to persuade the public not to buy fur for legislation in order to make the selling of fur illegal. They are here to give voices to the poor animals who are slaughtered for their beautiful fur.


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Techniques:This advert uses black, white and greyscale for everything. The only part of the advert that is in colour is the logo for the campaign. The image is meant to look professional and looks like it would be used in a fashion magazine until you notice what is round the woman’s shoulders. The dead, skinned dog is a horrifying sight and looks incredibly out of place, given the nature of the rest of the shot. This image gives you a crude taste of the reality behind the manufacturing of fur clothing. The text on the advert shows a difference in size from top to bottom. This is how it draws you in. By having a larger piece of text at the top it catches your eye and you begin reading. The text gets smaller the further down the advert you read, and finally in the smallest type there is the information for the campaign. The quote at the top “One fur hat. Two spoilt bitches.” refers to how the dog has been used to make the fur hat the woman is wearing, and suggests that the woman is a “spoilt bitch” for owning a fur hat. The other “spoilt bitch” would be the dog, because it has had to be put through such cruelty just for the fur on it’s back.



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Impact: Respect For Animals had a good record of achievement and they have secured a ban on fur factory farming all over the UK. They have also been at the forefront of the consumer campaign in the UK which has led to the closure of the majority of fur outlets.



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Case Study: Smoke Free

Purpose: To change attitudes. To raise awareness. To campaign. To infiltrate mainstream media.

Aims:This campaign helps people who would like to quit smoking. Their website has lots of information that you can access and can get you on your way to a smoke-free life. They give professional assistance which can support you and deal with your immediate and long-term needs while you are quitting.


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Techniques:This advert in generally quite gruesome and shocking. Anyone who wasn’t educated on the different types of cancer wouldn’t know what a stoma is. “A TIP FROM A FORMER SMOKER” is what brings the whole advert together because the majority of the advert is linked to the man in the image. Having a picture of Shawn and a quote from him makes it more personal, and underneath the quote it tells you a little bit about him. It’s like he is giving you an insight into his experience with smoking, and the problems it caused him. “BE CAREFUL NOT TO CUT YOUR STOMA.” is almost like that is what he tells himself regularly whilst shaving, and that he is giving advice to other people, or even warning them that if they continue smoking this is what could happen to them. The quote is in a bold white text, all in capitals, and it has a small drop shadow to it as well. This means that it is the first thing you see and read when you look at the poster, and most likely the thing that caught your eye. The writing underneath the quote is smaller and less in-your-face, but it is still easy to read. Right at the bottom there is information about the campaign with a number and website. Creative Media Production 2012


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Impact:



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Case Study: NVEEE (Bullying)

Purpose: To campaign. To bring local, national, or global change. To change attitudes. To raise awareness.

Aims:This campaign aims to prevent bullying and suicide among youths, as well as families and communities through direct service, mentoring and prevention education.


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Techniques:This advert uses an image of a girl stood to the side of the frame. The girl’s right eye is bruised and sore, and over it are comments that have been made about her. The text over her eye has been placed in such a way that they are in the same shape as the bruising. Looking at the advert from a distance, the colour and shape of the words actually makes her eye look more bruised and it is hard to tell that there is text covering her eye. The text also links to the bruising which is, in reality, not actually hurting her physically, but mentally. The hurtful comments are bruising her mentally. Although there are no quotation marks, you are led to believe that the text on this advert are things that the girl has said about her experience of bullying. The font used is a simple sans serif font with some of the words in the piece of text on the top right being bigger than the others, obviously meaning for them to stand out the most and highlight the main points in the sentence. The text in the bottom right corner tells of the girl’s own experience and makes it seem more like she is telling you her story. This poster doesn’t have much colour, being the serious and saddening subject that it is advertising. Creative Media Production 2012


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Impact:



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Case Study: Trans Respect (Office of Human Rights)

Purpose: To campaign. To change attitudes. To raise awareness. To create or strengthen communities.

Aims:This organisation is responsible for upholding the rights of residents, workers, and visitors of the nation’s capital. It has updated the rules and regulations of the city for human rights enforcement. The organisation has also conducted a wide variety of awareness campaigns and educational projects.


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Techniques:This advert is quite simple and more formal in the way it is presented. The pieces of text on the advert vary in size, but unlike the other adverts I have written about, the size of the text does not decrease the further you get down the page. The main block of text that you notice first is obviously the biggest. The key point of that piece of text is typed in bold and in a different colour than the rest, making it match the banner along the bottom and also the colour of the woman’s top. The quote at the very top of the advert is written in a serif font, making it clear that it is something the person is saying, and a separate part of the advert. Given the layout, style and presentation of this poster it seems to be aimed more at adults and people who are better at understanding formal, sophisticated type. The woman in the image looks happy and friendly, and makes you feel like you would like to get to know her as a person, along with the small quote of what she likes to do in her free time. Closer to the bottom of the advert there is the normal information for the organisation, including other ways to get involved or gain more information on equal rights through social networking, showing that this organisation is making itself more accessible. Creative Media Production 2012


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Impact:Not only does this organisation provide a variety of awareness campaigns to educate people further, but they also created posters to advise customers about their rights in different areas including public accommodations, housing, employment, and education. Any employers are required by law to display specific employment-related posters in locations which are accessible to their employees.



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Case Study: Blue Apple Theatre

Purpose: Infiltrate mainstream media. To raise awareness. Create access to media for non-traditional groups (disability, ethnicity, social).

Aims:This organisation aims to challenge prejudice and raise the ceiling of expectation for adults with learning disabilities. They are particularly interested in the relationship between arts and health.


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Techniques: http://www.blueappletheatre.hampshire.org.uk/This website is quite simple and doesn’t use many colours, but it is also very easy to navigate around. The home page is useful in showing important links and information in the three columns. In the left column there are various awards that the organisation has gained and some ways in which to get involved with them. Throughout the website there is only the use of sans serif fonts, and the main body font appears to be Arial. Having the body font as Arial, along with the other fonts also being sans serif, means that the type is easy to read and clearer than if they had of used serif fonts instead. They may well have done this because of the audience they are targeting their organisation at. Some people with learning difficulties might not be able to read serif fonts as well as sans serif. The two images along the side give you an insight of the productions Blue Apple have done. The blue banner at the top of the website shows the logo of the organisation and also gives you a clear description of what Blue Apple is about just under their name.



http://www.blueappletheatre.hampshire.org.uk/

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Impact:Blue Apple have workshops and other programmes that can help build confidence and provide as a good communication tool for building relationships.



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Case Study: Year For Change (Conservative)

Purpose: To change voting behaviour. To campaign. To bring local and national change. To challenge dominant representations/agendas. To infiltrate mainstream media.

Aims:This advert is trying to get you to vote for David Cameron and the conservatives.


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Techniques:This advert uses only two short and simple sentences to get the message across. They use a sans serif font which is blue, to match the colour of the conservatives. The sans serif makes the text easy to read so that you can see it and read it quickly, giving the message a faster way of getting across to the audience. The blue of the text shows support to the conservative party, which is who the advert is representing. There is an image of David Cameron on the left side of the advert, which makes it clear who is in charge of this campaign. The background of the advert is blurred, which focuses your attention on the text and the image of David.



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Impact:



Social Action and Community Media

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