Shropshire Star Case Study

How Frequently is it published?
The Shropshire Star is published in seven editions which are published daily throughout the week Monday to Saturday. The paper is distributed to different regions in the Midlands throughout the day, the paper is published in these locations: Midday, Powys, Oswestry, North Shropshire, South/Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury and Last, which primarily serves the Telford area.

What is the cover price - or is it a free paper?
The cover price for the Shropshire Star is 42p. However if you have the Shropshire Star delivered to you door for six days a week you will pay a reduced price on the cover price.

Where/How is it sold?
The Shropshire Star is sold in many news agents around Shropshire, Telford and Oswestry.

Which Edition is it?
The Shropshire star is a county edition paper it gives the news from all around Shropshire. There are three editions of the paper a county, border (Welsh border) and south.

Who is the owner? How many other papers do they own?
The Shropshire star is owned by the Midland news association, they also own the Shrewsbury Chronicle and the Halesowen Chronicle along with many more papers.

What is the circulation? What is the readership?
The average readership is mainly adults which is 223,000 (54%) which means that the Shropshire star s a popular magazine for most people, seeing it is sold to over half the overall readership.

Describe the format and print quality
The format of the text in the Shropshire star is in 'justified' spacing which is common for most newspapers. The font used for the paper is a basic san-serif font which is used in the majority of the paper because in the close spacing on the paper it is easy to read. The reason why justified is used to space out the text on the paper is because it makes the column look neat and simple to read. The print quality for the Shropshire star is great the paper is crispy so it dose not rip while turning a page, the print quality for the paper is expected from all papers the ink dose not run when your fingers rub against it.

Describe the proportion of advertisement, both Display and Classified
there are not as many advertisement as you would expect to be in a paper in the Shropshire star there are a few pages in the back of the paper for advertisements and about 2 others mixed into the others with full page advertisements.

Calculate the proportion of a) International news b) National news c) Local news
The proportion of the news in the Shropshire star is split up into International, National and Local and is split into by International 10%, National 20% and Local 80 %

What type of local news are included?
The local news that is included is anything ranging from local school sports teams to international news.

What sort of news values operate throughout?
The news values in the shropshire star are split between: Relevant, Immediacy (news stories that happened the day of publishing appearing in the newspaper) , Interest, Drama and Entertainment, the news values are what make up the Shropshire Star are what make up any newspaper each newspaper has a mix of the specific news values. the types of news that are reported are, Emergencies, Crime, Local/National Government, Pressure Groups, Industry, Health, Human Interest, Personalities and Sport.

How are photographs used?
Photographs are used to grab the readers attention to the stories that are most popular in the world, an example of this is on the front page of the 3/03/12 edition. The pictures are used to grab peoples attention to the story about Prince Harry touring england. The pictures are colourful and vibrant showing natural aspects of Prince Harry.

Look at the language (vocabulary, syntax and mode of address) - what does that say about the target audience and how dose it reflect the style of the paper?
The language used in the Shropshire Star gives me the impression that the target audience for the paper is the working class.

How are various social groups represented? Young people; ethnic minorities; the elderly for example? Explain how the representation is constructed. How dose it reflect the audience?
As a whole the social groups are not represented poorly in the Shropshire Star they do not target a certain social group, the Shropshire Star dose not show any biased views to any social group and never give an un-accurate statement.

What other elements make up this paper, eg letters page? Account for the inclusion of each.
The other elements that made up the Shropshire Star are, the classifieds where people in shropshire can put there own advertisement in the paper for people to view so the readership can see what people are selling and promoting. Horoscopes are also involved in the paper because most people enjoy reading their futures. Also included sports news for the majority of people who like to read about there sports teams. Lastly there is a TV guide showing the days TV listings from 4pm to 1am.

What is the competition for this paper - discuss all media. What are the relative benefits of each competitor and how are they met by your paper.
The competition for the Shropshire Star is mainly the Sun and the daily express are the main competition for the Shropshire star because the are both daily newspapers that have a large readership. Each of the papers have a large readership which comes from the aspects of each paper the sun is mainly a sports paper and the Daily Express is a news paper giving more than just local news. the main competition for the Shropshire Star is TV and radio news.

Do they have a website? If so describe the content.
The Shropshire Star website contains most the stories including sports, weather, adverts, videos, pictures and blogs.

Outline any digital versions of the Star
The only digital version i know of is the Shropshire Star app for iPod and iPad.

Can you get the news from the Star in any other format?
On the Shropshire Star website you can download an app for your iPod or iPad where you pay £1.59 per week and you get six days of the paper downloaded but the first week is free which gives you 6 papers.

Do the owners own any other media, eg radio/TV
MNA (Midlands News Association) own the Shropshire Star they used to operate a radio station in Shrewsbury and Worcestershire but as of December 2011 they were taken down, the stations were called The Severn and The Wyre.

Newspaper Notes (Part 2)

• Newspapers are read by a majority of adults every week.
• local papers are more trusted.
• 1,600 associated in the UK.
• the local press is the UK's most popular print media, read by 33 million people a week.
• 42 million unique users rely on their local newspaper websites every month.
• more than 6,100 local newspapers are sold or distributed in the UK every minuet.
• local newspapers (60%) are the first media people turn to rase awareness of a local issue or problem.
• local media employs over 30,000 people including 10,000 journalists.
• eighty-five per cent of local newspaper readers in britain say it is more important that their local paper keeps them informed about local council issues.
• over 60% of people act on the advertisements in local newspapers.
• newspapers (30%) and TV advertising (56%) have more impact upon consumers that magazines (17%), radio (15%) an outdoor (15%).
• 89 paid daily newspapers
• 11 free daily newspapers
• 4 paid daily newspapers
• 10 paid sunday newspapers
• 5 free sunday newspapers
• 487 paid weekly titles
• 17 paid weekly with free pick-ups
• 494 free weekly newspapers
• 35 free weekly newspapers with pick-up
• 4 free pick-ups only (weekday).
• over stand-alone magazines and productions.
• over 1,600 websites (doubled over 5 years).
• radio stations.
• television stations.
• 71% of all adults read a regional newspaper.

Newspaper Notes (part 1)

• High proportion of local news- therefore a high level of "meaningfulness"- but with enough national/international news to keep a high 'solus' readership (people will ONLY buy the Shropshire Star)
• Editioniseing- to keep even more local focus (used to have editions for North Shropshire; South Shropshire; Oswestry; Shrewsbury; Welsh border and Bridgnorth)
• Fleeing of independence is promoted - its pro-community rather than pro-any particular political party (e.g. Wem town hall and swimming baths stories in the past)
• good value 56-72 pages often 9 stories on the front page 17 stories per page avg. 33-34 mins reading, Variety of content, delivery mechanism - £2.10 a week for 6 editions inc. delivery anywhere - even in outlying rural areas- with network of own vans and delivery boys/girls
• mode of address is friendly and direct e.g. 'your star' 'call us' 'try your luck' 'we're here to help' 'all your weekly viewing listings' 'our pete ....' 
• fairly simple syntax and vocabulary written in short sentences, yet quite copy heavy and detailed at times
• some use puns and alliteration in headlines e.g. 'weight for it' 'fun with files' 'corking price for vintage opener' 'deer oh deer' 'villagers kick up a stink over vile smell' 
• supplements for a different sections of audience e.g. women, cars, home, jobs, business, weekend, weddings, schools, special events
• voice of the reader local letters classifieds and announcements a high proportion of the stories come from the readership unlike other news providers e.g. coffee morning 'flower group hold meeting' 'hall in appeal for volunteers' 'indie band bassist appeal'
• the community is represented positively (whether rural village life or the bigger towns like shrewsbury or telford, the good self image encourages sales. positive values represented include being caring (of people and environment ) and charitable e.g. 'kind hearted village' 'tree planting idea to remember brian' 
• promoting pleasant environment 
• pro animal
• child centred child's play supplement fire safety in schools fundraising events invite to join children's club
• harking the past nostalgia photo every day 'vintage morris back on road' '40 years since film won oscer'
• lively social life 'band at community centre' 'concert to rock against racism' 'rockers joining festivle line up'
• service to community ad listings public service details (council trips; chemists, planning, applications ect.).
• Competitions and offers (e.g. win a dream wedding)
• Range of methods to get the Shropshire Star: Print; Online as a website; Emailed or as E-edition (£1.50 as a Copy); Mobile?

The Ring Essay

The Ring (2002)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson


The film starts off by showing two girls watching TV when they start talking about a videotape that kills you seven days after watching it. One of the girls says that after you watch it the phone rings and the voice on the other end of the phone tells you that you will die in seven days. The whole film is basically trying to beat death, a good way to make the audience feel tension in the film is showing the tape at the near beginning which gives it a view as you watching the film to the end will save you from the seven day death.


The way people are represented in the Ring gives me the idea that they are all normal people living normal lives until they find the videotape and get thrown head first into the supernatural world, the videotape shows the viewer what i believe was going through Samara mind during the seven days she was down in the well. The reason the tape did not kill Naomi Watts was because she made a copy of the tape and passed it on. The way that the people represented are in my opinion how i would expect people to react if there was proof to the videotape, people would always try and save there own skin which is why this film is a great horror film because it plays with your mind thinking how you are able to survive the seven days.


The legal and ethical for the Ring is it was a remake from a Japanese film called Ringu, so there would be legal issues if the director of Ringu filed a copyright court order but seeing that the film was a american remake they had to get permission from the original film director before being able to start the filming. The ethical for the Ring was that the videotape was like a gateway to hell showing the hell Samara went though down the well seven days is how long she survived in the well giving the people who watch the tape a chance to fight death and find a way to live past the seven days. 


The Ring gives out a lot of death throughout the film which seeing that the film originates from Japan Samara Morgan reminds me of a shinigami aka the Japanese god of death. The dead girl in the well could also be referred to the story of Okiku, a Japanese folklore which has been adapted a few times each involves the main theme which is a slave girl who was tricked into believing to of lost a family heirloom of the family she works for and ends up being killed and thrown down a well, the spirit of the girl lives on until someone comes and helps her find the last heirloom which never existed. This folklore was the base for the original Ring film.

Conventions of a Newspaper

Masthead: the newspaper's name, often in traditional gothic lettering. It may not have changed for many years and is the easiest way to identify a newspaper.

Headlines: the largest typeface on the page for the important story.

Sub-heads: in a similar typeface to explain more about the story.

Lead story: a story chosen to be most interesting by readers.

By-line: journalists name and details.

Alignment: most newspapers use justified to right the articles.

Photographs: in colour or black and white used to attract the readers eyes to the story.

Advertisement: used to attract the readers view to a certain product or charity (The Hill Valley Preservation Society in this case)

not shown on this newspaper but appears in others:

Puns, slogans, Puffs or Blurbs, Secondary Lead, Graphic, Rule, Column, Reversed Out(White Text on Black background) Menu, Small Add and Display Add

Fonts used in a Newspaper are in San-Serif and Serif. 

Frankenstein Essay

Frankenstein (1931)

Directed by: James Whale
Staring: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke and Boris Karloff

The structure of the film is a non-linier narrative. The film does not show how Henry Frankenstein got the idea to bring life to a lifeless body, it just shows you the collection of the body parts. The film later explains why Henry Frankenstein and his assistant Fritz were acquiring fresh dead bodies, the film follows a linier way to tell the story but it starts in the middle causing the film to be a non-linier film. 

At the beginning of the film a man walks out from behind curtains to  give a greeting and a warning to the audience, his 'friendly warning' is: "We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even horrify you. So if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to uh, well, we warned you." this gives the film a theatrical feel to it so you feel as though instead of watching a film you are watching a play it also sets the scene and puts a degree of suspense and anticipation to the audience. In the opening credits to the film Boris Karloff's name was not shown, in place of his name by the monster's character was a '?'. Again this adds a degree of suspense and mystery to the character. 


The images created in the film give it a different look to other films made at the time, because the sets used in the film look more like a set for a play rather than a film. There is very little camera movement in the film, when it is used it is to give an air of suspense the camera moves at the beginning of the film to show the surroundings then to show Henry and Fritz hiding, waiting to dig up the grave. The only camera movement in the film is designed purely to build up suspense. The sound of the thunder during the build up to the lightning scene, shows each crack of thunder getting louder, and the gap between them shortens,  this is another way of intensifying the suspense. The most famous line from the Frankenstein films "It's alive", is not interrupted by thunder because it is the most important line in the film, the films mise-en-scene gives it a dismal look which makes the film seem even darker in a true gothic sense.


The characterisation of society in the film is shown through the use of the towns people in the film when they all go to hunt and kill the monster as a result of the murder of a small girl by the monster. The town all rally together when the father of the young girl who the monster killed walking into the town as the festivities are going on for the Frankenstein wedding, as the father walks up to Baron Frankenstein and explains the murder of his daughter, Baron Frankenstein then organises the town to go and search for the monster they split into three groups and search in the mountains, forrest and lake. They find Henry Frankenstein and the monster running into a windmill where they surround and kill the monster. This shows the fear of the towns people towards the monster and for all that it stands. They view it as an abomination of nature and "un-godlike".


Legal and ethical constraints on the film Frankenstein caused a few scene cuts, cutting out parts of the film because of the disturbing nature of some of the scenes. The scene where the monster throws the girl into the river was cut out at the point when the monster outstretches his arms then it cuts to the next scene. This was deemed as too much for an audience to accept, even now in modern films scenes showing the murder of children are rarely shown as they are deemed to disturbing for audiences. Other parts of the film that were cut out in the film were the start of Frankensteins line which was "Now I know what it feels like to be God!" this was viewed as being blasphemous and far too controversial, the line was overdubbed by the sound of thunder on the soundtrack and therefore shortened the line to "It's alive". In the scene where they are sedating the monster, there was a close up of the needle going into the skin that was taken out of the film, as it was felt that the audience would be too squeamish and horrified by the scene. The last cut was some of the footage that showed Fritz taking pleasure in tormenting the monster, this it was felt, would possibly enrage the audience. The reason there were cuts in the film were down to the film restrictions at the time, in the 75th anniversary it showed the scenes which were cut in the original.


At the time of the release of this film, audiences had never seen films such as this with such graphic scenes and subject matter. When this film was released there were no age restrictions as to who could and could not view this film, so censorship played a large part in the editing, and most censorship was left with the studio who were the arbiters of taste and morality. Most censorship was imposed to ensure maximum viewing attendance, thus ensuring maximum profit for the studio. Now the restrictions on editing and censorship have changed drastically.

The Devil Rides Out (1968) Essay

The Devil Rides Out

Director: Terence Fisher

Staring: Christopher Lee, Charles Gray and Nike Arrighi

(Video Link)

Set in 1930s London and the south of England, the story finds Duc de Richleau (Christopher Lee) investigating the strange actions of the son of a friend, Simon, who has a house complete with strange markings and a Pentagram. He quickly deduces that Simon is involved with the Occult. Richleau and Rex van Ryn rescue their friend Simon Aron and another young initiate, Tanith, from a devil worshipping cult. During the rescue they disrupt a ceremony on Salisbury Plain in which Satan himself appears. They escape to the home of the Eatons, friends of Richleau and van Ryn, and are followed by the group's leader, Mocata, who has a psychic connection to the two initiates. After visiting the house to discuss the matter and an unsuccessful attempt to influence the initiates to return, Mocata forces Richleau and the other occupants to defend themselves through a night of black magic attacks. Their successful defence ultimately results in Mocata himself paying the price of loss of life and eternal damnation of his soul for having wrongly summoned the angel of death.

first proposed in 1963, the film eventually went ahead four years later once censorship worries over Satanism had eased. Production began on 7 August 1967 and the film starred Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Patrick Mower and Paul Eddington. The screenplay was adapted by Richard Matheson from Wheatley's novel. In the United States the film was retitled The Devil's Bride. Christopher Lee has often stated that of all his vast back catalogue of films this is his favourite and the one he would like to see remade with modern special effects and with him playing a mature Duc de Richleau.




The Legal and ethical for the devil rides out