Hotel Gotham Manchester

THE place to stay. Yesterday (16th April) me and my boyfriend booked via secret escapes to stay at Hotel Gotham. A brand new 5 star hotel located in Manchester city centre. Minutes away from stylish restaurants and bars making it the perfect location. The location itself is surrounded my railway stations just a few minutes walk away and less than 10 miles from Manchester Airport for those guests who are travelling that little bit further. The Hotel claims to brag about it's new stylish private bar on the top floor. However for younger guests like myself, 18, this sadly wasn't available to us as it is for over 21's - upsetting but perhaps more exclusive for older guests.

One thing that is quite deceiving is the entrance. The hotel is on King Street but perhaps more Spring Fields. The hotel is a shared building with 'Jamie's restaurant' making the entrance to Gotham on the side. If you look for 'Rosso' and 'Vivienne Westwood' then you've found it as the entrance is across the road from 'Vivienne Westwood'. Me and my boyfriend found this a handy tip to tell the taxi drivers as Gotham only opened 10 days prier to our stay, making it a new destination for them as well as ourselves.

Once we got there we was greeted by the most pleasant door man you could possibly meet and I am so upset I didn't catch his name because hats off to him! Friendly, helpful and more than happy to be of assistance. Oh and major moustache points the ends were curled perfectly, a fine touch. The first thing I noticed about Gotham were it's quirky vibes. The ceiling lights were opened umbrella's and the handle held the light - attention to detail in this hotel was excellent. The door man then kindly called the lift for us, taking us to the 6th floor where Reception is located.

Here we checked in, fast and easy. The only detail we found misleading was the deposit as when we got there we were asked for a £100 deposit. This however caused no issues for us and was then greeted with a complimentary drink of cloudy apple mixed with vanilla vodka. The service was unfaultable from start to finish.

After making our way to the room we once again was not disappointed. It was opulent. The standard had been set. I'll insert some images down below so you can see our room. Our room came with free Wi-Fi, ironing board, mini fridge with complimentary water, shower and body lotions and of course our very own copy of  'The Gotham Bugle'. Around the room we noticed some things had price tags on them. For example an umbrella which was hanging in the wardrobe, mugs in the mini bar and the bath robes, dare I say in the bathroom or would that just be over explanatory...? On the tag it read something along the lines of 'fill up your swag bag and take it to the checkout' You can actually buy some of the Gotham themed merchandise. After finding the 'swag bag' located in the draw I decided it was a must have as a souvenir of our wonderful stay. The swag bag itself was probably the cheapest item to purchase costing £10.

The room itself was spacious. The hall way was long and the bathroom was exceptionally large. Our room had no bath but the shower made up for that. The Frying pan sized shower head created that water fall style shower but the option of a smaller shower head which you could also take off the wall was there also. They cater for everyone. The bed was super comfy and came with a faux fur throw draped casually over the white bed sheets adding that vintage chic touch and by the weight of the thing you could tell it was of high quality - after all it is 5 star and oh so worthy of it. The room also came with a velvet chair and a black trunk used as a table creating a small seating area. On here were a selection of high end magazines such as Bizarre and quirky ornaments. The room contained bed side tables and a desk. The desk chair in a way resembled a directors chair but black leather. The high ceilings allowed them to hang the mirror on chains, chains were also used to hang photos fitting to the theme. Our room also came with a wonderful city view.

When we returned from our night out to Deansgate Locks, which only cost us £4.70 in a taxi each way, we found our bed sheets turned down with the decorative pillows placed at the side of the wardrobes and best of all a little treat. Two bat shaped, glazed shortbread cookies had been left in a glass jar at the side of our bed. I got way to excited over this but I found it a fabulous touch.

Security in the hotel is high. To enter the building after door man hours you need to swipe your key card for you to enter the lobby. Once in the lift and on your floor to get onto the hallway again a swipe of the key card is needed. Then like most hotels the procedure from then on is the same; swipe the key on your door and place it in the holder once in the room to access the lighting.

I don't even know where to begin. DE-LIC-OUS. Breakfast was once again worthy of those 5 stars, even six. With the option of continental; croissants, cereal, pastries, toast and fruit, that would make a fine breakfast on it's own. But the cooked was even better. Both me and my boyfriend opted for the full English, out of the several options there were available, and it was so so yummy - not a crumb left. I mean in the words of my boyfriend after finishing 'Is it rude if I lick the plate?' When it comes to a full English the decider for me is the sausage and it was a winner from me. No fat what so ever just good quality meat. The bacon - good. The potato rosti - good. Beans - good. Mushrooms - good. Eggs - (I opted for scrambled) divine. Black pudding... I'm sorry but I can't comment on that as I asked for my breakfast without. Service again was excellent, unlimited tea and coffee and even the manager popped in to say hello which I found lovely. The overall layout again was fitting of the hotel with type writers hanging on the walls and perfect city views it was a lovely way to start the day.

Check out like most places was 11am, breakfast finishes at 10am and check in is 2pm. It cost us £119 through booking with a limited time only deal on secret escapes. This included breakfast as well which is normally £15 per head but I know booking.com have featured good deals and even directly through Hotel Gotham themselves. Even if there isn't a deal on I would happily return again and pay full price. In fact I'm already looking...

                                                       

 

Would it ever be the same?

It's always been a dream of mine to work in a coffee shop or even one day open that cute little quirky coffee shop that everyone loves, purely because I love coffee. There is something so enjoyable about sitting there with a good cup of coffee made to your taste and catching up with friends, clearing your mind, reading the paper or my favourite thing to do - people watch. To those who know me the word 'coffee' is overly used in my daily vocabulary. I cannot even begin to stress it. In my view there is never a bad time for coffee. But this got me thinking would having that as a job make me hate the experience?

I mean I used to love getting my hair done but now every time I go to the hairdressers, because working there is my job, there is something about the experience that makes me feel a little... on edge? Like when I get asked 'Do you want a drink while your waiting?' I feel like I should be getting my own drink and serving myself. Or when I'm done I should clean up the hair on the floor. I should be the one getting my coat out of the wardrobe and hanging up my gown. Is it just me who feels this way?

I feel as though it is something I want to enjoy but subconsciously my mind is still set in work mode. This all just got me thinking that what if I did get a dream job in a coffee shop, would getting a coffee ever be the same again?

I'm just too scared to find out.

P.S if you yourself are a coffee lover and haven't already, go to Starbucks and try their maple macchiato before it's too late... x

A helping hand

The one thing I don't want my posts to be is consistent. I want it to help different people. This post today part my A2 media coursework. Its my analysis. It is here for those people studying AS media this year as insight of what they will be faced with next year. I chose to analyse DVD's for A2 as I studied magazines last year, a common choice. As this years work can't be the same as last year DVD felt like a safe option for me. This required me to produce a detailed analysis on my chosen genre/sub-genre of film I was going to 'produce' alongside a DVD cover, poster and an evaluation of why you did what you did.

There are three options you can focus your work around these being:
-Representation (of gender, youth or ethnicity)
-Generic conventions (what makes the type of film fit that category)

In the end I chose horror as my genre focusing on the sub-genre of supernatural. I opted to look at the generic conventions exploring what makes a horror supernatural. It is important to choose a genre which is accessible to you. For example if you choose to do a DVD on a space documentary how realistic are the chances of you being able to go up into space to take your pictures. So make you sure you think logically.

Once you have chosen your topic you will be then faced with your 3000 word essay. Now I know it sounds daunting, trust me I've been that girl sat in the glass with her head slammed down on the desk thinking 'my life is over'. Now I can tell you honestly it's not. This is what you need to do...

Your first step is pretty simple, you need to choose two existing trailers to analyse that are classed as your chosen genre. Or if you was doing representation on women perhaps find a trailer with negative connotations of women and one positive then you have a contrast. But as I was doing generic conventions of supernatural horror I put my focus on 'Oculus' trailer and 'The Conjuring'. The quicker you choose your trailers or even DVD covers the faster you will be on your way to making a start.

After you have analysed your data you can then begin. You basically need to explain your findings and support them with quotes. Find out how the genre came about, what's typical about it, rankings, grossing, stock characters, the mood, iconography. All things that make it typical of the genre.

TIP- always link or make a note of where you have found this quote from. For example a website link, a book (don't forget the page number) or theorist. These will need to be referenced in your bibliography to exclude you from plagiarism.

If you want to see my finished DVD cover and poster I may import pictures of my work so you can see how my production reflects my findings. If your production doesn't reflect what you found then it's easy marks missed.

I got an A for this work, four marks off top marks.

An investigation into the genre conventions of horror films focusing on the sub-genre of supernatural with specific reference to Oculus and The Conjuring trailers.

Genre is a way of classifying films into categories. They use codes and conventions which are expected from the audience within a particular genre. ‘The word ‘genre’ means type, or kind, and in relation to film has become a means by which groups of films can be distinguished from one another. In order to be able to group together different films, the genre system identifies key elements that are shared within a group of films’ (Jones, Tanya; Fraser, Peter (Editor). Level Film Studies for WJEC.) The purpose of the horror genre is to produce the outcome of negative emotional reaction which plays on the audiences primal existing fears. Tim Dirks says horror is designed to ‘frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience’.

 

Daniel Chandler explored the conventional definitions of genre and found that they tend to be based on the notion that constitute particular conventions of content and form which are shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them. In terms of historical values horror was once much simpler. In 1990 Steve Neale focused his research within the repetition of style within films that later became recognised as an influence of genre. “Specific systems of expectations and hypothesis which spectators bring with them to the cinema and which interact with the films themselves during the course of the viewing process.”

 

Supernatural films are often anchored with themes of ‘gods or goddesses, ghosts, apparitions, spirits, miracles, and other similar ideas or depictions of extraordinary phenomena’ , however, until recently, supernatural films were presented in a comical, whimsical, or a romantic fashion, and ‘were not designed to frighten the audience’. Due to the genre’s constant development, and ongoing social changes, horror is often divided into sub-genres or mixed with another genre becoming a hybrid ‘There are also many hybrids that have combinations of fear, fantasy, horror, romance and comedy.’ (Film site)

The subgenre supernatural is a successful genre however recent movies exploring the genre have been less so. According to box office ‘The Sixth Sense’ ranks in at number one for the best-selling supernatural film bringing in a life time gross of ‘$293,506,292’ when released on the 6^th august 1999. Almost 14 years later and the film ‘The Conjuring’ ranked in at 5 bringing in a lifetime gross of $137,400,141 in the year 2013. It made not even half the amount implying perhaps recent supernatural films are not as popular. Theorist Marxism (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels would say that this is due to class struggle as they believed social change occurs because of the struggle between classes in society who are constantly competing to improve their conditions. (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=supernaturalhorror.htm)

The Conjuring trailer opens with a transition of Warner Brother’s production logo; the lighting is low key and the screen is filled with a dark sky making the colour palette very dark. This allows the audience to identify the anchored genre of what they are about to see. For audience appeal non-diegetic music has been added to the transition of a thunder like noise which connotes a storm and implies the action is going to begin straight away. ‘A play with diegetic and non-diegetic conventions can be used to create ambiguity (horror)’ (http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htm) The audience are then shown a horror trope, generally used within sub-genre of supernatural, of a home filming of the action. This provokes the audience into believing the story line as it looks more realistic especially because The Conjuring is ‘based on a true story’ the tracking shot has been used to follow the action along. However, the camera itself is shaky causing the meaning of this to be ambiguous implying fear of the unknown, a theme of horror, and/or the fact that the person filming is not a professional. The diegetic music within the scene of a child’s laugh enhances the fear in the scene as children connote innocence, so it acts as a paradox raising the tension.

The genre gets anchored to supernatural when a close up is shown of a flyer to a lecture on the supernatural ‘seekers of the supernatural’ The camera angle of the over the shoulder shot implies the audience is within the audience, this allows them to learn the background of the supernatural genre before the film progresses further.

 

The trailer is filled with conventional iconography such as religious aspects i.e. a cross, a lone house, children’s toys, and video camera act. ‘From the very beginning, religious themes, stories, and metaphors were prominent in the cinema, at times taking on epic proportions and frequently carrying enormous symbolic freight.’  (http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/sanctifi.htm)  The supernatural activity happens within the protagonists own home inflicting fear to film. The protagonists in this case is an ‘ordinary family’ consisting of dad, mum and in this case several children. With the stock characters being normal, dressing like everyday humans (jeans and a shirt) this makes the story relevant to the audience as they can identify as it fits with today’s society - a family moving into a new house.

There are a numerous shots where the characters are woken up from their sleep screaming. With the connotations of nightmares, being woken up by something ‘scary’. We then see that the characters are living a nightmare. This build-up of tension implies there is no escape as life to them has become their worst nightmare.

Transitions are used throughout the trailer breaking up the action. The black screen with white writing is shown several times. Levi Strauss’ theory claims narrative is run by conflict and here we have the conflict of black vs white which could then be interpreted further to good vs evil. By using white writing on a black screen also draws the audience into focusing on the writing ‘there is one so disturbing,’ the pause between this and the next line raises the tension as the comma indicates the sentence has not yet finished and more is about to be revealed. This leads us to the next line ‘they’ve kept it locked away’  which pragmatically implies to the audience that they are going to be let in to something never seen before, that this film is something new, a secret is about to be revealed. This adds enigma encouraging the audience into wanting to watch the film in order to decode it. The use of direct mode of address ‘you’ brings you into equation making you feel a part of this supernatural action.

Enigma is built through the whole trailer as the supernatural source remains faceless. We start off by seeing the lower half in a foot to knee camera shot where we notice the demonic/satanic sources body is dead as her feet are above the ground suggesting she has been hung from the tree, this is then confirmed to the audience as we receive an extreme close up of rope that has been prepared for someone to hang themselves. The next shot we get is a high angle shot where the demonic source is on top of a wardrobe this angle connotes something that is powerful and dangerous, but again still faceless, shown only the body shape which jumps in an almost animalistic way. An extreme close up of the eye is the next closest thing we get of the character being revealed. The character is not revealed until the last second of the trailer this allows the reader to feel a sense of satisfaction as one of their questions has been answered and then have a face to be fearful of. At this point the trailer starts with the same noise at the start, a thudding noise, as it is startling fitting with the genre to scare the viewer.

Similar to The Conjuring trailer, Oculus has generic conventions stereotypical the sub-genre of supernatural. The trailer opens with a high angle shot of Karen Gillan pulling a sheet of an old mirror portraying Karen Gillan to be a victim as she is presented as submissive. She touches the mirror as though in recognition talking to it as though an old friend ‘hello again’ this indicates to the audience that there is an untold past about to be revealed.

The film is anchored to the sub-genre supernatural through the white sheet covered figures in the background which appear to represent ghosts in an archaic manner. This links to the idea of the unknown inflicting fear as when Karen Gillian turns around she realises they are in fact objects covered in white sheets. A theme that is identified from the trailer is deception ‘what is deception’ the idea that our mind is playing tricks on us is an ongoing theme throughout the supernatural genre as ghosts and spirits are often portrayed to torment the protagonist. ‘Perhaps the most frightening of all horror films are those where there are no monsters and no demons other than the psychological states of the characters’  Another stock character to this horror would be the father and his questionable mental state ‘sick man who killed our mum’ (http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/sanctifi.htm)

Oculus holds lots of iconography and typical situations conventional to its genre such as the use of children, blood, mirrors, action within the protagonist’s home. By making the focus piece of the movie a mirror it allows the audience to experience a sense of paranoia next time they pass or come in contact with a mirror as subconsciously the idea will be in the back of their mind. It could be argued that this acts as the ideology which has been encoded ‘Media texts always reflect certain values or ideologies though sometimes we may not be aware of this.’ (http://media-studies.tki.org.nz/Teaching-media-studies/Media-concepts/Ideology)

Throughout the trailer it is iconic and expected in a horror for the supernatural action to occur at night thus oculus conforming to this convention. At night the lighting becomes low key creating a haunting atmosphere. The general idea of it being dark is not knowing what is lurking around. A lot of the action is shown with closed framing which suggests entrapment, no escape. ‘They must give the appearance that the outside world is shut off from the viewer’ (Exploring Digital Cinematography - Page 113 - Cengage Learning, 2007)

In conclusion the key generic signifiers of supernatural horror are the fight for survival as the main theme. We also see conventional situations – the chase, the quest to find the supernatural and the final battle. Horror films more often feature helpless, vulnerable children who are affected by the spirits. The typical setting of the genre is a ‘haunted house’ or an isolated place. Typical iconography of the genre includes haunted houses, ghosts, blood, video cameras, researchers of the supernatural etc. These films use low key chiaroscuro lighting to create a suited atmosphere of darkness. A greying/desaturated colour palette adds to the oppressive mood of the film. Supernatural horror plays on the audience’s fears by repeating generic conventions which audiences expect.

  

Bibliography

Books

Blizek, W (2009). The Continuum Companion To Religion And Film. A&C Black.

Donati, J (2007). Exploring Digital Cinematography. Cengage Learning.

Grant,BK (2012). Film Genre Reader. University of Texas Press. 179.

Jones, T Fraser, F Arnold, H (2005). A Level Film Studies for WJEC . Hodder Education.

Kernan, L (2004). Coming Attractions: Reading American Movie Trailers. University of Texas Press.

Wells, P (2000). The Horror Genre.  Wallflower Press. 

 
Websites
http://www.filmsite.org/horrorfilms.html , 10/11/14
www.revok.com/ghost.html, 10/11/14
www.filmsite.org/subgenres.html, 11/09/14
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=supernaturalhorror.htm, 10/11/14
http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htm, 5/11/2014
http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/sanctifi.htm, 12/11/14
http://www.csicop.org/si/show/science_and_reason_in_film_and_television/, 7/11/14
visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/.../intgenre/chandler_genre_theory.pdf  13/01/15
http://thealeaneyhorror.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/clovers-theory-the-final-girl/ 13/01/15

 

It's a BIG decision

This is a question that really got me thinking. College or sixth form?

 I am currently studying A-Levels at Bury College and i suppose they are going okay. I'm in my final year now where I study English Language, English Literature and Media Studies. This year I dropped Psychology. I couldn't get my head around all the rats, theorists on drugs and how children unconsciously 'sexually desire' the parent of the opposite sex, now I'm just scarred...

I wasn't meant to be going to Bury College though, I did really want to but all of my friends wanted and went to sixth forms so I thought that's what I had to do. I applied for all the local sixth forms and got accepted conditionally as most of them required 5 B's for entry, which on my GCSE results day I more than surprised myself and achieved. The place was now mine. Did I really want to go though?

A day before I was meant to be starting as a student of Turton Sixth Form I had a complete change of mind. I realised this wasn't what I wanted to do. That I was going purely because my friends were, which I'm sure you all know isn't right. You see you need to think about what YOU want. I wanted independence, to get a way from the school format and do things in more adult way. If I went to Turton I'd still be having form, if you're unfamiliar with this term it's basically like a class meeting in the morning where the register is taken and upcoming events at the school are shared. As a Year 11 student it's important  to be aware that sixth form is very similar to school in the concept of the daily structure: form, lessons, lunch break, lessons. I know that some sixth forms even have a short break in the morning. The independence of a sixth form is still there though, you can leave the school grounds on your breaks and if you don't do your homework its your loss not theirs. No detention cards anymore. You need to do what you believe to be for you. I know this structure works great for some people as it is an easier transfer and I know on my first day of college, where I was standing at the bus stop 15 minutes before I usually got up for school, I was thinking 'why didn't I want to go to a sixth form again?'.

The college format only ever so slightly different but I think it was that change I wanted more than anything. You got given a time table where one day you could only have 2 lessons, one after the other, then you could leave. A short day like that was like a dream come true! Other days however were different for example on a Monday I used to have an hour lesson at 9am and then a 2 and a half hour break followed by an hour and a half lesson. Those days sucked. I'd either go shopping and look around at all the pretty clothes I couldn't afford or sit with my friend ruby talking about boys over several cups of Costa coffee. This two and a half hour break felt pointless to me until... coursework. This break then pushed me to the Library where I could use it productively and give myself the night off when I got home.

The college I study at has 5 different Library's which are all open to 8pm all equipped with books, magazines, newspapers, E-books, DVD's and computers. Discounted Costa on campus, I repeat DISCOUNTED Costa (this was definitely another selling point for me) Free transport there and back for those students like me who lived that little bit further. Bursary options to help you with finances on travel, trips and meals and of course the widest options of A-level and BTEC courses where as the sixth form options is a little more specific to the schools specialist subject.

I have to say I have no regrets about choosing college over sixth form, yeah I got there and it was a little scary at first but I made friends on the first day. Everything turns out okay. Growing up is a lesson and we learn these lessons all through life but that's what makes us who we are. Be independent make your own decisions.

Oh and one last thing, find the course you want to do and look for the best place to study it. Don't follow your friends path, follow your own. If you want to do science and you're looking at an arts specialist college logic says that one isn't for you. Don't stress yourself too much over it, you can always change.

Everything is a learning experience

Why hello there and welcome to my Journal! Here I will be writing entries about various things from late night thoughts to reviews on places I have visited. First of all I probably should back track a little...

Hi my name is Georgia Kirk, I am 18 years old and live in a small town called Bolton in North West England. Heard of it? I didn't think so. Like I said this is my journal and therefore I am starting this page for myself. I would of course love for you to read my entries, however unlike a lot of bloggers my focus will be wide spread. I recently went to an apprenticeship open day managed by the BBC at Media City, looking at a course they offered called 'Digital Journalism'. It sounded fabulous and resulted in a full journalism qualification at the end but from the moment the speech started I knew instantly that I was no competitor for the role. As I looked around me I saw a room filled with 'Bloggers' people who had blogs on politics, music, current affairs... I had nothing. As the course only offered two spaces, ten overall in the UK, I left knowing I'd never be returning. The result from this was that I needed to build myself a platform, somewhere where I could practice my writing. Even if only one person reads this post or any other post I upload it allows someone to get a feel for my writing, for my personality, for my future.

Experience is asked for a lot in the world of work and I feel this is where I fall down. I currently work as a Saturday girl in a local hairdressers and have done since the age of 15. It's a love-hate job as it's just Saturday hours and a fixed daily pay of £25 for 8 and a half hours work. There is something I love so dearly about it though which makes it worth the labour and that's the people. I interact with clients of all ages and hear stories from their childhood, current life and things which are often kept private from their friends and family but for some unbeknown reason are shared with me. It's amazing to think that you never know who could walk through that door...

So, here I am. This journal is a potential door and it's about time I got my foot straight in there!