Book Review- The Hobbit from J. R. R. Tolkien

For my first review, I will be giving my view on the classic book from J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit. Before reading this book, when I was young, I often watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy films on DVD. They were my favorite films growing up when I was little. As soon as I heard of The Hobbit being made into a film series, I couldn’t wait to see them.

            My Grandad knowing that I liked the series, decided to get me the book of The Hobbit. When starting the book, I was drawn into Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth. The story revolves around Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit of The Shire; undertaking an adventure with thirteen dwarves lead by Thorin Oakenshield, and guided by the wizard Gandalf. The adventure takes them on a journey to the Lonely Mountain, known for its vast treasure and wealth; all stolen and guarded by Smaug, the dragon who conquered the Lonely Mountain.

Throughout reading it, I couldn’t ever be bored with this book. I find myself greatly immersed into it; the plot ever progressing, with every vivid detail expressed by Tolkien to visualize the world of The Hobbit. Each chapter is ever eventful, full of excitement and peril. I can deeply connect with Bilbo on his journey outside of the Shire. Every situation is part of developing Bilbo as a character as he improvises in whatever way he can: to the encounter with the mountain trolls, the riddle game with Gollum, avoiding spiders and meeting Smaug with all his combined courage.

If there’s one thing I look for in anything I read or watch; is heart and atmosphere. The atmosphere in this is very light hearted for anyone to read of all ages. One moment you are reading a calming moment for the characters; then the next thing you know; they are thrust into a perilous situation for them. J. R. R. Tolkien’s writing for The Hobbit has the most heart and effort put into it, as any book should be given passion and hard work. It was all about the development of the story around The Hobbit and where everything takes place.

Overall, The Hobbit is worth reading from the beginning, through the middle to its end. It is a book in my collection that I will treasure as one of my favorites. Now for me to read The Lord of the Rings trilogy and see where the story goes.

By Aidan Stephenson

Magazine Cover Recreation

I had decided to do a recreation of an Empire magazine cover on Adobe Photoshop. The subject of the magazine was
centered on the film and TV industry. I saved an image of the magazine cover, which featured Caesar from the modern Planet of the Apes movies.

Magazine Content

Empire Magazine

• Film and TV Guides
• Reviews
• Interviews
• Announcements and Teasers

Magazine Spread Comparison

My task was to recreate a spread page from a magazine. The image I used was a spread featuring an article around Gears of War 2. It's a very basic recreation that I did.

Unit 14 Magazine Collage and Flat Plan

https://www.slideshare.net/AidanStephenson3/magazine-collage-100957638

This link goes to my powerpoint presentation containing a collage of images that I were planning to use.

Unit 1 - Advertising

Unit 1 – Advertising

When it comes to advertising, you want to catch the attention of people based on your intended product. You need to comprehend your specified audience and plan out your marketing scheme to make it a suitable advertisement. Adverts should be relevant to the product and relate to the initial audience. Advertising revolves around different media formats and subjects; be it films and games, products of different brands, merchandise, health and safety, travelling. Anything can be used in advertising depending on what you wish to advertise. The whole purpose is to promote a piece of media related to a specific subject based on peoples’ preferences. People make their own decisions on if they want to listen to an advert and purchase whatever products are advertised.

There are a couple of examples of advertisements that are most memorable to me that I will mention. One example of an advertisement I remember is a poster of the movie, Pacific Rim, that me and my friend saw when we went to see Iron Man 3. It was something that stood out to us as we thought it  cool. Later I saw a trailer that my brother showed me. It was released on July 12, just a day before my birthday; so me and my Mam decided to go see it with my friend. In the end I really enjoyed it, as it was something that piqued my interest the moment I saw the poster.

Unit 1 - Media Messages

Gender

Film: Wonder Woman

Gender Group: Female

Analysis: As a superhero movie with a female lead character, Wonder Woman as a movie was the first superhero movie to follow a female character that women could enjoy.

Age

Film: The Iron Giant

Age Group: All Ages

Analysis: Presented initially as a family film, The Iron Giant presents a well-balanced message that appeals to both children and adults. Even at my age I still hold it as one of my favorite childhood movies to watch when I was young.

Social Group

Film: The Lord of the Rings

Social Group: Readers

Analysis: The Lord of the Rings films were presented to longtime fans and readers of J. R. R. Tolkien’s work, implementing all of the elements of the original books to meet the intended audience.

Ethnicity

Film: Black Panther

Category: Ethnic

Analysis: From my understanding of its marketing, Black Panther is one of the first superhero films to feature a predominantly black cast. Focusing on representing a different ethnic group rather than a predominantly white cast for this movie.

Places

Film:

Media Representation

In this one clip from Downton Abbey, it presents a look into a household full of people working. Obviously showing a wealthy house and who the owner has employed. There are different groups of people that are easy to individualize based on the costume design. Downton Abbey itself is a series set around a wealthy family, showcasing the different social classes that are represented in the 20^th century. A clip from Hotel Babylon goes into the subject of ethnicity and is represented to show the struggles of immigrants.