Year 12 Media Studies Revision Advice

Year 12 Media Studies Revision

Audience and Representation Questions

In the exam you will need to refer to your own detailed examples in the questions on audience and representation.

You will need to know the same set of information for each of the case study examples we have looked at.

It would also be helpful if you had examples of your own which you could draw on.

For each example you must know the following:

 Who is the target audience (be specific – not just age and gender)?

How are the target audience targeted?

What is the preferred reading of the text?

What is the negotiated reading of the text?

What is the oppositional reading of the text?

Who might hold those views of the text?

Uses and Gratifications –

What ‘audience needs’ does it provide for? 

What ‘pleasures’ does it offer?

Entertainment and diversion – a form of escape from everyday life.

Personal relationships (the water cooler moment) – Pleasure in discussing media texts with others.

Personal identity – pleasure in comparing your life to characters in media texts.

Information / education – To learn about what is going on in the world.

What areas of representation are addressed most strongly? Age, gender, issues, events?

How are these things addressed?

Remember to look at all the tools of analysis and to have strong textual examples for your points.

Start by asking, Is it a positive or negative representation?  From there ask yourself why and how.  

KEY CASE STUDIES

Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle 2009)

Areas of representation:  

Issue - poverty, religious discrimination; Abuse

Place - India 

Gender
National/regional Identity

Misfits

Areas of representation:  

Issue - teen delinquency

Place - Inner city urban areas
Regional Identity

Age 

Gender

The O'Reilly Factor

Areas of representation:  

Event - London Riots

Place - London, England
Issue - Civil unrest

Age

BBC News

Areas of representation:  

Event - London Riots

Place - London, England
Issue - Civil Unrest

Age

Beyonce - Crazy in Love (Music Video)

Areas of representation:  

Gender

Ethnicity

Call of Duty:  Modern Warfare 2

Areas of representation:  

Event - War

Issues - War 

Gender

Olympics 2012 Visa Advert

Areas of representation:  

Event - Olympics

Issues - Cultural diversity

Gender, disability, ethnicity