Year 13 Media Studies: The Magazine Industry

The Magazine Industry

Click the links below to see the scans of the front cover, ads, contents page, editors letter and double page spread for each of your case studies.

Case Study 1:  Vogue

Case Study 2:  Men's Health

Case Study 3:  The Big Issue

For each of your texts you need to know the following:

GENRE
Signifiers
Conventions
Iconography

NARRATIVE
Structure
Conventions
Key Codes

REPRESENTATION
People
Places

AUDIENCE
Targetting
Positioning
Debates
Responses

Year 13 Media Studies: Magazine Industry - The Big Issue

Year 13 Media Studies: Magazine Industry - Men's Health

Year 13 Media Studies - Magazine Industry: Vogue

Front Cover

Representation - Richard Dyer

Introduction to Representation - Richard Dyer

Representation Theory - David Chandler

Representation David Chandler

Media and Collective Identity - Theory

Theory Collective Identity

Media and Collective Identity

Question 1b

This part of the exam requires you to choose ONE of your productions to write about and evaluate in relation to one of the following media concepts:

Narrative

You must be able to link Narrative theory to your AS coursework production and explain whether your work is in line with the theories or not.

Todorov's Classic Hollywood Narrative

Equilibrium
Disruption
Recognition of disruption
Repair
New equilibrium

Barthes

5 Codes -
Enigma Code:  Small puzzles and mysteries are set up which draw the viewer into the narrative and engage their attention.  Questions that audience members will ask themselves could be:  Who is that?  Why are they doing that?  What do they want?  How has that happened?

Propp

Propp identified 8 different CHARACTER TYPES or ARCHETYPES which he claimed are present in all narratives.  Are they present in yours?  Do you agree with this theory?

Genre

Representation
Click here for detailed information on representation.

Audience

Media Language

You will not know which of the concepts you will have to write about until you see the exam paper.

Exam Topic Question 1a - Conventions from Real Media Texts

If the question you are given in the exam is focussed on the area of REAL MEDIA CONVENTIONS, you need to be able to give a full and detailed answer in the time allowed (30 minutes).   In order to do this you must have carried out the necessary preparation and practice activities.

What are Real Media Conventions?

A question based on Real Media Conventions is simply asking you to identify how you have used conventions from the real media texts you studied during the planning process.  

These could fall into one of two categories:


Genre conventions
Conventions of the genre you used - dark and isolated setting in a thriller for example.

Formal conventions
Conventions of the media form - an opening sequence will often have non-diegetic music and titles for example.



Essential Preparation

1.  Select 3 examples of real media conventions you identified and used to create your AS production. 

2.  Select 3 examples of real media conventions you identified and used to create your A2 production.

3.  Make sure that you remember all examples well and are able to write about them in detail.  Be sure to state exactly what texts you identified each convention in.  NOTE:  Be careful not to use a feature of a specific text rather than a convention of the genre.


4.  Think about and take notes on how your CREATIVITY developed in this area in reference to these examples.  Remember - every decision you made was a creative one - the whole process was a creative one.  Everything you did was creative to some degree - the question is, how effective was it?

Sample Exam Question

Describe how your analysis of the conventions of real media texts informed your own creative media practice.  refer to a range of examples in your answer top show how these skills developed over time.

Year 13 Media Studies - Current Lesson and Homework Information

Year 13 Media Studies (both groups) 
Week Beginning 22/4/13

Subject of Lesson:  Text 2:  ZombiU

Areas covered:  A detailed look at the second key text.

Homework: Write notes on the different audience responses to the text.

Year 13 Media Studies Exam - Question 1a: Post Production

If the question you are given in the exam is focussed on the area of POST PRODUCTION, you need to be able to give a full and detailed answer in the time allowed (30 minutes).   In order to do this you must have carried out the necessary preparation and practice activities.

What is Post-production?

This area of focus gives you a wide choice of examples to base your work on.  This includes the following:

Editing - choice of takes to use.

Sound design (diegetic and non-diegetic) - choice of music.

Adding digital effects - brightness/contrast, colouring, VFX

Editing to the beat.

Green screen and chroma keying.

ADR (Additional Dialogue Recording).

Removing sound.

Titles/credits.

Essential Preparation

1.  Select 3 examples of post-production activities you carried out whilst making your AS production.
2.  Select 3 examples of post-production activities you carried out whilst making your A2 production.
3.  Make sure that you remember all examples well and are able to write about them in detail.  Think about and make notes on WHAT you did, HOW you did it, WHY you did it and WHETHER it helped you create a more effective production.
4.  Think about and take notes on how your CREATIVITY developed in this area in reference to these examples.  Remember - every decision you made was a creative one - the whole process was a creative one.  Everything you did was creative to some degree - the question is, how effective was it?

Sample Exam Question

How has your creativity developed through your use of research and planning activities in the completion of your coursework productions?

Year 13 Media Studies Exam - Question 1a

The question will be based on one of the following areas:

Research and Planning


Conventions From Real Media Texts


Digital Technology


Post Production


Please click on each area for detailed information on how to prepare for an exam question with that focus.

Writing the Essay

You must be prepared and able to write a thorough and high quality essay in response to any of these areas.  In order to do this you must follow a plan and have your answer thoroughly prepared.

Essay Structure

Introduction:  A very brief summary of what work you completed for your AS production and your A2 production.  Mention what genre and style of music you used.  Perhaps mention how you have progressed between the two here as well.  You could however do this in a separate paragraph.


Paragraph 1:  AS Production Example 1.  Make sure all your examples are thorough and detailed.  Relate them to how you were able to create your AS production.  For example, if you are using conventions of opening sequences as your example first discuss what conventions you researched and in what texts you identified them.  After this, discuss how you used them in creating your own work.  Make sure you use plenty of appropriate and accurate MEDIA TERMINOLOGY.


Paragraph 2:  AS Production Example 2.


Paragraph 3:  AS Production Example 3.


Paragraph 4:  A2 Production Example 1.


Paragraph 5:  A2 Production Example 2.


Paragraph 6:  A2 Production Example 3.


Conclusion:  Sum up your essay and discuss how your creativity developed in relation to your focus area.

Exemplar Essay Answer

Coming soon.

Exam Topic - Question 1a: Research and Planning

If the question you are given in the exam is focussed on the area of RESEARCH AND PLANNING, you need to be able to give a full and detailed answer in the time allowed (30 minutes).   In order to do this you must have carried out the necessary preparation and practice activities.

What is Research and Planning?

This area of focus gives you a wide choice of examples to base your work on.  This includes the following:

Storyboards/Animatic Storyboards
Shot lists/ Scene Breakdowns
Props/ costume/ make up

Research into conventions of opening sequences
Research into conventions of genre
Research into conventions of music videos
Research into your chosen band/ artist
Research into platforms for distribution and markets
Creating a narrative/ writing a script
Brainstorming ideas
Location scouting/ location selecting
Research into the history of music videos
Looking at past students' work
Technical planning and research - lighting, cameras etc

Essential Preparation

1.  Select 3 examples of research and planning activities you carried out whilst making your AS production.
2.  Select 3 examples of research and planning activities you carried out whilst making your A2 production.
3.  Make sure that you remember all examples well and are able to write about them in detail.  Think about and make notes on WHAT you did, HOW you did it, WHY you did it and WHETHER it helped you create a more effective production.
4.  Think about and take notes on how your CREATIVITY developed in this area in reference to these examples.  Remember - every decision you made was a creative one - the whole process was a creative one.  Everything you did was creative to some degree - the question is, how effective was it?

Sample Exam Question

How has your creativity developed through your use of research and planning activities in the completion of your coursework productions?

Representation in Media and Film

What is representation?

A term used to describe how certain people/places/events/issues are presented to us by the media.
It is a constructed 're-presentation' of reality.
It is a way in which the media reflects and presents attitudes attitudes, behaviour and beliefs.
Representations vary over time.

What is dominant ideology?

Dominant ideology, when applied to an analysis of representation in the media, is a set of common values and beliefs shared by most people in a given society, framing how the majority think about that group of people. This is quite often in line with a stereotype or an often repeated idea or characterisation of a certain group of people.

EXAMPLE

The dominant ideology of gender in the media is that women are more sensitive, less physically able, less aggressive, more caring, better with children than men.  In contrast to this men are stronger, more aggressive, more prone to violence and usually the decision-maker.

These views are not an accurate presentation of reality but they are frequently seen and perpetuated in films and other media products nonetheless.

How to analyse representation:

You will need to ask yourself a series of questions:

What is the overall representation of the person/group of people in general terms?

Is it strong or weak? Positive or negative?  Does it conform to or challenge the dominant ideology attached to that group of people?

What makes you think this?

What other adjectives might you attribute to this person or group of people?

How is the character portrayed?

What do they look like?

Facial expression?  Clothes?  Jewellery? Stance and body language?

What do they sound like?

Tone of voice? Sound of voice? Soundtrack and music associated with them?

How do other characters see them?

What are the reactions of other characters to this person or people?  Accepting? Positive? Angry?  Lustful? Fearful?

Analysis of the Representation of Men in Casino Royale's Intro.

Laura Mulvey and 'The Male Gaze'

Laura Mulvey is a British feminist film theorist who proposed the theory of hte 'male gaze'.  This is that in the majority of media texts, the audience have to 'view' characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male. 

This means that the camera lingers on the curves of the female body and events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a man's reactions to these events.

It relegates women to the status of objects.  The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily by identification with the male.