January Mock 2021 - revision resources, tips and technique

This post is intended for second year A-level media students. First years can breathe a sigh of relief... for now...

The January mock for 2021 is more important than any mock you've ever sat, for reasons we've hopefully made clear. Yes, it's a mock, but this time there's potentially more riding on it than ever. No stress!

However, you are all more than adequately equipped to take on this mock. First of all, you've been making excellent, high quality notes throughout the year and a half you've been studying media. And, if your notes are a little threadbare, this very blog is absolutely stuffed with resources to help you.

This post links to some of the most important resources to help you in this mock, which will cover newspapers, the music industry, the TV Industry (Humans only) and the magazine industry (Woman only)

So get clicking on the links below, and get revising!

General help and exam technique

You can find every official past paper collected here, as well as every previous  mock exam

The 'cheat sheet' lists five facts for every set text in every industry for every question. It's great!

Remember, the revision guide remains the most full on resource on the entire blog, and it has literally every possible question that could ever come up, presented in revision-friendly tick-list!

How do you actually structure an exam response? Check out this video!

You can find a full index of every Media Focus video here

Absolutely every media theory is covered in this video: you can skip to the exact theory you want to revise too!

There's also the text version of the media theory resource here

Newspaper industry

You can find the set editions of the newspapers here

Here's some exemplar answers for a question on The Daily Mirror

You can find an excellent analysis of the set edition of The Mirror here

Here's a run-through of  how industrial concerns influence The Mirror

Here's a good post on how newspapers construct meaning through intertextuality 

Here's a load more exemplar answers

You've got to know all this newspaper terminology!

Music video industry

There are thirteen videos on the music industry! Click here to access the playlist

This one has a student exemplar on Riptide

Here's a link to the remote learning 'lockdown lessons' which has an index of all the work you did on music videos in summer 2020

Click here for a full-on analysis of Riptide

TV

I definitely recommend watching the key study scenes, which have been shared with you already...

This video covers hyperreality in Humans, which is possibly the most difficult media concept of all...

An initial analysis of Humans

A little industry context for channel 4

Here's a whole bunch of marketing for Humans

Some analysis of the marketing campaign for Humans

Here's a post about how to talk about regulation and Humans

Here's a wee bit of textual analysis of Humans

Here's some more full-on key scene analysis for Humans

Exemplar Humans answers

Magazines

Here's a full on analysis of the front of Woman

There are some excellent student examples of how to answer magazine questions here

There's a cool task for the Alfred Hitchcock interview in Woman here

And an EVEN COOLER task for the kitchen double page spread

AS Media Exam May 2019

Remember: AS exams are different to A-level exams! 

AS is a shorter, 1 year version of the course with much of the content removed, and this exam should NOT be seen as indicative of your final exam! However, the kinds of questions that come up are very similar. Simply put, an A-level student should be able to complete an AS paper. So it makes for excellent exam practice! For a bit more information, check out the AS subheading on the 'past papers' section of this blog (click here)

MEDIA STUDIES – AS Component 1
Investigating the Media
1 hour 45 minutes

Answer all questions in both sections.

SECTION A: INVESTIGATING MEDIA LANGUAGE AND REPRESENTATION

• Question 1 is based on the audio-visual resource: a television advertisement for Amazon, released in 2016.
• You will be allowed one minute to read Question 1.
• The advertisement will be shown twice.
• First viewing: watch the advertisement and make notes.
• You will then have five minutes to make further notes.
• Second viewing: watch the advertisement and make final notes.
• Once the second viewing has finished, you should answer Question 1.

Media Language

1) Explore how media language creates meaning in this advertisement. [10]

Representation

Question 2 is based on both of the following:

• the print resource: the front page of The Sun, published on the day of the 2016 ‘Brexit’ referendum

• the set front page of the Daily Mirror you have studied, published on the day after the 2016 US presidential election.

2) Study the print resource carefully and use this newspaper front page and the set newspaper front page you have studied when answering the question. Compare how representations of events are constructed in these two front pages.

In your answer, you must consider:

• how events are represented through selection and combination
• the similarities and differences in the representations of events
• how far the representations relate to political contexts. [25]

SECTION B: INVESTIGATING MEDIA INDUSTRIES AND AUDIENCES

3 (a) Give one example of a global video gaming publisher. [1]

3 (b) Briefly explain two ways in which gaming publishers market their games. [4]

In Question 3(c), you will be rewarded for drawing together knowledge and understanding from across your full course of study, including different areas of the theoretical framework and media contexts.

3 (c) Explain how social and cultural contexts influence video game production. Refer to Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation to support your points. [10]

4 (a) Identify two different audiences for Late Night Woman’s Hour. [2]

4 (b) How might audiences respond differently to radio? Refer to Late Night Woman’s Hour to support your points. [8]

MEDIA STUDIES – AS component 2
Investigating Media Forms and Products
2 hours

Section A: Television

Option 2: Humans

How far might audiences respond differently to representations in the set episode of Humans? Refer to Stuart Hall’s reception theory in your response. [20]

Section B: Magazines

Option 1: Woman

How important are images in communicating meaning in magazines? Explore the front cover and one article from the set edition of Woman in your response. [20]

Section C: Online Media

Option 2: Zoella

(a) Briefly explain the impact of digital technologies on media audiences. Refer to Zoella in your response. [5]

(b) Explain how digital technologies are used in the production and distribution of blogs and vlogs. Refer in detail to Zoella in your response. [15]

A-level exam paper Autumn 2020

 This exam paper was published in Autumn 2020, and was intended for students who wished to sit an exam after the June 2020 papers were cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

MEDIA STUDIES – A Level Component 1

Media Products, Industries and Audiences

2 hours 15 minutes

SECTION A: ANALYSING MEDIA LANGUAGE AND REPRESENTATION

Representation

Question 1 is based on both of the following:

 • the audio-visual resource: an extract from the music video, Find Me by Tinie Tempah, ft. Jake Bugg (2017)

 • the set advertisement you have studied: Wateraid

• You will be allowed one minute to read Question 1.
• The music video extract will be shown three times.
• First viewing: watch the music video extract.
• Second viewing: watch the music video extract and make notes.
• You will then have five minutes to make further notes.
• Third viewing: watch the music video extract and make final notes.
• Once the third viewing has finished, you should answer Question 1.

1. Compare how this music video extract and the advertisement for Wateraid represent social groups. [30]

In your answer you must:
• consider the similarities and differences in how social groups are represented
• consider how stereotypes can be used positively and negatively
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations reflect social
and cultural contexts.

Media Language

Question 2 is based on the print resource: a newspaper front page for the Daily Mail (November 15, 2018). Study the resource carefully before answering the question.

2. Explore how codes and conventions are used to construct meaning in the Daily Mail front
page. [15]

SECTION B: UNDERSTANDING MEDIA INDUSTRIES AND AUDIENCES

3. (a) Briefly explain what is meant by a mainstream film. [2]

(b) Briefly explain the function of the BBFC in the film industry. [2]

(c) Explain the role of regulation in the global distribution of films. Refer to Straight Outta Compton to support your points. [9]

In Question 3(d) you will be rewarded for drawing together knowledge and understanding from

across your full course of study, including different areas of the theoretical framework and media

contexts.

(d) Explain the ways in which social and political contexts may influence independent films.
 Refer to I, Daniel Blake to support your points. [12]

4. (a) Explain the significance of fans to the success of media products. Refer to Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation to support your points. [8]

(b) How do media producers target specialised audiences? Refer to Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation to support your points. [12]

MEDIA STUDIES – A level Component 2

Media Forms and Products in Depth

2 hours 30 minutes

SECTION A – TELEVISION IN THE GLOBAL AGE

Option 2: Humans and The Returned

2. ‘Television products are significantly influenced by the contexts in which they are produced.’
How evident is this in Humans and The Returned? [30]

SECTION B – MAGAZINES: MAINSTREAM AND ALTERNATIVE MEDIA

Option 1: Woman and Adbusters

4. Curran and Seaton argue that media industries are generally controlled by a small number of
powerful companies whose main purpose is to create a profit. Evaluate this theory of power and media industries. Refer to Woman and Adbusters in your response. [30]

SECTION C – MEDIA IN THE ONLINE AGE

Option 2: Zoe Sugg/Zoella and Attitude

8. (a) Explain Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity. Use Zoe Sugg/Zoella to support your response. [15]

(b) Explore how the Attitude website targets and attracts a specialised audience. [15]

Applying representation theories to Humans

 For this post, let us first look at three particularly important theories of representation:

Judith Butler: gender performativity - gender is a performance, and is reinforced through a series of acts we carry out every day. However, it doesn't stop here: our gender performance affects the world around us in significant ways. This is called gender performativity

bell hooks: 'feminism is for everyone' - hooks is an intersectional feminist, and believes that the representation of women isn't just related to a gender binary, but many other factors, including race, ethnicity, disabilities and social class. Additionally, hooks argues that feminism is for everyone, not just women. The stereotypes and labelling that dominate the lives of women also reinforce what is acceptable and unacceptable for men too!

Paul Gilroy - postcolonial theories - The United Kingdom conquered and colonised much of the world, but as years have passed, we have lost these colonies, and have become a small island in a vast world, and our influence diminishes year by year. Despite this, there are still subtle (and not so subtle) representational differences between non-white people and white people in media products, which point to long held racial prejudices and hierarchies of power

Next, let's apply these theories to some key scenes from the first episode of Humans. These notes have all been taken directly from students, with just a little editing here and there. Cheers guys!

Key scene - Leo in the brothel - hooks and Butler

• Leo demonstrates his gender performativity by telling a passer by to " Keep moving" which shows his hegemonic masculinity.
• The mise en scene of her Niska lingerie constructs her as a stereotypical representation of a sex worker. Furthermore, the mise en scene of her dancing and movements are very sexualised.
• The mise en scene of the colour red represents danger and sex.
• The low key lighting  outside shows that the streets ( where only the male characters are seen) is symbolic of a tough, rugged, hyper masculine lifestyle
• This scene is included to make the audience feel uncomfortable. It's preferred reading is to place the audience in an uncomfortable position, and force them to question the ways in which women are represented in our society. This further reinforces Humans' status as an allegory
• Niska is clearly putting on a performance, and slips between two personalities: the performed sexual object, and the relaxed human. Once more this is highly allegorical of the notion of gender performativity itself: the notion that we perform our gender, and the ways that his influences the world around us. 
• The mise en scene of the glass boxes that women/synths are imprisoned in shows the audience that Leo is in control of the situation which is a clear example of both gender performativity and patriarchal hierarchical hegemony 
• The close up of Niska shows that she is hegemonically attractive and that she is not comfortable in there. We see a close up shot of Niska body of her touching her breasts. The intention is to both arouse the audience and to make them uncomfortable, which demonstrates the power of gender performativity
• Cross cut from Niska's dance to Leo's worried face. While Leo may be a hyper masculine stereotype, he is clearly uncomfortable with seeing his friend forced in to sexual objectification
• The mise en scene of Leo's costume shows him as rugged and masculine and rugged compared to Niska. A clear gender binary
• Niska's line "I was meant to feel" is the most telling example of the feminist leanings f this TV show, drawing attention to the notion that women must essentially adopt two separate identities and personalities every day in order to function within our society. Niska realises that despite not being 'human' (OR IS SHE), the metonymic signification of a woman is to suffer and to feel pain due to their position in a patriarchal and hierarchical society. 
• Additionally, the pain receptor is an example of science fiction iconography 
• Raises an ethical issue is it possible to rape a robot
• POV we are positioned as a heterosexual man as Leo

Key scene - Anita at breakfast - Gilroy

•  The mise en scene of Anita's costume somewhat resembles a maid outfit or a nurse's uniform, but it's much more sparse and straightforward. Anita is not a maid, she's a slave, and her costume lacks any sense of personality at all. Therefore, There is a binary opposition between Anita and The Hawkins family, who all all dressed in individual styles
• Blue that is on Anita's costume  is symbolic of blue collar work. 
• Binary opposition between Anita and Laura and their costumes: Anita's pristine blue 'sack' and Laura's scruffy suit
• The mise en scene of Anita green eyes reinforces how different and foreign she is. Anita is not just East Asian, but she is made even more 'foreign' and 'other' through her unnatural eyes
• The mise en scene of Anita cleaning up  everything on the table to get rid of all the imperfections such as the spilt coffee shows that Anita is weird and is programmed to be perfect.
• The Hawkins family are middle class, and totally stereotypically so
• Gemma Chan ( actress for Anita ) she has also been in Crazy Rich Asians where she is seen as perfect and hegemonically attractive. She is frequently typecast in this very specific role, which really reinforces the notion that East Asian actors can only be cast in certain roles!

Key scene - the ending montage

• Leo and Max are staying in a car place with dark and gloomy lighting which would be a stereotypical 'manly place', whereas Nishka is staying in a brothel with bright pink lighting and Anita is serving as a housewife, which are stereotypical jobs for women, even when they are hiding they are conforming to gender performativity
• At the beginning Matty is watching an interview about synths, which we see through an over the shoulder shot, this is not typical for her gender as computers and tech are stereotypically male interests
• Matty is not a stereotypical girl, she is not sexualised, she has a fairly deep and aggressive voice and she is rude a lot of the time
• Nishka is also wearing very feminine clothing, whilst Leo is wearing stereotypically masculine clothes
• Anita is domestic
• Anita is the Madonna and Nishka is the whore
• We cross cut between a number of story arcs 
• Positions the audience in a particularly uncomfortable mode of address
• Leo is seen throughout this episode in a series of very stereotypically masculine locations --> he is hyper-masculine 
• Laura looks at Anita as if she is a monster --> possible intertextual reference to scene in alien 3
• Leo is binary opposite to Matty as he is roughing it outside, whilst Matty is comfortable in bed
• The man in Nishka's rape scene presents the man as a very stereotypical man who uses prostitutes
• This scene is also an allegory for sex slavery as she doesn't want to have sex with this man
• The close up shot of Nishka's face when she's being raped makes the audience uncomfortable as the audience knows she doesn't want to do this 
• The preferred reading of Nishka's assault in the brothel is to feel deeply uncomfortable, anchored by the lingering use of an extreme close up
• Leo is a knight is shining armour as he goes into the brothel to save Nishka, however he doesn't save her and she is sexually assaulted --> this is a subversion of the stereotypical fairy-tale
• He also can't save Mia, however she saved him when he was younger
• Sophie prefers Anita as a mother and her gender performativity threatens Laura
• Anita is East Asian and the Hawkins family are a stereotypical, white, middle class family
• In the Swedish version Anita is also played by an East Asian woman

An initial analysis of The Daily Mirror

• Point of view and ideology 
• Codes and conventions of news products/newspapers/type of newspaper
• Layout and design 
• Composition – positioning of headlines, images, columns, combination of stories
• Images/photographs - camera shot type, angle, focus
• Font size, type of font (e.g. serif/sans serif)
• Mise-en-scène – colour, lighting, location, costume/dress, hair/make-up
• Graphics, logos 
• Language – headline, sub-headings, captions
• Copy 
• Anchorage of images and text
• Elements of narrative

How does historical context affect the representations in Humans?

How does historical context affect the representations in Humans? 

Knee jerk reaction: The historical context significant affects the representations used in humans

Plan

• Historical context: How the media product is affected by the time in which it was made
• 2015 UK
• "Black people being slaves, women should be housewives"
• Stuart hall - Representations constructed through media language
• Immersive and relatable for contemporary audiences
• The advancement of technology
• Representation of women, in particular anita
• Re-presentation and ideology
• Dominant ideology
• Gilroy, postcolonialism
• Stereotypes
• Hypperreality
• Alternative present
• Allegory
• Judith Butler Gender performativity

Introduction

Definition - Representation refers to how a group in society is 'presented again' by the producer to target a specific audience. 

Context - Humans is a 2015 sci-fi TV show first broadcast on Channel 4. All science fiction functions as an allegory, Humans reflects many issues that are currently happening in our society

Argument - In this essay I shall argue that the historical context significantly affects the representations used in humans. In particular, the most important representations that occur in HUmans are those of women and minority ethnic groups. 

Paragraph

Point - Throughout the episode, Anita is presented as both a stereotypical and hyperreal construction of a woman, which reflects many issues and problems that women encounter in our society.

Evidence

Sophie's dialogue - "I hope she's pretty, if she's not can we get another one?"  - reinforces Anita's need to be hegemonically attractive, and is a clear example of sexual objectification. Commodification 

MES of seller's wink as he hands over the '18+ mode' documents, allowing Joe to have sex with Anita, clear allegories of prostitution and even sexual slavery

Setting of the shop is both stereotypical and easily indefinable shop, with symbolic connotations of slavery and of ownership

MES of glowing green eyes, connotations of the sci fi genre

Costume - repeated MES of synth's uniforms emphasises that they have been constructed with a single purpose, and have no sense of identity 

Argument: the representation of Anita here clearly reflects the ways in which women are represented in our society today. Van Zoonen's theory of feminist representation here proves useful, as we see a clear binary opposition between the ways that men and women are represented in this scene.Anita asks Joe in a cold and mechanical voice if he wants to be bonded as her 'primary user'. This reinforces and emphases that Joe is positioned in a position of hegemonic patriarchal dominance over Anita, and further emphasises the issues that affect women in our society today 

Explore the ways in which audiences can respond to and interpret the representations of gender in Humans

Explore the ways in which audiences can respond to and interpret the representations of gender in Humans

Knee jerk reaction: There are lots of different ways in which audiences can respond to gender in humans, which presents stereotypical representations of gender in order to provoke an audience response

• Gender is complicated
• LVZ - feminist theory male gaze
• Brothel scene w/ Leo
• Gender performitivity - Butler
• Binary oppositions
• Anita slave/maid
• Representation stuart hall
• Anita: perfect woman/mother
• Stereotypes
• Anita: doll or sexual object?
• Objectification/sexualisation
• Atypical reps of women: Matty
• "Crusty sheets"
• Gegemonic reps of gender
• Hyperreality - anita 
• Gilroy
• hooks

Introduction

CDA
Context
Definition
Argument

DAC

D - Representation refers to how a group of people are re-presented by the producer in order to encode their ideological perspective. C - Humans is a science fiction TV show first broadcast in 2015 on Channel 4, and adaptation of the Swedish show Real Humans. A - Humans presents a stereotypical series of representations of gender in order to clearly construct an allegorical representation of how women in particular are represented in our society.In this essay I shall explore how many different and often conflicting represents are constructed, and most importantly, how audiences can respond to these

Paragraph

Point - One way in which representation is constructed in a stereotypical way in order to provoke audiences is through the stereotypical and highly hegemonic representation of Anita. An excellent example of Anita's stereotypical gender performativity can be found in the breakfast scene. The mid shot of Anita cooking instantly positions her in the setting of the Hawkin's kitchen. This is further reinforced through her stereotypical costume, a basic maid's outfit, which forms a binary opposition between her and the the Hawkins Family, who's messy and informal MES could not be more different. Anita is even positioned in slightly low key lighting, which once more contrasts with the Hawkins family. Anita's voice is both calm and robotic, a specific convention of the science fiction genre, that clearly will appeal to pre-existing science fiction fans. (Binary opposition between middle class setting and working class Anita) Anita's representation here is stereotypical of how women are represented in our society. This representation could particularly resonate with female target audiences, who will be able to identify with Anita, and the ways in which she is represented. Additionally, the male characters in this scene continually look at Anita, reinforcing her importance. This is an excellent example of Van-Zoonen's notion of the male gaze, where the only purpose of a woman in a media product is to be seen and valued by heterosexual male acknowledgement

The film industry: Ideology, audience and regulation

I, Daniel Blake: key facts

• Box office of $15 million vs an ESTIMATED budget of $1-5 million. A low budget, independent film
• Social realist film dealing with a hard hitting and intrinsically British issue. Clearly identifiable genre for white, middle class target audience
• HOWEVER: the niche and fragmentary nature of the audience of independent films means that this film also appeals to a diverse, working class target audience; the 'true' audience as Loach doubtless sees it
• Innovative marketing campaign saw ‘guerrilla’ screenings in town halls and projections of the trailer in public spaces
• Funded by a range of sources, including French premium TV network Canal+, Film 4 and the National Lottery
• Contradicts Curran and Seaton’s notion that media only exists for power and profit… or does it? Film was comparatively extremely financially successful, and saw international critical acclaim, winning a Palme D’or at Cannes

Boiling down theory

• Power and media industries - Curran and Seaton
• Regulation - Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt
• Cultural industries - David Hesmondhalgh

Take the above three theories, and re-write them in a way that even an eleven year old would be able to understand it!

Check out this video, which briefly sums up every media theory!

Comparing ideology and audience

Black Panther clip

I, Daniel Blake clip 

• What is the dominant ideology ('message') of this scene?
• What genre conventions (superhero/social realist) does this clip encode?
• Who is the target audience for this product? How do you know?
• In what ways are the target audience positioned through these scenes?
• In what ways can this clip appeal to local and global audiences?

Regulation contexts

Search for both Black Panther and  I, Daniel Blake on the BBFC website, and copy paste the information in to your blog. Why did these films get the BBFC certificate they did? Check out the 'parents guides' for these films on IMDB for a step by step guide to their content. Is this in line for a film with this certificate? What certificate did these films get in other countries? Does this surprise you?

Comparing reviews and comparing ideologies

This task serves as a sort of introduction to the newspaper industry, which you will be starting next lesson!

Guardian review

Daily Mail review

Read the two above reviews of I, Daniel Blake and answer the following questions:

• In what ways did the critical reception of I, Daniel Blake differ?
• How do these reviews reflect the two newspaper's political ideologies? Make sure you read the comments, which are a great way of assessing the ideology of the target audience! Click around both The Guardian website and The Daily Mail (Mail Online) websites to support your assertion 

Absolutely every media theory in half an hour!

 

If the nineteen core media theories are stumping you right now, and you keep getting Butler and Van-Zoonen mixed up, then check out my latest video, which covers all nineteen theories in the most brief and succinct way possible. Perfect for revision!

Click here to watch it now!

Want to skip to a specific theory, or want to know what theory you should use with which industry? Then click on a heading below!

MEDIA LANGUAGE

1 - Semiotics - Roland Barthes

(advertising, music videos, newspapers, magazines, online media)

2 - Narratology - Tzvetan Todorov 

(television)

3 - Genre theory - Steve Neale 

(television)

4 - Structuralism - Claude Lévi-Strauss 

(Advertising, music videos, newspapers, television, magazines, online media)

5 - Postmodernism - Jean Baudrillard 

(television, online media)

REPRESENTATION

6 - Theories of representation - Stuart Hall 

(advertising, music videos, newspapers, television, online media)

7 - Theories of identity - David Gauntlett 

(advertising, music videos, magazines, online media)

8 - Feminist theory - Liesbet van Zoonen 

(advertising, music videos, television, magazines)

9 - Feminist theory - bell hooks 

(advertising, music videos, television, magazines)

10 - Theories of gender performativity - Judith Butler 

(television, magazines, online)

11 - Theories around ethnicity and postcolonial theory - Paul Gilroy

(advertising, music videos, online media)

MEDIA INDUSTRIES

12 - Power and media industries - Curran and Seaton

(film industry, newspapers, radio, videogames, magazines)

13 - Regulation - Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt

(film industry, newspapers, radio, videogames, television, magazines, online media)

14 - Cultural industries - David Hesmondhalgh

(film industry, newspapers, videogames, television, online media)

AUDIENCES

15 - Media effects - Albert Bandura

(videogames)

16 - Cultivation theory - George Gerbner

(advertising, newspapers, magazines, online media)

17 - Reception theory - Stuart Hall

(advertising, newspapers, radio, videogames, television, magazines)

18 - Fandom - Henry Jenkins 

(radio, videogames, television, online media)

19 - ‘End of audience’ theories - Clay Shirky 

(newspaper, radio, videogames, online media)

Hyperreality and Humans

George's relationship with Odi is perhaps the most emotionally affecting character arc in the whole of Humans. Yet Odi is not human, but a malfunctioning and imperfect robot. Can the concept of hyperreality help us to understand why George loves him so much?

Second year students have been studying Humans, and have been exploring the show's many themes, including sexism, racism, technology and sex in the 21st Century. It's all complicated stuff, and there's loads of scope to form an argument in the final exam!

One theory in particular can be really hard for students to wrap their heads around, and there's a reason we save it for the second year! Jean Baudrillard's theory of postmodernism essentially argues that nothing makes sense, and that media products and do break the rules of media itself in order to make valid points about the world in which we live in. The most important aspect of postmodernism is the hyperreal, the notion that all representations are constructs, and construct an unreal existence which is more real than the reality it is representing! This is where media studies meets philosophy, and, as such, it can be tricky to accurately apply this theory in an exam or in class discussions. 

Check out this video, which gives a run-down of hyppereality, postmodernism, simulacrum and simulation, and applies this concept to the character Odi in Humans, as well as drawing on other examples in film, fashion and television.

Social realist film trailers

 Kes (1969)

The Selfish Giant (2013)

This is England (2006)

Marketing Black Panther and the regulation of the film industry

Today, you will use the internet to research how Black Panther was marketed, before learning how the film industry is regulated.

Film marketing 

 Film is a specialized industry. This means that the film industry works in a very particular way, unlike any other industry. This extends to production and distribution, as we have found out in the last few lessons. However, films are also marketed in a completely unique way. Last session, we looked at film websites, fan made marketing, viral media, word of mouth, social marketing and traditional marketing, among other techniques.

Task one - Researching how Black Panther was marketed (35 minutes)

CREATE A COLLAGE OF MARKETING MATERIAL FOR BLACK PANTHER. THIS SHOULD INCLUDE

• POSTERS
• TRAILERS
• BANNERS
• VIRAL MARKETING
• FAN FORUMS, ART, ETC
• SOCIAL MEDIA

AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN FIND

Please complete this as a blog post. Do not write anything, only include images. 

Conclusion: Black Panther was extensively marketed in many different ways. $37 million was spent on TV adverts alone. In other words. this is something that only a major, mainstream, Hollywood film production could accomplish, and is yet another example of the film industry being a specialised industry!

Film regulation

Films in the UK which are regulated by the BBFC (the British Board of Film Classification). All films released theatrically or released on physical media (eg DVD) must be rated by the BBFC, and given an age certificate.

Age certificates broadly exist for two reasons:

1. To protect audiences from harm. I remember watching a clip from The Thing (1982) when I was about 8 and I couldn't sleep for a month! Now it's one of my favorite films. Films have the potential to traumatize audiences, especially very young ones, and those who may have experienced issues in the film, for example through the use of discriminatory (racist) language
2. To prevent imitable behavior. Younger audiences may copy what they see on screen. For example, the comedy film Jackass: The Movie (2002) features real life stunts that can easily be copied by more... impressionable audiences, and was given an 18 rating despite being clearly aimed at younger audiences. 

The TV show and film series Jackass raised many issues with regards to imitable behavior, leading the distributor, MTV, to place visible warnings at the start of each episode

Task two - researching age certificates (30 minutes)

The regulation of films in the UK is some of the strictest in the world outside of countries such as China which regularly practice censorship. A 14 year old, for example, is legally unable to see a 15 rated film in the cinema or buy the film on Blu-Ray or DVD. But what makes a film a 15, and not a 12?

Go to the BBFC website at https://www.bbfc.co.uk/ .

Find the age certificates at the top of the page

Click on each in turn, and click on the 'learn more' hyperlink to find out exactly what constitutes each age rating

Pick out a few key points for each one, and copy and paste them under the following headings:

U – 

PG – 

12/12A – 

15 – 

18 – 

R18 – 

E - 

Please note: the BBFC website contains descriptions of films with explicit content. Student caution is advised

Task three - How effective is the regulation of films in the UK? (10 minutes)

The regulation of the film industry in the UK is arguably ineffective. Why? Thanks to digitally convergent technologies, it is possible to easily access films which are entirely inappropriate for certain audiences. Even if a film is denied a certificate in the UK, effectively banning it, it can still be obtained fairly easily via the internet. 

Please copy paste the following information to your blog:

KEY THEORY 13 – REGULATION – SONIA LIVINGSTONE AND PETER LUNT

The increasing power of global media corporations, together with the rise of convergent media technologies and transformations in the production, distribution and marketing of digital media, have placed traditional approaches to media regulation at risk

Task four - issues in regulation (15 minutes)

Please click here to watch the following scene from the film Home Alone 2(1992). Please note that this scene contains sustained threat and strong violence (!)

If we take this scene out of context , then what age certificate should this one scene be given? Refer to your notes on certification. You may wish to read the comments to get a sense of actual audience responses. Also, think of your response, the potential for harm, and the potential for imitable behavior. 

Home Alone 2 received a PG rating. What issues does this raise for the regulation of films in the UK?

Please make sure you publish this work to your blog. Remember, if I cannot see your work, I cannot mark it! Your current grade is formed from all work completed in media, but more importantly, your notes are your revision guide. The more notes you make now, the less you need to worry about the exams you will sit in 2022!

Black Panther: how does a mainstream film target audiences?

What is the difference between a major and an indie film production? 

Major

• An emphasis on computer generated special effects
• Well known and recognisable actors
• Fast paced and action filled narratives
• A wider range of settings and locations, often exotic
• Certain genres are favoured, eg fantasy, superhero, sci-fi, action
• Exciting, yet relatable situations 
• More dramatic, kinetic cinematography
• An emphasis on simple narratives (Classical Hollywood narrative)
• Target a mass, mainstream audience
• Emphasis on extravagant costume and set design
• Name of production company used a selling point
• An emphasis on famous, well known actors
• An emphasis on well known and clearly defined genre conventions: action, sci-fi, adventure, superhero
• Heavy use of CGI
• Straightforward and easy to decode narratives
• Often a part of a franchise - allows the producer to target a pre-sold audience

Indie

• Typically a niche or specific target audience
• Less of a focus on making money
• Smaller budget - less advertising, recognisable actors etc
• Smaller, less known companies
• Lack a clear genre
• Complicated and less obvious narratives
• Generally a self-contained non-franchised narrative
• Slower paced narrative
• Everyday, relatable settings
• Genre is often less apparent
• Hard-hitting, relatable issues
• Static cinematography
• An emphasis on complex narratives
• Focus on a niche audience

In what ways does the Black Panther trailer minimise risk and maximise profit for Walt Disney?

• Clearly identifiable genre, evident from the iconography of the superhero costumes
• Superhero films are a safe bet: not a risky investment
• Diverse cast allows the film to be differentiated from other superhero films
• Clearly identifiable brands, allowing the audience to identify with the film
• Exotic settings, including Korea and Africa
• Fast paced, action filled trailer provides instant gratification
• Bass heavy, hip hop soundtrack allows the film to target a pre-sold audience of rap and hip hop fans
• Martin Freeman - The Hobbit, appealing to white middle aged audiences
• Young target audience with expendable income
• Use of extremely famous and well known actors
• Use of highly evocative mise-en-scene provides an escapist fantasy for the audience
• Exotic locations including the fantasy city of Wakanda, London, Seoul... 
• Highly hybridised use of genre: superhero, action, fantasy, sci-fi
• Extensive and elaborate CGI creates a whole different 
• powerful soundtrack, combining electronic, hip-hop and rock
• universally understandable themes of power
• Pre-sold audience of Marvel fans and actions
• Michael B Jordan: Creed, Fantastic 4
• Samples an american revolutionary poet
• predominantly black cast: themes of empowerment, potentially empowering a new, black target audience
• Huge and heavy emphasis on CGI: grenade skydiving: film looks extremely expensive: high production values
• Soundtrack produced by famous musicians eg The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar
• Big, bassy hip-hop soundtrack, with elements of rock, Jazz and electronic

How does the trailer to Shaft target working class inner city black US audiences?

• Accents and slang
• Black, working class inner city character 
• Themes of racisms and racial discrimination 
• Downtown, rundown, grimy settings 
• Black main character
  Majority black cast
• Hard boiled 
• Allows audiences to relate to themes and the setting

Humans mini mock

To what extent does the first episode of Humans conform to conventions of the science fiction genre? [15] (25 minutes)

Points to consider

You would NOT get these handy points if you were asked this question in the final exam. However, this time round, you may use these bullet points for guidance:

• Conventional or unconventional?
• Allegory
• Issues of representation
• Generic paradigms
• Repetition and difference
• Comparisons with other science fiction media
• Media language (shot types, camera angles, sound, editing, etc...)

Basic mark scheme

13-15 marks

• Excellent knowledge and understanding of the extent to which Humans conforms to generic conventions. Excellent knowledge and understanding of the importance of generic conventions. 

10-12 marks

• Good knowledge and understanding of the extent to which Humans conforms to generic conventions. Good knowledge and understanding of the importance of generic conventions

7-9 marks

• Satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the extent to which Humans conforms to generic conventions. Generally satisfying knowledge and understanding of the importance of generic conventions.

4-6 marks

• Basic knowledge and understanding of the extent to which Humans conforms to generic conventions. Basic and undeveloped knowledge and understanding of the importance of generic conventions

1-3 marks

• Minimal knowledge and understanding of the extent to which Humans conforms to generic conventions. Minimal if any knowledge and understanding of the importance of generic conventions.

Grading for this one is a little tricky, because a 15 marker is a short answer question that would usually be seen in the context of an entire exam. Here, each 'band' corresponds to a grade. In order to achieve an A*, you need 15 marks, which is WAY harsher than in the final exam!

Feedback

• Let's make this as clear and as straightforward as possible. In A-level media studies, you first make a point, for example 'yet another way in which Humans is a highly typical science fiction product is through it's themes of consciousness, and postmodern ideas of humanity'. Then, you back up this point using a super specific example from a key scene we have studied, making ample reference to media language.
• Make sure to link everything back to the question, your argument, that Humans is either highly conventional, unconventional, or both at the same time
• If you see the keyword 'genre' in a question, this is the question screaming at you to reference Steve Neale, and in particular his notion of repetition and difference
• On a related point, not enough students explored why genre exists, and what function it holds. Genre allows audiences to identify media products, and it allows producers to efficiently target certain very specific audiences. In short, it is an effective marketing technique. Therefore, Humans being both a typical and subversive example of the sci-fi genre allows it to more effectively target audiences

U block magazine draft covers

How to create an effective magazine in 20 minutes

 Magazines are produced in an extremely efficient way, in an extremely short time frame. Many fashion magazines in particular will create ten or twenty potential covers, which will then ultimately be selected by the editorial team. This means the people who produce magazines must be quick on the mark, open to feedback, and willing to try new ideas at the drop of a hat.

We decided to put our money where our mouth is. Is is possible to create an effective magazine cover, from concept to post production in just twenty minutes? The answer is, rather surprisingly, yes!

Stage one: preproduction and concept

First of all, a concept. When kind of image are you hoping to encode? What genre of music are you exploring? What costume is going to work? How can you make sure that your model looks like a celebrity and not some random student? And what kind of magazine is even going to feature your artist?

We quickly hashed out the following details:

• An edgy, indie/electronica solo artist
• Indie music magazine: glossy, bimonthly
• Stereotypical representation of young, white, middle class males…
• …but subverted through parody
• Use of postmodern imagery
• Intertextuality: punk/trash aesthetic

Unfortunately we didn't have much in the way of interesting costumes, with both Jack and I kitted out in the standard media teacher uniform of a checkie shirt and black jeans. Instead, we grabbed some random junk (duct tape and plastic cutlery) and ran to an empty room for the photoshoot

Stage two: production (photoshoot)

There's not a whole lot of production that goes in to a magazine, at least compared to a music video. For our edgy, trashy look, we decided to go for a classic photoshoot. We emphasised Jack's already impressive eyebrows with some green duct tape, and then shoved a load of plastic knives in his mouth because... why not? Often the most straightforward idea can just 'work', and it's absolutely not worth stressing yourself out coming up with some masterpiece. Trying too hard can make your cover image too staged and boring, which is precisely what you don't want when promoting a young and upcoming artist.

Here's the photoshoot. We only took a few pictures, because by this point we only had just over ten minutes left to edit the thing, but you should be taking LOADS more!

Stage three: postproduction

Now to take your very best image, and to see how it works on the front cover of a magazine. At this stage, it's REALLY important to use at least one actual magazine cover as a basis for your own. Magazines are highly conventional in nature (with a few notable exceptions), and it's important to tick these conventions off if you want your magazine to look like a magazine, and not a gig flyer or a print advert or something else entirely. 

And here's the finished product, just over 20 minutes after the original idea. Yes, it's probably missing a few bits and bobs, but ultimately, it's clearly a magazine, and a magazine that presents an enticing hermenuetic code to its potential target audience. 

So that's it. Try not to think too hard about this. It's much easier to MAKE SOMETHING and then edit it later, rather than spending ages planning and worrying and thinking. 

Q block magazine draft covers

This is work in progress and should not be considered as exemplar

Magazine project: updates and clarifications

 1- You need at least six original images

This is quite a few, and your magazine may end up being more cluttered than you may wish. 

2 - The magazine's genre should be either music or 'specialist culture'

This is super important. Try to avoid making your magazine follow the conventions of generic fashion or gossip magazines. Remember: your musical artist is targeting a 'niche' audience, so the magazine they are being interviewed in will also be targeting a niche audience!

3 - There are things that you absolutely must include, even if it makes your layout cluttered!

Here's a list of everything you must include on your magazine front cover and double page spread. Remember, missing off even a single one of these will impact the amount of marks we can awad you!

Front cover

• An original title (i.e not a name of a magazine that already exists) which features as a masthead, which will 99% of the time will be right at the top of the magazine
• A strapline, either above or below the masthead 
• A barcode ∫and an ∫appropriate cover price (a specialist culture magazine will often be monthly or bimonthly, and will be on the pricey side...)
• A cover image featuring the artist or the band
• A main cover line (headline!) featuring the band or artist by name
• Two other cover lines (at least), related to other musical artists or stories related to your magazine's genre

Double page spread

• An interview or feature on your artist, of around 300 words. This article must promote your new artist!
• This article must make reference to the ideological perspective of the music video
• Headline
• Standfirst
• Subheadings 
• Appropriate column layout
• Pull quote and/or sidebar
• At least one main image along with more and smaller images (stills from the music video cannot be used)
• Article must detail the artist's latest release and/or the music video
• Link to band's website and social media platform

Applying Hall's encoding/decoding model to film trailers

This session is a double whammy. While you'll be focussing on audience responses to film trailers, this lesson is also an introduction to the film industry topic, in particular the difference between major and independent cinema. 

 I love Con Air with every fibre of my being, but I hate everything that it stands for. How could this be possible?

Con Air Trailer

Task one - Major and indie cinema

Major film productions are ones financed and distributed by a major studio, such as Disney, Warner or Universal. Independent cinema refers to films made independently of larger companies, with independent producers including Warp, Canal + and Film Four. There's lots of contention between what constitutes as an 'indie' film, but let's not worry about that just yet.

Watch all six of the below trailers, in order, and list the MANY differences that exist between indie and mainstream cinema. You will want to make reference to:

• Themes
• Budget
• Style
• Narrative
• Mise-en-scene
• Editing
• Soundtrack
• Genre and generic paradigms (clear or abstruse?)

Major, big budget, 'tentpole', mainstream, Hollywood productions (there are lots of ways of referring to major films!)

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (Gunn, 2017)

Mission Impossible Fallout (McQuarrie, 2018)

The Fate Of The Furious (Gray, 2017)

Independent, indie, lower budget, niche productions

Happy End (Haneke, 2017)

Chevalier (Tsangari, 2016)

Sorry We Missed You (Loach, 2019)

Task two - Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model

We sometimes refer to this theory as the 'PNO theory', i.e preferred, negotiated, oppositional. There are three, broad ways of responding to a media product, negotiating with the ideology of the producer. This isn't really bothered with if an audience 'likes' the product or not, but is concerned with how the audience accepts or rejects

Task 2-1

Pick one of the indie trailers and one of the mainstream trailers from above, and watch them both again

Task 2-2

For both of the trailers, identify the dominant ideology which is demonstrated. What message, value or moral is presented to the audience? How do you know this?

Task 2-3

Negotiating audience response. This is what happens every time we engage with a media product. We play a game of give and take with the producer, and decide which bits we agree with, and which bits we disagree with. For both of these adverts, outline the preferred, oppositional and negotiated response/s for each of them. 

1. Preferred: the audience agree with the ideological perspective of the producer
2. Oppositional: the audience disagree with the ideological perspective of the producer
3. Negotiated: the audience partly agrees and partly disagrees with the ideological perspective of the producer. This is the most common response!