Year 2 summer work 2025

Stop: is this post for you? If you have just finished your first year of A-level media studies, and will graduate in 2026, then yes it is!

Why summer work?

To be quite honest, you guys deserve a break. You've been working very hard, and you should really take some time to enjoy this holiday. Spending time with friends and family, playing videogames, reading books, going to the cinema, going for a huge walk... whatever you're in to, you have a lot of free time coming up.

With that in mind, setting summer work is a bit mean. But, as I said at the start of the course, I will only every set homework that is absolutely essential. Also, this is not very hard at all. Also, I think you'll enjoy it. But most importantly this work is essential. It will be part of your preproduction, and you have to write about completing it when you finish your cover sheet. Finally, from a college perspective, if you do not complete your summer work, you will be issued with a warning. So basically, do your summer work. 

There are three tasks. You could technically rush the first two. But take your time. You're going to have a think about the next piece of your coursework, and the more thought and research you put in to it, the better it will be, the easier it will be to complete, and you will get more marks for it overall.

Task one - Researching album covers, album advertisements and music magazines

For your next part of your coursework, you will be creating a one page album advert for your artist, and a double page feature article interviewing your artist. 

Here are an example of an album advert

Using Google or some other search engine, find a bunch of album adverts. Also acceptable for this task are album covers, but please remember your actual production is going to be an album advert. Make a collage of of them, in a PowerPoint, directly in to your blog, in photoshop or even print them out if you're feeling flash. 

Tip: type '[name of artist] [name of album] album advert' or ''album cover' or whatever in to the search engine to find adverts and album covers for artists you like.

Task 2: making a mood board to research an aesthetic

You've made a mood board before. It's a collection of images and costumes and whatever that you like the look of. 

The advert you make will be very straightforward. You'll get specific instructions in September, but you need to include a representation of your artist, as well as a list of tour dates, and a nice logo.

The example above encapsulates a very specific aesthetic and ideology. It is forged from 80s horror iconography and hyperreal, fetishistic nostalgia towards old tech, constructing a sense that this album has some precedent and actually means something. The idea that nothing means anything will be explored in detail next year. It gets scary.

Just like with your music video, you should take inspiration from actual media products, which you have already done. You will also make explicit reference to this task in your cover sheet, as this is part of your planning and production.

Task 3. Consuming media

There's no point in doing media if you're not regularly engaging with media. In addition to your college work, you should be

• Watching films
• Checking out advertising campaigns
• Reading newspapers and news sites
• Listening to the radio and podcasts
• Playing videogames
• Listening to music
• Watching music videos
• Reading books
• Watching TV
• Reading magazines
• Taking pictures
• Checking out social media, blogs and other examples of online media
• Writing your own blog

And so on and so forth. A good thing to do is to go on Netflix and watch something you would not usually watch. Just watch the first episode of a bunch of shows and then keep watching the best one. Go to WH Smith or whatever it's called now and treat yourself to a cool looking magazine about a topic you are interested in. 

HYHGP? - initial discussion

• Conversational and direct mode of address. Mode of delivery: unprofessional and casual.
• Discussion of serious issues: knife crime, drugs and drug dealing, racism 
• A one to one discussion - however, consistent use of the word ‘we’, his shared experiences, as well as his voice and accent all construct George as a black young man.
• A discussion of the music he listens to, and sharing his passion and enthusiasm for rap music. However, he also explores the issues that the music brings up. Presents a highly complicated representation of rap music. George address this link while also challenging it
• Genre - a combination of different genres, including poetry, politics, news and documentary, storytelling and drama
• Hybrid genre, and highly unconventional 
• A huge range of sound effects are included to create an immersive mode of address. Structured like an informal conversation, while George goes about his day. We hear his car, his sat nav ..
• “It’s nice out here”, a simple comment that is not edited out constructs a sense of flow and reality. As realistic and immersive as possible, and with a high level of verisimilitude. (like the truth)
• A big emphasis on actual music, which George sings along with. Provides the audience with a relatable mode of address and an insight in to George himself. He is part of the narrative and the protagonist. May come across as big headed and narcissistic. 
• A big focus on young people and teenagers, promoting a blank canvass and encouraging a range of audiences to engage with this narrative.
• The episode focusses on the effectiveness of the prison systems, with terrible conditions that lead to institutional drug use. He also considers mental health issues, including suicide and self harm: “while his cell mate is slicing himself up”. Shocking!
• Over the sound of children playing, George says we is considering which of these children will live and which will die. Referring to inner-city children, he makes a shocking statement that sets the scale and impact of his message, considering the impact of crime and violence on a human level. 
• Ends with a message of hope? Asks the audience to reconsider and to take a different stance, to be active!
• “If you are a student, take it to your lecturer, if you are a teacher…” A clear consideration of the educational value of this show
• Unconventional
• Shocking
• Hybrid genre
• Personal mode of address
• We begin with a warning “this programme contains strong language”. This example of regulation is called self regulation, and is included to deter certain people from listening and therefore avoid complaints and scrutiny
• The strong language takes place within the context of the songs played, and includes the F word. 
• Discussion of sensitive topics, including murder, drug dealing in prison, criticisms of the state and the government…
• The podcast begins with George watching children at a playground. This is anchored through the use of a playground sound effect (diegetic sound, in the world of the narrative), creating an immersive mode of address. Yet George speculates how many of them will be dead or in prison. HGe discusses less privileged, working class, inner city youth
• Identity - George uses lexis and delivery to construct himself as a black man living in an inner city area. This form of self representation allows the show to target black people living in British cities, who are young and educated 
• Ambient sound effects used throughout: calming, relaxing… a good example would be used of chilled beats as a binary opposition to the aggressive drill he plays
• The use of UK hip hop allows George to target and to position his intended audience. Yet he also loves it. George is particularly enthusiastic about this music, singing along, turning up the volume, sharing his love and allowing the audience to relate to the music and him. Yet George also criticises this music from the perspective of having a negative effect on audiences…
• George encourages rappers to “speak up, and speak for the people who don’t have voices”, specifically the lost inner city black youth who are lost in this world of crime
• An extremely complex point of view, with descriptions of mental illness that comes from isolation and abandonment of prison, and the idea that prisoners have to take drugs or resort to self harm to deal with this 
• This ideology of respect and rehabilitation goers against the dominant British ideology that prisons should exist to punish people for crimes 
• Telling a story - explicit reference to representation theory, the idea that we can construct the world through media products and so on
• George is a doctor of philosophy, an extremely high level of education, which adds to a complex representation
• George uses a direct address throughout the episode, frequently breaking the fourth wall
• “It’s nice out here” - low production values actually help to immerse the audience
• Poetry - George keeps lapses in to poetry which helps the show flow, and allows him to target audiences in a completely different way

Newspaper unseen analysis examples

 

Compare how representations in the front page of the Daily Mail and the front page of the Daily Mirror you have studied convey values and beliefs. [30]

In your answer, you must:

• consider the similarities and differences in how representations convey values and beliefs

• consider how stereotypes are challenged or reinforced

• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far representations construct reality

Step one - underline key terms

Compare how representations in the front page of the Daily Mail and the front page of the Daily Mirror you have studied convey values and beliefs. [30]

In your answer, you must:

• consider the similarities and differences in how representations convey values and beliefs

• consider how stereotypes are challenged or reinforced

• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far representations construct reality

2 - Knee jerk reaction - argument 

Both these newspapers convey values and beliefs to a very high extent, to minimise risk and to maximise profit 

3 - Plan

Numerical 

Headline

Main image

Captions

Anchorage

Lexis

Serif font

Masthead

Stories

Mains story

Copy

Soft news

Stuart Hall

Encodes

Ideal

Subheadings

Construction of reality

Hard news

Stereotypes

Hegemony

Reinforces Ideology 

Dominant ideology 

Cultivation

Mode of address 

Proairetic codes 

Tabloid

X - (Daily Mail front page analysis)

Headline in serif font, connoting seriousness and danger. This sense of danger and insecurity is anchored through the sheer size of the font, with the imposing headline taking up a significant portion. The lexis of ‘new Russia threat” emphasises not only the immediacy of the story, but also the continuity of the ideology that Russia is dangerous and should be feared . It also constructs a terrifying narrative. The colour red emphasises this sense of fear, threat and terror, functioning as a symbol. By instilling fear in the target audience, The Mail cultivates an ideology that we British people should fear Russia, and that audiences will keep buying the newspaper. In comparison to the Johnson front page, we see a similar reportage of a dangerous threat, with similar lexis being utilised

4 - Introduction - DAC - definition argument context 

Representation refers to the ways in which something is shown again by the producer in order to construct a certain reality. Newspapers stand to benefit from constructing new realities, by demonstrating their ideology to the target audience, the producer can cultivate ideological perspectives to minimise risk and to maximise profit. In this essay, I shall argue that newspapers convey values and beliefs to to construct leading representations, ultimately for the purpose of profit and power. In order to explore this idea, I shall refer to The Daily Mail, a right wing tabloid, and compare it’s ideologies to The Daily Mirror, a left wing tabloid, published by Reach PLC, a horizontally integrated news publisher. 

5 - Paragraphs - PEA - point, evidence, argument 

War (Russian war and UK cabinet) 

Politicians (Johnson and Putin)

Death 

Children 

Middle Aged women

Middle aged men

Working class vs middle class

Compare how the representations of issues and events in this Daily Express front page and the Times front page you have studied convey values and attitudes. [30]

In your answer you must:

• consider the similarities in how representations of issues and events convey values and attitudes

• consider the differences in how representations of issues and events convey values and attitudes

• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations of issues and events relate to social contexts.

Step 1 - Underline the key terms

Compare how the representations of issues and events in this Daily Express front page and the Times front page you have studied convey values and attitudes. [30]

In your answer you must:

• consider the similarities in how representations of issues and events convey values and attitudes

• consider the differences in how representations of issues and events convey values and attitudes

• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations of issues and events relate to social contexts.

Step 2 - knee-jerk reaction

Both newspapers present a scandalous mode of address and stereotypical representations to provoke emotional responses about issues and events for the purpose of power and profit (but the Express is more scandalous than the times…)

Step 3 - quick plan

MES

Stereotypes

Mode of address

Lexis

Headline

Codes

Hermeneutic

Proairetic

Symbolic

Anchorage

Copy

Masthead

Ideology

Composition 

Caption 

Narrative

Stuart Hall

Representation

Constructed

Font

Images

Genre

Tabloid

Broadsheet

Audience

Target

Demographic

Step 3.5 - Unseen analysis

A representation of a terror attack with a clear and leading ideological perspective. The use of exaggerated lexis is typical of a tabloid newspaper, and aims to evoke a human response to a tragedy. The innocence of the little girls is encoded in the selection of school photographs of all three girls, all aligned next to each other in a straightforward composition that suggests they experienced the same horror. The selection of images clearly constructs sympathy with the older, middle aged parent audience who will identify with the experience. The killer is not pictured on this front page, which represents him as something other and different and not worthy of consideration. This also constructs a binary opposition between him and the murdered children, who are represented as vulnerable and innocent . The selection and treatment of such a horrific story allows the producers of the newspaper to position their target audience, and to ensure maximum engagement through a blunt and brutal representation of reality. The lexis positions the audience into accepting a straightforward hero and villain narrative, with clear aspects of good and evil. 

Step 4 - Introduction - DAC - definition, argument, context

Representation refers to a reconstruction of reality, and the ways in which issues and events are reconstructed by the producer using media language to demonstrate their ideology. In doing so, producers manipulate the ideology of their target audience, in order to ensure financial success. In this essay, I shall argue that the producers of newspapers construct representations of issues and events to present a dramatic, emotional reconstruction of reality. In order to explore this, I shall refer to the front page of the Daily Express, a tabloid, and the front page of the Times, a broadsheet, right wing, owned by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp

Step 5 - paragraphs (PEA point, evidence, argument/analysis)

In this case, each POINT would be related to an ISSUE or EVENT. So what issues and events are represented here?

Political events and scandals  - both stories use scandalous language and mode of address!

Mass murder/Terrorism - constructed through alarmist and leading lexis, which cultivates an ideological perspective that the world is a cruel and awful place 

Grief - intrusion into grief and private issues - regulation

Soft news and hard news - newspapers balance their selection of stories to maximise audience engagement

Contingency week: what can you do to maximise your coursework grade? Class of '26 edition

What can you do this week to maximise your final grade (and make the best music video ever made?)

• Add text, graphics and words to your video 
• Adding and editing additional footage
• Filming additional footage
• Appropriate transitions for the genre
• Shove in some effects 
• Fine tuning the editing to emphasising beat matching and synchronisation 
• Fill all empty spaces, try to avoid overly repetitive imagery 
• Focus on perfect lip synching 
• Colour grading: go wild!
• Go out and shoot some ECUs and abstract shots 
• Emphasise your representation 
• Add the name of YOUR artist, and the name of the song!

A reminder of the brief (music video element)

•  A cross-media production for a new artist or band in a popular genre (or sub-genre/hybrid) of your choice.
• Create an original music video and associated print material (an album cover and a double page spread) to promote the same artist or band.
• You should create a cross-media production for a record label that is a division of one of the ‘Big Three’ record labels (such as Sony Music Entertainment’s Epic Records, Universal Music Group’s Republic Records or Warner Music Group’s Fueled by Ramen). Your cross-media production should target a 'Generation Z’ audience (in 2025, this means 13 - 28 years old, and are the first generation to have typically grown up with digitally convergent media as a cultural dominant)
• Length: 3 minutes - 3 minutes 30 seconds. Longer tracks may be edited or faded out to meet the required length.
• The music video must construct representations of at least one social group and include the following: 
• Two or more filming locations appropriate to the chosen genre, such as a studio, rehearsal or live performance setting, and other locations to establish the narrative
• A wide range of camera shots, angles and movement
• A range of shots of the artist or band to establish a clear image/identity
• Performance footage (rehearsal and/or live), lip-synched appropriate to the chosen popular genre
• Clear structure with an element of narrative (such as enigma, conflict, resolution or character types) to visually interpret the lyrics
• Editing of original footage to the music track
• Graphics depicting the name of the fictional artist or band and title of the track

The video to Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter utilises a subtle retro aesthetic, encoded through colour grading and costume, as well as precise shot framing to construct a precise and highly involving address. This video would probably get an A*

Clay Shirky in practice: The Guardian and the language of the amateur

Clay Shirky is an interesting theorist. His central premise, the idea that the audience have dissipated and been replaced with a highly motivated amateur producers is contentious. Many media students and media teachers can instantly point out that posting on a blog and having a moderately successful fashion vlog on YouTube are very VERY different things.

However the aspect of Shirky's work that is most compelling to me is the idea that media producers now adopt a deliberately amateurish approach to appeal to mass audiences and to increase output. This allows producers such as journalists to produce relatable 'content', that can be 'consumed' easily and without consideration.

The Guardian has a reputation of being exclusive and intellectual. If that was the case, it is not so right now. The lexis of the Guardian is accessible to a 12-13 year old. More recently, editorial decisions have seen 'content' that is fixated on 'listicles' and click bait, with head scratching headlines that are derided and delighted over on social media. The inclusion of Adrian Chiles as a columnist seems to be a deliberate ploy to create some of the most bizarre and hilarious 'baity columns ever published.  I'm sure the fact that he's married to the editor in chief of the Guardian is pure coincidence. 

Snide comments aside, this shift to deliberately 'amateurish' articles is indicative of an increasingly difficult media landscape. To minimise risk and maximise profit, legacy media producers must do everything possible to stay relevant, especially because their competition in convergent social media platforms has their content creators working for free, perpetually ensnared by a series of powerful algorithms that are able to automate and maximise 'engagement' in blunt and brutish ways.