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.

Constructing realities - what realities are constructed in the products we have studied for component one?

Representation is not reality. It is the reconstruction of reality. Representations are reconstructions that are formed from shot types and edits and colours and costumes: media language. But what are the things that are actually being represented and reconstructed in the media products we have studied in component one?

Music videos - Formation - The representation of ethnicity, racism, slavery,  the representation of women, and the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in the US south. Also BLM 

Music videos - 17 Going Under - The representation of poverty and the North East of England, of teenagers and various other interconnected social issues

Advertising - Tide Advert - The domestication of women, and the reinforcement of hegemonic, patriarchal values, the housewife stereotype  

Advertising - Super.Human advert - challenging representations of disability and stereotypical representations of people with disabilities  (and of the United Kingdom) - 

Advertising - KOTV - the representations gender in the 1960s, including the stereotypical representations of women 

Newspapers - The Times (™) - the use of representations to manipulate the political ideology of the pre-sold audience, to reinforce ideologies and to shape the audience 

Newspapers - The Daily Mirror (™) - the use of representations to manipulate the political ideology of the pre-sold audience,  to reinforce ideologies and to shape the audience 

Digital distribution and the radio industry

How have digital technologies affected how audiences can respond to radio? 

• The podcast is easily accessible and downloadable for free!
• Easier for the audience to talk to each other about it, using social media. Therefore the issues and themes are more easily spread
• Complicated techniques that engage audiences such as overlapping sound are extremely easy to accomplish
• In addition to BBC Sounds, the podcast can be streamed through Youtube and Spotify. Allows audiences a variety of different points of access
• The use of digital editing software such as Adobe Audition makes editing audio significantly easier than before. Also, accessibility of digital recording equipment has liberalised the production of audio media

How does BBC Sounds use its web portal to maximise audience engagement?

• If the website looked unappealing and was difficult to use, it would minimise audience engagement. However, the website has been designed to effectively engage audiences. 
• From the top of the page: high contrast colourful images with high engagement
• The colour orange has connotations of hope and energy, and constructs a clear brand identity. 
• The thumbnails on the top strip are colourful and easy to access. The majority of audiences will default to live broadcasts, and this ensures that audiences get what they want.
• However, as audiences move from left to right, they can access more niche shows, and therefore this allows the BBC to address plurality 
• Simple, straightforward, web 2.0 layout will appeal to many target audiences

How have digital technologies affected how we listen to radio?

• Digital tech has made radio far more accessible. 
• Use of integrated apps allows for remote listening around the country and the world 
• Everything is digital, everything is connected. For example social media integration allows audiences to instantly share their thoughts with a huge audience!!
• It allows audiences a huge variety of shows, allowing audiences to access niche shows
• Digital convergence has allowed for ease of access, and allows younger audiences an enjoyable experience when interacting with media such as radio 
• Freedom to access shows at any time, rather than relying on scheduled releases 
• Easier to produce radio shows! 
• Accessibility! Mobile phones make listening to radio as easy as simply downloading BBC Sounds and creating an account. This allows radio to appeal to a winder and more diverse audience
• Personalisation. Using a service like Spotify, algorithmic optimisations allows platforms to present audiences with more of what they want to listen to. However, this arguably only presents audiences with a narrow viewpoint of media, as certain companies are able to pay to be included in this optimisation 
• Mobility. Due to the fact that podcasts can be downloaded, they can hypothetically b listen to on other planets 
• Quick, easy, convenient. HYHGP is hosted on Sounds, Spotify and YouTube, which provides audiences with options 
• Allows audiences to repeat, rewind, fast forward 
• Allows audiences to distribute, share and edit the podcast themselves 

Zoella.co.uk archive - Exploring hyperreality and audience response in the article 'Our Favourite Pancake Day Toppings'

How to answer the representation comparison question, and two brief examples of representation comparisons

What questions could come up for the representation comparison question of component one section A?

1. how audiences are positioned by the representations
2. How ideologies conveyed through the representations 
3. construct versions of reality
4. represent social groups
5. representations of gender convey values and attitudes
6. how audiences may interpret the representations of gender
7. how representations convey values and beliefs
8. how the representations position audiences

consider how the representations [construct versions of reality]

 consider the similarities and differences…

make judgments and draw conclusions about how far…

Generic introduction

Representation refers to how reality is reconstructed by the producer using media. Representations can be used to convey an ideological message to the audience, and producers will use media language to anchor and position audience response. In this essay, I shall argue that music videos can use representations to position audiences in dramatically different ways. 

Example one: The Killers 'When You Were Young' vs Sam Fender '17 Going Under'

Plan 

17 - sad, miserable, depressing mode of address

Moments of hope 

The Killers  - sad, isolated, yet with moments of hope 

Costume codes 

All white: purity and innocence and undertones of religion 

Cross

Church 

Rapid fire montage - proairetic code 

Long shot, isolated, helpless

Working class representations 

Audience positioned through intense emotional performances 

Representations of heterosexual relationships 

Positioned through diegetic sound

Representations of rural areas - bleak, directly, depressing

Master shot: fender on northern terraced street 

Use of stereotypes. Stereotypical settings, costumes…

Representations of religion - of the past, gothic 

Conventional romance narrative in the killers 

Killers: conventional master shot

Fender: constructed as isolated yet important 

Ocean shot: fender standing around a group of stereotypical teenagers 

Representations of grief and loss and depression as an issue - shot of mother in panic in the living room

“The fist fights on the beach” - strong northern accent

Representations of gender: assumption that men must be strong and emotionless - Liesbet Van Zoonen  or Judith Butler 

Mother on the cliff vs standing on the cliff in the killers - representations of mothers 

Example two: Bang Chan 'Railway' vs Beyonce 'Formation'

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

In your answer you must:

• consider the similarities and differences in how social groups are represented

• consider how representations construct reality

• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations reflect social

and cultural contexts.

Introduction

Representation refers to the re-presentation of ideologies about a certain group of people, as reconstructed by the producer to realign audiences to agree with their ideological perspective. Representations reconstruct different versions of reality, and this is essential for producers to construct a stereotypical yet compelling version of reality. In this essay I shall argue that the representation of social groups in these two videos is completely different, due to the completely different ideological perspectives of these radically different genres of of music. In order to explore this idea, I shall use the examples of Formation by Beyonce, a hip-hop/R&B track with elements of bounce and trap that explores themes of poverty, the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, and black, southern working class identity. I shall also explore the video to Railway by Bang Chan, which presents a completely different ideological perspective typical of a high budget K-pop video. 

Plan 

South Korean men  - perfect, hegemonically attractive, beautiful 

Black working class New Orleans people - powerful, prideful, diverse

Slave owner dress 

Crawling on floor - power

Sexualisation and fetishism of powerful men 

Horror conventions 

Intertextuality

Vampires

Anime references and videogame references 

Social group - fans of east Asian culture and cult audiences

Low angle shots - constructs power 

Beyonce - lyrics ‘all my ladies’, MES of backing dancers

Beyonce positioned as important and commanding 

Black people - subverts stereotypes of black people as violent a dangerous

CU/LS montage of child dancing: disrespect of authority

Intersectional feminism and bell hooks - challenging representations of gender and ethnicity

Subversive representation of masculinity - a binary opposition

New Orleans - exclusively black people, run down, representations of working class identity 

Railway - destroyed prison. Symbolism of destroyed flags suggests shame and misery 

Listen closer… A discussion of episode one of HYHGP?

• The podcast takes the form of a story, with a skilled storytelling constructing the narrative. The is unconventional for podcasts, which often take a talk show format
• Many references to themes of drugs and violence, spreading awareness of these issues. However the show differs from fictionalised accounts such as Top Boy, by going into detail about issues that affect young black men in the UK
• Focus on a range of music in order to explore the topic at hand. George uses references to his favourite rap songs to make points about drugs and violence, and draws a complex picture of his own enjoyment, constructing a complex representation of young black British inner city identity?
• A blunt and often straightforward mode of address, making explicit reference to how many children will end up dead or in prison
• An impactful and controversial mode of address
• Analysis of controversial rap lyrics draws attention to the admissibility of evidence. The audience is assumed to have a clear, detailed and intricate K&U of a range of different issues
• An extremely direct mode of address towards the target audience, with George directly asking the audience to put on a blindfold to fully concentrate on the issues at hand 
• A range of different atmos (atmospheric sounds) constructs a down to earth and immersive mode of address for the target audience, constructing a more relatable atmosphere for the target audience 
• A niche and specific target audience. The word ‘black’ is not mentioned once, yet themes affecting young black British people are implicit.
• George's voice, delivery and topics of discussion are all stereotypically black, allowing him and his podcast to relate to a black audience
• However, the show target a range of people through it’s educated and complex mode of address
• The fact that the show is podcasted means that niche audiences can access this show whenever and wherever 
• Is highly atypical and unconventional of the podcast format
• Discussion of hard hitting and affecting topics, including the issues faced by inner city black British youth
• Consideration of stereotypical representations of black youth, specifically through the lens of UK hip-hop 
• Also deals with the issue of jail, punishment and rehabilitation. George draws attention to issues such as drugs in prison, and constructs a hard hitting and complicated narrative for the target audience 
• Introduction features George looking at a group of inner city children, and speculating over how how many will die or end up in prison 
• George is freely circulating his own opinions, and labels them as such 
• An engaging and immersive use of atmos sound, forcing the audience to understand his points 
• However, a range of deliberately distracting and even confusing sound effects can conversely make the episode more relatable to the target audience 
• Uses examples from UK hip-hop tracks to convey the experiences of young black British men who have experienced these things 
• George has mixed opinions on hip hop. He clearly loves it, is knowledgeable, and even sings along, yet also critiques the potential for UK hip-hop to glamourise criminal lifestyles 
• Entire podcast encourages audience discussion, and requires a significant level of contextual knowledge