Read this bit carefully: this post is ONLY useful if you are sitting the exam in 2022. Any other year, this post will NOT be useful. Why? because students in 2022 knew what industries and what questions were broadly coming up in the final exam.
This post only contains information you NEED to know. Please note that the newspaper question in Component one and EVERY question in component two is synoptic, which means you''ll be expected to make reference to a variety of things outside of the scope of the question. So, although the question for online media WILL be industry based, you will still get marks for discussing audience, if you so desire. And for the media language question on magazines, you will be discussing representation, audience and possibly industry too!
Component one section A - Analysing Media Language and Representation - spend one hour and thirty minutes on these two questions!
For component one section a), spend 2 minutes per mark. There are only two questions in this section. But they're big!
Advertising
Kiss of the Vampire theatrical poster - this question will see you compare KOTV with an unseen film poster. The question will focus on representation.
This question will be 30 marks. Spend one hour on it/ Yes, that's a very long time! And the examiner is going to expect to see an hour's worth of work!
Media language- Uses the generic iconography of the vampire genre in order to attract pre-existing audiences
- Aspects of mise-en-scene, such as setting and costume are highly typical of the genre
- Use of language ‘’In Eastman Color’ suggests film will be in full colour and has been processed using the then popular Eastmancolor technique
- Uses typical film poster conventions, including the names of the principal actors being used to sell the film to a pre-existing audience
- The campiness of the mode of address reflects the changing tastes of the film going public. Public tastes changed in the 70’s with gorier films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Alien, yet in the 60’s, Hammer Horror’s tongue in cheek mid-budget approach was still popular
Representation- Sexualised, objectified representation of women, confirming Van-Zoonen’s theory that women’s bodies are used to sell media products to a heterosexual male audience
- Use of sexualisation is highly typical of the time it was produced
- A stereotypical representation of vampires!
- Middle class British hero’s under-threat in a foreign land. Like many horror films, the monster here represents a xenophobic unease at places which are not in the UK, which supports Gilroy’s postcolonial theory
- Encourages audiences to pick and mix ideological perspectives. It is possible to enjoy the film full well knowing how ridiculous it is, and vampire films can be an important part of an audience’s identity
Music video - unseen video. This question will focus on media language
This question will be 15 marks. Spend 30 minutes on it!
Unseen music video. So, who knows? Make sure you are familiar with the toolkit for textual analysis, and make sure you discuss whatever the question asks you to discuss. Here are some things that you could talk about...
- Genre conventions
- Representation of gender
- Camera angles
- Shot types
- Ideological perspectives
- Subversive representations
- Hegemonic norms
- Editing (rapid or slow paced?
- Positioning (who are the audience positioned with?)
- Colour
- Costumes
- Proairetic, hermeneutic and symbolic codes
- Intertextuality
- Postmodern elements (eg bricolage, hyperreal representations, challenging metanarratives...)
Component one section B - Understanding Media Industries and Audiences - spend 45 minutes on this entire section! Short, snappy answers!
For component one section b, spend one minute per mark. Yes, this is tight, but it is fully expected you will spend less time on this bit!
Advertising
WaterAid audio-visual spot advert - these questions will focus on audience
Audience- Targets Western audiences through the use of a British pop song
- Direct mode off address implores working class target audience to donate money
- Use of establishing tracking shot positions audience with Claudia
- Negotiated response may focus on frustration with a stereotypical representation of ‘Africa’
- May provide opportunity for personal identification for black audiences through the visibility of black protagonist
Newspapers - you will be asked to discuss both newspapers. You must not refer to the set editions, but instead the case studies we have recently looked at in class. There will be several shorter questions, and will focus on industry. However, one of the questions will prompt a synoptic response
The Daily Mirror (general study)
Audience- Tabloid newspaper, targeting a working-class audience
- Use of informal lexis, large splash images, and large font pull quotes further anchor ideological messages for the target audience
- Stereotypically working-class mode of address through betting adverts
- Left wing bias targets a working class, left wing audience. A unique selling point for a mainstream UK tabloid
- Cultivates a straightforward and hegemonically dominant representation of societal issues and events
Industry- Newspapers are regulated by IPSO in the UK. It replaced the PCC, which was seen as being ineffective following the phone hacking scandal at the Murdoch owned The News Of The World
- Published by Reach PLC
- Circulation in 2018 : 562,523, down 12% from 2017. Print media is under threat, and other newspapers have either folded or are in real danger of folding. (check Wikipedia for latest stats)
- The Mirror’s biggest (tabloid) competitor is The Sun, which sells almost three times as many copies as The Mirror!
- The Mirror is pretty much the only left-wing tabloid in the UK, though there are a few other, lower circulation newspapers like the communist Morning Star
The Times (general study)
Audience- Broadsheet newspaper with a right-wing political leaning, targeting a middle class and educated audience
- Offers audiences a range of experiences through different headings and sections on the newspapers homepage,
- News UK offers it’s audiences a singular experience, with a range of ideologically similar right wing newspapers
- Cultivation of right wing ideology in order to cultivate a politically subservient and partisan right wing audience?
- However, less overtly right leaning that other Murdoch owned newspapers, presenting audience with illusion of choice
Industry- Circulation 428,034 in 2018, down 6% from 2017. (check Wikipedia for latest stats)
- Published by News UK, which itself is owned by the US conglomerate News Corp
- News UK are horizontally integrated, and demonstrate a risk averse business strategy through also publishing The Sun, The Sunday Times and TLS
- Like all monopolistic conglomerates, News UK are motivated by power and profit. By supporting right wing governments, they ensure that their products are less likely to face state intervention
- News UK a rebranding of News International, following the phone hacking scandal that saw The News Of The World shut down for corruption and invading privacy
- Newspapers in the UK are regulated by IPSO, though the guidelines assume that the newspapers themselves are able to self-regulate. Arguably, this is not an effective form of regulation
Every question in component 2 is synoptic. make sure you know what this means!
For component two, spend 50 minutes on each industry. The TV section will be two separate questions. Spend 25 minutes on each.
Component two section A - Television in the global age
Humans (2015) - this question will be separate from Les Revs and be worth 15 marks. It will focus on audience. Spend 25 minutes on this one
Media language- Sci-fi iconography, including a range of intertextual references to films such as Blade Runner (1984)
- Themes of hyperreality, simulacrum, paranoia, and distrust of the world we live in
- Highly appropriate generic paradigms of the sci-fi genre, including the techno pop soundtrack, and the discussion of quintessential sci-fi themes such as ‘what is humanity?’
- Subverts standard sci-fi generic paradigms through real-world setting
- A non-linear and disjointed narrative demonstrates the show’s cult appeal
Representation- East Asian cyborg Anita is represented as a sexual object who has had her autonomy stripped away from her
- The inclusion of cyborgs function as an allegory, and explores themes of racism, sexual slavery, migration, globalisation and a fear of technology
- A hyperreal representation of women, questioning the representation of women in media and the hegemonically dictated role they play in society
- Stereotypical, hyperreal representation of a ‘typical’ middle-class British family
- An inclusive selection of a range of ages, genders and later, sexualities demonstrates an ability to appeal to multiple audiences
Audience- Postmodern, fragmented narrative allows audience many exciting negotiated readings, which they can explore online in fan forums
- MES is often stereotypically British, allowing audiences to identify with relatable scenes
- A range of hegemonically attractive characters provide the young to middle-aged target audience with a straightforward gratification
- Sci-fi generic paradigms allow core and niche audiences to identify and use the show in various ways
- Sci-fi has always traditionally allowed fans to speculate and to engage with the product, in this case online. Internet chat groups, fan blogs and subreddits exist, allowing fans of Humans the ability to discuss and to reinterpret their favourite show
Industry- A detailed and immersive advertising campaign that made consistent use of digital convergence
- Ran for three series before being cancelled
- A remake of the Swedish STV series Real Humans’, which many changes made to make it appeal to a British audience
- Broadcast on Channel 4, a British broadcaster with a history of creating challenging and alternative TV programmes for niche audiences
- Show adheres to OFCOM’s guidelines in terms of inclusive representation
Les Revenants (2012) - this question will be separate from Humans and will be worth 15 marks. It will focus on representation. Spend 25 minutes on this one
Media language- On paper a zombie show, yet completely atypical of the genre, subverting audience expectations throughout
- Combines elements of romance, zombie and mystery, creating a compelling genre hybrid
- Highly stylised setting and mise en scene, with extensive use of post production colour grading to create a bleak, washed out and miserable atmosphere
- Extensive use of binary oppositions to construct meaning. Life and death, young and old, male and female, rich and poor…
- Non-diegetic soundtrack provided by Glaswegian rock band Mogwai. Atypical and often extremely jarring!
- Setting (a quiet, middle class town) in the French alps is also highly atypical for a zombie show
Representation- A range of characters, of different ages and socio-economic groups ensures a potentially broad audience
- Almost universally white cast represents a hyperreal construction of the French countryside for both the domestic and international middle class white target audiences.
- In many ways stereotypically French in terms of the appearance of the actors and the moody, existentialist themes, though the constant binary opposition of sex and death
- Victor and Camille takes the role of the terrifying child, which in horror films is a common trope, indicating our societies collective fear of young people
- Many subversive representations of gender, in particular Lena and Julie
Audience- A cult show for cult audiences, which is reinforced through the deliberately mysterious narrative, uncompromising soundtrack by Glaswegian post-rock band Mogwai and the themes of death, sex and alienation
- Audiences are invited to identify with different characters from different age groups and socio-economic groups
- A small range of merchandise (TV shirts, tie-in books etc) allows fans to express their love for the show
- Mogwai soundtrack allows the show to target pre-existing fans of the band. It’s the only reason Michael checked it out
- Controversial scenes, such as the sex scene involving a young Lena (and Camille’s simultaneous death) may provoke deep and oppositional responses from audiences. Again, this is very much a cut show!
Industry- Produced by Haut et Court, and distributed by Canal Plus (the Canal group being an enormous French media conglomerate)
- Awarded a 450,000 euro European Europe Creative Europe grant in 2012
- Additionally received funding from Rhone-Alpes Regional Fund to promote tourism in the region.
- Multiple sources of funding here, just like I, Daniel Blake, indicate a niche product that would not be funded otherwise
- Remade in English for an American audience with little commercial success
Component two section B - Magazines: mainstream and alternative
This question will focus on media language. Spend 50 minutes answering this question. And remember, Woman and Adbusters are REALLY different!
Woman (1964)
Media language- A highly conventional women’s lifestyle magazine, with a range of easily identifiable generic conventions
- Cover creates a direct mode of address, allowing audience opportunity to identify with the model and the themes within
- Fashion and style is highly typical of mainstream fashions of the 1960’s
- A consistent binary opposition is constructed between men and women
- Generically different from modern magazines, with a focus on blocks of text
Representation- Consistent reinforcement of singular, sexist stereotypes of women, further cultivating patriarchal hegemony
- Sex and sexualisation are subtly encoded through the soap advert, reinforcing the hegemonic ideology that a woman’s function is to look attractive for a heterosexual male elite
- Men are occasionally represented, and generally in a position of hegemonic power, for example in the Alfred Hitchcock interview
- Some subversive representation of traditional gender norms, for example in the EXTRA SPECIAL… ON MEN! article
- Women typically situated in home settings, such as kitchens, further anchoring and reinforcing traditional gender norms
Audience- A generic product for a mass market audience, Woman deliberately includes no challenging material
- Lexis is informal and infers a target audience with a high school level of education
- Why so sexist? In order to construct a dedicated target audience, woman presents singular and straightforward representations
- Consistent stereotypical representations of women cultivates gender norms and values for the mass market audience
- However, audiences even at the time could form complicated negotiated readings, rejecting the dominant ideological perspective, yet making use of the various make-up, style and DIY tips
Industry- Cover price of 7d (7 pre-decimal pence, or roughly 80p in 2018) is affordable and competitively priced for the working class female audience, especially compared with glossy monthlies like Vogue, which retailed for 3/- (about £4.50 in 2018 money)
- Published by IPC, a horizontally integrated media conglomerate, that simply bought out Woman’s competitors such as Woman's Realm and Woman’s Own
- The simple and straightforward representations in Woman present a simple and unchallenging dominant ideological perspective, demonstrating the magazine’s sole ideological purpose is one of power and profit
- While Woman presents many ideas that seem sexist and problematic by 21st Century standards, the magazine’s safe and uncontroversial ideological perspectives mean it is unlikely to have issues with regulation
- IPC, and Woman magazine exists to this day, and despite more of a focus on gossip over lifestyle, the magazine has changed little
Adbusters (2016)
Media language- Deliberately low production values, unconventional for a magazine
- No clear genre, ideology, or even cover price, once more highly unconventional ...
- Use of intertextuality, referentiality and bricolage, combining a range of themes from a range of texts
- Confrontational and even aggressive mode of address
- Highly polysemic, and lacks anchorage
Representation- Subversive, non-sexualised representation of women, for example in the ‘luxury water’ double page spread
- Lacks many specific representations of gender at all
- Postcolonial representations of ethnic minorities, demonstrating fundamental unfair racial hierarchies
- Louboutins advert presents a stereotypical representation of a faceless ‘African’ for satirical purposes, yet may reinforce stereotypes for the white, middle class target audience
- Allows audiences to identify with the political inclinations of the magazine, and construct an alternative lifestyle based on campaigning and social issues
Audience- Target audience initially unclear through lack of anchorage, but broadly middle-class and university educated
- Invites a range of highly polysemic readings from audience
- Many opportunities for oppositional readings, with articles potentially being read as racist and/or hateful by some audiences
- Website provides many opportunities for fandom and audience interaction, including purchasing anti-capitalist merchandise
- Other polysemic and negotiated readings include seeing Adbusters purely as an art and design magazine, ignoring the ideological perspectives of the magazine
Industry- Published six times a year by the Vancouver based Adbusters Media Foundation
- An independant, not-for profit magazine, subverting the argument that all media is motivated by power and profit
- High cover price (as high as £10:99, though this varies in practice), is necessary due to the lack of advertising revenue
- The magazine has no paid-for adverts. Please make sure you point this out…
- 120 thousand copies sold worldwide every two months compared to Woman's 1964 3 million British weekly circulation indicates a clearly independant and niche production
Component two section C - Online media in an online age
This question will focus on industry. You should spend 50 minutes on this question. Your basic argument is likely to be that both Zoella and Attitude use stereotypical representations (of women and gay men respectively) to sell their products to a straightforward, mainstream audience.
Zoella
Media language- Youtube channel homepage and blog present a clear layout and clean user experience
- A hyperreal construction of life, femininity and identity, presenting a fantastic yet relatable world to her target audience
- Binary opposition constructed through Zoella and Alfie, reinforcing her stereotypical representation
- Typical fashion and lifestyle channel, with range of appropriate paradigmatic features
- Deliberately amateurish cinematography and editing constructs Zoella as relatable and human for her young target audience
Representation- A range of stereotypically feminine codes, including pastel pinks, fairy lights and flowing fabrics construct a stereotypical representation of femininity
- The menu bar on Zoella.co.uk includes the hyperlinks ‘BEAUTY’, ‘FOOD’ and ‘STYLE’, which reinforces stereotypical, hegemonic representations of women
- Zoella’s gender performativity constructs a hegemonically situated and stereotypical construction of female identity, reinforcing and potentially manipulating the dominant ideological perspective of her target audience
- Zoella subverts stereotypical representations of women, being open and honest about her issues with anxiety, and even occasionally appearing without makeup, once more making her more relatable to her young target audience
- Postcolonial readings will focus on only white people being represented in her videos, inadvertently constructing a racial hierarchy and enacting symbolic annihilation
Audience- Zoella.co.uk adopts a friendly and welcoming mode of address to it’s white, working class, heterosexual female target audience
- Audience invited to participate with Zoella, for example in the pancake and picnic articles
- Opportunities for audiences to directly interact with Zoella, for example through Youtube comments and pubic events
- Negotiated and oppositional readings may take exception to the capitalist nature of Zoella’s marketing strategy, as seen in the ‘fuckzollea’ commentator on the old version of her blog
- Since reinventing herself from Zoella to Zoe Sugg, Zoella has consciously targeted an older, yet still mainstream, working class female target audience
Industry- Audience engagement (time spent on respective sites) maximised through algorithmically optimised aspects such as autoplay and read next box outs
- Revenue predominantly generated through advertising and click-through
- Zoella herself (?!) is an independent and vertically integrated organisation, utilizing external distributors such as Hodder and Stoughton to publish her books
- Zoella, like any other media industry, is motivated through profit and power
- Self regulated, and occasionally has ran in to legal implications from her Instagram feed, after she was found guilty of promoting brands without announcing it was paid-for content
Attitude online
Media language- A simple, clean and straightforward layout, similar to online tabloid newspapers
- Lexis is informal, and indicates a working class target audience
- Use of hermeneutic codes in article titles invites audiences to click (clickbait)
- Constructs a hyperreal representation of gay male identity, and a world where everyone is young, musculed, and sexually available
- Frequent use of rainbow flag iconography indicates an inclusive attitude, and is welcoming to bisexual, lesbian and trans audiences
Representation- Often presents a highly sexualised representation of gay men, with a particular focus on young to middle aged white men with muscular physiques, reinforcing hegemonic stereotypes of male beauty
- Other representations of gay men include drag queens, older men involved in media and showbiz, and gay men as victims of violence. A complicated representation of sexuality and identity?
- Arguably presents a straightforward and stereotypical representation of gay male identity to its target audience. Gay male stereotypes, such as an interest in expensive fashion and the theatre and emphasised and reinforced throughout
- Provides a metanarrative for young gay audiences to identify with, and to learn about gay culture
- Expressions of gender performativity situate in the audience in a highly performative negotiation of sexuality, further reinforcing the link between sexuality and identity
Audience- Magazine and it’s online version specifically targets a gay male audience.
- However, the website clearly targets a working class gay male audience, and the magazine targets a more middle class, professional and aspiration gay male audience
- Possible heterosexual female secondary target audience, who may appreciate highly sexualised images of men
- Negotiated readings may focus on displeasure at the use of stereotyping, but taking pleasure from the information and news provided by the website
- Allows closeted gay audience who may feel uncomfortable buying the magazine in public an opportunity to explore their sexuality in private
Industry- Huge banner advert suggesting the audience subscribe to the print magazine indicates a synergistic business model. The website exists to promote and sell the magazine
- Standard and straightforward format indicates the website is driven by power and profit
- Website only established in 2015, after years of resisting an online presence. Indicates a need for hypermodal media in a modern media climate
- By being hosted online, the website circumvents traditional regulation issues. However the website self-regulates, censoring swear words, and providing NSFW tags for sexualised content
- Provides no real opportunities for fans to interact with the website, including leaving comments. A clear contradiction of Clay Shirky’s theory
.jpg)
