MEST1 Section B Assessment Objectives
Application of knowledge and understanding of how intertextuality
is used (links across all three platforms)
Uses of a range of detailed examples from three media platforms
Clear, well organised and appropriate communication. Individual
response with use of media terminology
Understanding and application of media
ideas/issues/theories/debates
Read the two questions carefully and select the best question that suits your
area of study. Look carefully at how you are being asked to apply your cross
media research, identify the key words in the question and draft up a plan
based on the texts in your cross-media study, with the class-based texts used
for support if necessary.
There is no requirement to balance the references to the three platforms and
there may be a bias towards one platform in the question, but you must refer
to all three platforms and identify their intertextuality (common links).
Consider the issues raised by the following questions and how they relate to
the texts that you have chosen for your cross-media study. For each one,
always bear in mind the way they promote a relationship of consumption
between media producers and audiences.
Audience interaction?
Encouraged? Made easy? Multi-Platform or one platform dominance?
How does this relate to the audience demographic? Does interaction tie in
with any promotions or sponsorship ‘delivering’ the audience to the
advertisers?
New technology?
Embraced new or old technologies still favoured? How does this relate to the
audience demographic? Which technology dominates? Does this create links
to external advertisers? Has this improved audience experience? How?
Audience control?
How can audiences exert their control? What differences across texts do you
notice? Does this relate to audience demographic? Consider carefully the
institutional decisions which give the audience control? Is it still in their
favour? Which platform allows for greatest audience control?
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Audience as consumers or producers?
Can the audience manipulate or influence the text? How and to what extent?
What differences are there across texts and how does this relate to the
audience demographic? Can the audience influence and manipulation be
negative? Which technology encourages greatest consumption or production?
Change and development?
How have the text producers shown development and response to multiplatform approach (Use your texts as examples)? What cross platform links
are now crucial to the success of the text? How does this relate to the
audience demographic? In this sense, how do the texts compare to each
other?
Intertextual synergy in media language and forms?
Are there any clear links in terms of mise-en-scene, visual and sound
elements, design aesthetics and connotative meanings? How do these
elements link to the genre codes and conventions of the films being
promoted?
Uses and Gratifications – Entertainment? Information?
How are your texts primarily used by audiences? Analysing the codes and
conventions what are the preferred readings of the texts? Is the text open to
negotiated or oppositional readings? How are audiences directed to other
platforms to continue fulfilling these needs? Consider the pleasures obtained
from each platform by the audience demographic.
Representation?
How are the people or places in your Cross Media case study represented?
How do these representations relate to dominant ideology and stereotypes?
Are their any opportunities to provide countertypes? What links do your texts
make with advertisers across platforms? How does this fit the representation?
Are some platforms used more successfully than others to create the desired
representation?
Narrative?
How do the cross-media texts communicate the explicit and/or implied
narrative of each film? Are they the same or do they reveal different aspects
of the narrative? Consider Propp’s narrative functions, use of Todorov’s
theory of equilibrium/disequilibrium and Barthes’ enigma/action codes.
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Previous Section B questions
‘Audiences are no longer just consumers of media texts but producers too.’
To what extent is this true of the media products in your case study?
In your answer you should:
 provide a brief outline of your case study
 evaluate how far audiences participate in and contribute to the media
products in your case study
 support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three
media platforms.
Account for the similarities and differences in the codes and conventions used
in the media products from your case study.
In your answer you should:
 provide a brief outline of your case study
 compare how and why media products from your case study are similar
and/or different within and across media platforms
 support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three
media platforms.
’Audiences are becoming increasingly powerful in shaping media output.’
With reference to your case study, how far is this true?
In your answer you should:



provide a brief outline of your case study
evaluate the roles of audiences in the creation of media products from
your case study
support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three
media platforms.
’It is not the strongest that survive but those most responsive to change.’
How and why do media institutions continue to change?
In your answer you should:
 provide a brief outline of your case study
 show how and why media institutions in your case study have been
responsive to change
 support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three
media platforms.
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Identify how media products from your case study make links with other
media platforms. What are the reasons for these links?
In your answer you should:
 provide a brief outline of your case study
 consider possible links such as targeting audiences, promotion and
revenue generation
 support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three
media platforms.
‘All media texts tell stories.’ In what ways is narrative used in the media
products in your case study?
In your answer you should:
 provide a brief outline of your case study
 discuss the different ways narrative functions in the media products in
your case study
 support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three
media platforms.
'To be successful, media institutions have to use a variety of media platforms.'
To what extent is this true of your cross-media study?
In your answer you should:
 provide a brief outline of your cross-media study
 consider the possible advantages of using a range of media platforms
 support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three
media platforms.
'Our enjoyment of media products is influenced by the platforms we use to
access
them.' How far is this true of your cross-media study?
In your answer you should:
 provide a brief outline of your cross-media study
 consider how audiences use and respond to media products from
different media platforms
 support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three
media platforms.
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Section B: Cross-Media Study Examiners’ Report (January 2013)
Some schools/colleges, however, are still taking a single product case study
approach. This tends to be self-penalising as often such responses will lack an
appropriate range of examples and in turn be pushed to the lower end of the level
awarded. Such an approach also means that students find it almost impossible to
bend their limited palette of product examples to meet the specific demands of the
questions set. This in turn leads to a lack of question focus and descriptive
responses.
Question Five
Successful responses focused fully on the question and did not merely describe the
new technologies within their cross-media study but evaluated why they were used
(some considering this from an audience perspective and others from an institutional
one).
Many students, however, were guilty of either ignoring the question almost
completely and just providing a descriptive overview of their cross-media study, or of
answering a previous question from a past paper (many answers focusing on
synergy and reasons for cross-media links rather than new technologies).
The print platform was sometimes an issue for students to consider in their
responses. However, many strong responses provided examples of QR
codes, photo-manipulation and convergence on the e-media platform. Some
students also took the opportunity to question the lack of new technologies
within an old platform and in turn evaluate the reasons for this.
Question Six
There was much evidence of critical autonomy in responses to this question
with many students thinking on their feet well to produce some interesting and
refreshing responses. In turn there was far less evidence of the regurgitation
of practice questions from past papers.
Film cross-media studies worked very well with strong responses showing how genre
references and motifs were used across the platforms not just for promotion but also
for audience pleasure and recognition.
Some students unfortunately found their cross-media studies difficult to fit to the remit
of the question and would do well to spend longer selecting the right question.
Planning was also an issue as those who took on board the simple definition offered
by the question (ie ‘the way in which media products make reference to other media
products that producers assume audiences will recognise’) and had broad crossmedia studies prepared were able to tease out interesting and relevant examples
(not always purely linked to cross-media promotion). They successfully took an
audience approach and considered how the understanding and enjoyment of crossmedia references was only possible through prior knowledge of other media products
in other platforms.
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Planning Grid of Cross-Platform Texts for Section B
Primary Texts:
Film Choice
Moving Image
Print
E-Media
Moving Image
Print
E-Media
Secondary Texts:
Film Choice
Prometheus
The Dark
Knight Rises
The Hobbit
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