Media Studies
Induction Information Course Title AS Media Studies Module Title Weighting
Assessment Method
G321 Foundation Portfolio in Media 50%
Coursework G322 Key Media Concepts (TV Drama) Section A: Textual Analysis and Representation (TV Drama) Section B: Institutions and Audiences (Film ) 50% 1 hour 30 minutes examination
(45 minutes per section) Exam Board OCR
Organising your Learning G321 Coursework Portfolio You will develop the practical media skills required to plan, shoot and edit short moving image pieces. These will include a series of training exercises leading up to the final assessment pieces. You will be expected to undertake the majority of your shooting and editing in your own time, although some lessons will be allocated at certain points during the year. You will also maintain an online blog detailing your progress, including the various research, planning and production tasks you will be set during the year. Your blog will be the only evidence of the work you do in this part of the course and is worth up to 40% of your coursework mark, so it should be maintained with at least three entries every week. In some cases you will be directed as to what to include whilst at other times you will be expected to work independently. G322 Key Media Concepts (TV Drama) You will be provided with an exercise book in which you should complete all class notes and independent learning tasks. You should also use a file or folder to store additional resources. It is good practice to handwrite assessed pieces from the beginning of the course as this will prepare you more realistically for the demands of the written examination. It is expected that you take notes during class discussions and tasks; don’t wait to be told what to write. Remember that your exercise book will be checked regularly throughout the course to ensure that your notes are up‐to‐date and detailed. Always write the date, title and learning intention at the beginning of all notes/tasks so that they are easy to refer to during revision. Ensure you prepare in advance of lessons as well as consolidating what you know after lessons with summary notes. Wider Reading It is important that you begin to familiarise yourself with the ‘key concepts’ of Media Studies, as well as the central issues, theories and debates within the subject area. Our Media is constantly evolving; subsequently you will need to be aware of significant developments and their impact. Useful texts to support your learning: P.Rayner, P. Wall & S. Kruger, Media Studies: The Essential Introduction (2001). A.Bell, M. Joyce & D. Rivers, Advanced Level Media(2001). G. Branston& R. Stafford, The Media Student’s Book,Fifth Edition (2010). V. Clark, J. Baker & E. Lewis, Key Concepts and Skills for Media Studies(2002). J. McDougall,Ocr Media Studies for AS, Third Edition (2008). Web Sites and Forums Your class will have access to a blog where you can discuss different areas of the examination units for the course, and your subject teacher will send you links to relevant resources and up‐to‐the‐minute articles and info. You are expected to use this blog and contribute to it regularly as well. http://mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevel.php http://film.britishcouncil.org/ http://www.theory.org.uk/ http://www.bbfc.co.uk/BBFC http://www.bfi.org.uk/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/subjects/media_studies.shtml http://www.mediaframas.blogspot.com – Mr Earl’s practical media blog Areas of Study The areas of study in the units that you will be following are outlined below. A fuller plan for the year’s study will be provided on a termly basis. Areas to be studied: Key concepts Content and amplification
G321 Foundation Portfolio ƒ
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Development of practical video production skills ƒ
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Research Planning Camera operation Editing Post‐production Evaluation ‐ Three short training tasks including use of different shot‐types, editing for meaning and shooting a storyboard ‐ Preliminary production task (shooting a continuity sequence) ‐ Main task (the titles and opening sequence of a new fiction film, lasting a maximum of 2 minutes) ‐ Maintenance and development of personal blog G322 Key Media Concepts (TV Drama) Section A The Representation of the following in contemporary T.V Drama: ‐Gender ‐Age ‐Ethnicity ‐Sexuality ‐Class and Status ‐Physical ability/disability ‐Regional Identity ƒ
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‐Theories of Representation ‐Technical analysis and terminology: Mise en Scene, Editing, Sound and Camera Shots, Angle & Composition. ‐How these technical elements create specific representations of individuals, groups, events or places and help to articulate specific messages and values that have social significance ‐Micro and Macro Level Analysis ‐Genres and subgenres of TV Drama: codes and conventions Production and distribution Media Ownership Conglomerates Marketing Technical Convergence Synergy Exchange Ideologies & Representations in film All of the following will be addressed through the study of specific (and largely contemporary) case studies. ‐The processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange ‐The issues raised by ownership ‐The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing ‐The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange; ‐The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences; ‐The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences ‐The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions; ‐The ways in which your own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour. ƒ
Section B The British Film Industry in comparison to ‘Hollywood’: the development of both industries and their current state/outlook. ƒ
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Representation Ideology Deconstruction Semiotics and Iconography Stereotyping Verisimilitude Progression Progression to A2 in Year 13 will depend on: • Academic Performance: achievement in class assessments consistent with progress towards target grade and an expectation of an overall C Grade or better in AS. • Attendance: an expectation of 95% or better • Meeting deadlines: a strong record of meeting deadlines for home learning tasks Important Dates Year 12 Assessment Weeks w/b 24th November w/b 2nd February Y12 Reporting Progress Update w/b 15th December 2014
Parents Evening Monday 9th February 2015
Progress Report w/b 16th March 2015
Examinations* G322 Key Media Concepts (TV Drama) May 2014 *Dates are based on a provisional calendar published by the examination board. Examination timetable information will be provided prior to the Summer examinations session. Media Studies
Induction Tasks Essential Terminology It is essential that you can understand and use key terminology when discussing and analysing the media. Find, record and learn definitions for each of the following terms. In order to fully understand many of these terms you will need to undertake additional reading. You will be tested on some of these terms at the beginning of the course: 360° Rule Audience Engagement Auteur Avant garde Binary oppositions Capitalism Censorship Codes and conventions Composition Conglomerate Connotation Construct/ Construction Consumer/ Consumption Convergence Decoding Deconstruction Demographic Denotation Discourse Genre Iconography Ideology Institution Intertextuality Macro & Micro level analysis Mise‐en‐scene Mainstream Media Medium Mediation Mode of address Modernism Monopoly Narrative Oligopoly Qualitative analysis/research Quantitative analysis/research Realism Representation Postmodernism Propaganda Semiotics/ Semiology Signifier/Signified Stereotyping Synergy Target Audiences Typography Verisimilitude The first section of your exam is about Representation in TV Drama. Research the term ‘Representation’, write a detailed definition of the concept and ensure that you fully understand what it means. Use the webpage http://mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevel.php and one or more of the recommend texts to help you, making detailed notes on the concept. Task 1 ‐ Written Once you are confident about what the term ‘representation’ means, you must select a specific media ‘text’ which represents young people. This could be a film, television programme, magazine, newspaper, song, music video, webpage or video game. Produce a detailed written analysis of the text, identifying how young people are represented and the methods that are used to represent them. This analysis should be at least 500 words long. Hint: what is ‘absent’ in representation can be as telling as what is ‘present’! Task 2 ‐ Development Task Select a specific ‘group’ e.g. an ethnic minority, the elderly, the ‘working class’, and explore how they are represented across a range of different media. What patterns can you determine? How have representations developed over time? Are these representations, in your opinion, accurate and fair? Task 3 ‐ Practical Task Using any camera you have access to (webcam, phone, digital), shoot a thirty second advert representing yourself or someone you know in a positive light. How are you going to make your subject interesting? What sort of camera‐angles and effects might you use? What sort of dialogue or voiceover might be appropriate? What sort of music might you use? Task 4 – Development Task Download a trial version of an editing package (for example, Adobe Premiere Elements) or use Windows Live Movie Maker (free download) or iMovie on the Mac). Use this to structure your advert, add titles, effects, music and voice‐overs. Remember – it should only last for 30s. These tasks should be ready to submit to your subject teacher during your first lesson in September.