WJEC GCSE MEDIA STUDIES
MEDIAEDU SPECIMEN PAPER: EXEMPLAR
RESPONSE 1 (A*)
SUMMER 2014
Thinking about the Media –
Investigating and Planning
2 hours 15 minutes
SECTION A: Thinking about the Media – Investigating
Television Crime Drama (40 Marks)
The extract is taken from Lewis, Series 1 (ITV 2012): ‘For Whom would the Gods
Destroy’: Opening 6 minutes, 30 seconds.
Answer the questions in this Answer Book.
All questions and tasks are repeated for you in the Answer Book (if supplied)
1.
(a)
Identify two camera shots from the extract.
(4)
Establishing wide shots and Point of View shots were used in the extract.
(b)
Briefly explain why these two shots are used.
(6)
Establishing wide shots were used to give audiences an understanding of
location (the gleaming spires and grounds of an Oxford University College) while
a Point of View shot (from the point of view of the murderer) was used to add
hyper realism and dramatic tension.
2.
(a)
Identify two typical elements of television crime drama from the
extract.
(4)
Mysterious, foreboding non diegetic music, use of narrative enigmas.
(b)
Explain how one of these elements is typical.
(6)
Narrative enigmas are used in television crime drama to ensure audiences are
asking questions of an investigative narrative e.g. ‘who is that character, why
has this person been killed, why is this man ignored by the Dean in the street?
Typically enigmas, particularly in Golden Age Crime Drama like Lewis are
resolved at the end of the episode.
3.
Explore how social class and gender is represented in the extract.
(10)
Class is established from the opening of the extract as church bells and a tilting
crane shot reveal the gleaming spires of Oxford University – stereotypically
associated with an upper middle class lifestyle. This is anchored by corridor
shots and a wide shot of the quad where undergraduates and lecturers are
walking.
Accents and dialogue also reveal further these representations as does the miseen-scene – when the Dean opens the doors of the hall to take ‘High Table’ a
wide shot reveals splendour and tradition including wood panelled walls and
portraits of grand alumni. They say Grace in Latin which again has more upper
middle class connotations.
This specific representation of social class is in binary opposition to the scene
where we see Inspector Lewis for the first time – unlike the previous scene
where a potential red herring suspect is seen attempting to pen a novel in a
luxurious study, Lewis is sitting in a plain kitchen reading a Further Education
college catalogue. He clearly is from a working class background and this is
anchored by his dress code and body language. The prospectus of a local further
education college is deliberately in contrast to the high academia of Oxford
University.
Female empowerment and less traditional representations of gender were
reflected through the character of the crime scene Pathologist (common to other
Crime Dramas) but the narrative is male dominated – both Lewis and Hathaway
conform to the male ‘buddy cop’ stereotype while other main protagonists in the
opening were sequence were also male. This included the Dean, the man who
arrived at Oxford Station (the victim) and a mysterious man who the Dean
recognises but ignores in the street who clearly has a pivotal role in the
narrative.
Students in this particular Oxford University College were predominantly male
and apart from the Pathologist, all characters were male who attended the crime
scene. Lewis encodes more traditional representations of gender for a
mainstream audience.
4.
Outline two ways in which television crime dramas are marketed.
Explain why they are marketed in these ways.
(10)
The two ways I will be outlining are use of television trailers and printed adverts
in television listings magazines like Radio Times. Television trailers for new crime
dramas are common on both ITV and BBC, two of the primary providers of
programmes from this high production value, prestigious genre. Television crime
drama like The Wire, CSI and Lewis are often associated with critical and
commercial success, hence significant expense is spent on marketing and
television trailers would be seen as the highest expense - research suggests that
the best way to market an audio visual text is through an audio visual medium.
Particularly with AQT Crime Drama having a younger target audience than
Golden Age, convergent links are encouraged as part of an overall marketing
strategy to encourage audiences to go the website. Audiences also are
encouraged to like a programme on Facebook or to follow it on Twitter and to
interact with online content (alternative endings, profiles, behind the scenes)
giving value added.
The trailers themselves make full use if narrative enigmas, crucial to Television
Crime Drama, introducing audiences to character, crime and only partial
narrative development ensuring audiences ask ‘who, what, why and when?’ and
as a result, engage with the crime drama. Key scenes are edited into trailers
accompanied by emotive non diegetic sound and fast paced editing to focus the
target audience and emphasise the narrative action codes. Trailers for television
crime dramas often use close ups of central protagonists, utilising their
secondary persona and star marketing (more relevant in American Television
Crime Drama like CSI) and also use establishing shots to arouse familiarity with
location e.g. Miami, Las Vegas or New York.
Printed adverts appear in listings magazines as the primary target audience of
these texts are active television viewers who are more likely to respond to
advertising copy marketing a new television crime drama. As evidence of its
success, Radio Times, published by the BBC has ran three Lewis front covers
despite it being an ITV production – typically, front covers of Radio Times
focussing on the genre would be devoted to BBC Crime Dramas. Series Six of
Lewis received significant marketing as an ITV banker programme with proven
high ratings. Printed listing magazine adverts also appeal to audiences as design
and production values are again often high with commonly images of the central
protagonist/s foregrounded, framed centrally in medium or long shot. In this
regard it could be argued that printed adverts often use star and genre
marketing to appeal to audiences.
SECTION B: Thinking about the Media – Planning
Magazines (40 Marks)
5. A magazine publishing company, who own a range of consumer titles
have asked you to design a new Television Listings magazine.
The first edition will publicise a new Crime Drama: CSI London.
Complete the following tasks:
Task 1: Create a name for your new Listings Magazine. Briefly say
why you used this name.
(4)
Television Plus One. I chose this because it implies genre and suggests the
audience get extra, it also has connotations of the popular feature, Sky Plus
Task 2: List three features on the magazine front cover. Briefly explain
these features.
(6)
My first feature will be a centrally framed publicity shot of the new CSI London
ensemble cast, with the lead male investigator in the middle focussing on his
status and role.
My second feature will be an elaborate serif but lower case masthead – this is to
make the magazine appeal to a more ABC1 target audience and have
connotations of a more sophisticated representation.
My third feature will be a convergent link to the online website and Twitter and
Facebook logos to ensure audiences have the opportunity of developing their
interest in the magazine and crime drama further – a form of synergy.
Task 3: Draft, with full annotation a double spread feature for your new
magazine.
(10)
This task will be completed in class.
Task 4: Explain how the front cover conforms to genre codes and
conventions.
(10)
Again, once the student has completed this task it is expected that it will be
assessed by the teacher. Links to exemplar Music Magazine deconstruction as a
guide can be found at: http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/q-print-and-onlinemusic-magazine-deconstruction/
Task 5: Crime Drama is a popular genre - who is the target audience
of your magazine and how does this compare with the target
audience of CSI London?
(10)
As per individual magazine. The target audience of CSI London would be
expected to be similar to the American CSI Franchise as follows:








ABC1 Upmarket
Aspirers (technology and representations)
Mainstreamers (safe genre)
Male skew (primary audience), 18-35
Secondary female audience, 25-35
Tertiary target audience 35+ (crime drama cultural capital – genre
marketing)
Urban/city living
Multicultural