CONTENTS

Page no.

Welcome to Media Studies 2-3

Introduction to AS Media Studies 4

Course Overview 5-6

AS Level Assessment Objectives 7

The Key Concepts

- Student overview 8 - 17

Unit 1 Foundation Portfolio (G321)

- Preliminary exercises 18
- Main tasks 18
- Planning and Research 18
- Evaluation 19
- Examples of work 19
- Top tips for filming and editing 20
- 50 ways to improve your practical work 21 - 26
- Print production – magazine front covers 27

Unit 2 Key Media Concepts (G322)

- Section A: Textual Analysis and Representation 28
- Section B: Institutions and Audiences 28 - 29

Useful Websites 30 - 34

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 Welcome to Media Studies!

This handbook contains many useful resources that you will find essential
reading at AS level: from information about key modules written by the current
Year 13, guide sheets to the successful filming and editing to sample essays.

You will be expected to bring this booklet to all Media Studies lessons. By
reading through the book you will be able to familiarise yourself with the course in
general, gain an insight into the kinds of things you will be studying and the new
terminology you will need to learn. Each time you begin a new topic, have a read
through the handbook so you know what to expect.

The Media Studies Department:

Teachers in charge of Media Studies:

Mrs A Hammond (ALH)
Mr N Ford (NEF)

Mrs K Somel (KKS)

Mr M Nicolle (MN)
Mr M Smith (MPS)
Miss R Frearson (RF)
Miss K Elger (KLE)

Tips for Success at AS level!!

- Use you diary to signpost and highlight:

o exam dates
o essay and coursework deadlines
o production (filming, editing and written work) schedule
o homework assignments
o research programmes.

- Subscribe to/ read in Library MediaMagazine and Sight and Sound.

- Read a regular media section in a quality newspaper (Guardian, Times

or Independent) for up-to-date material.

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 - Read a regular „ICT‟ OR „Technology‟ section like the Guardian’s
supplement on Thursdays, to give you all the latest developments in new
media technologies.

- Follow up references and sources given to you by your teachers.

- Check the Radio Times every week, not just for the standard
programmes, but for useful media documentaries often screened on
BBC3, BBC4 Channel 4, UKTV History etc.

- Look again at the „special features‟ box on your DVDs – there might be
some useful footage there for your research.

- Use reliable sites on the internet.

- If you have a genuine interest in taking your study of media beyond

Advanced Level you should think about work experience (local
newspaper, local radio station etc), getting involved with local film or
production groups, taking part in film or video competitions,
contributing to school magazines – the list is endless.

We hope you have a successful year. Studying the media can be a varied,
exciting and very satisfying way to spend the next two years.

The Media Studies Department

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 Introduction to AS Media Studies
Lesson Structure

You will have four media studies lessons per week, and will be taught by two teachers who
will each cover a topic area within the media course. The course is 50% practical, so you
will gain experience in both filming/editing in order to create a film opening, and
photography/Photoshop in order to create a magazine cover. Once you have practised both
of these areas, you will decide what to produce for your final piece of coursework. Whilst
you are producing your coursework, which can be the opening to a film or a magazine front
cover and contents page, every lesson will be a practical lesson – your teachers will inform
you in advance when these lessons will take place or you can check the VLE. This will be
your opportunity to plan and create your piece with the help of your teachers. At
lunchtimes, students working on their practical are free to use the e-Mac room or H2 in
order to edit their coursework out of lesson time. All of the media teachers will be available
in the English Office to answer any questions or queries you may have about your AS
course outside of lesson time. Lessons which are not practical will be designed to prepare
you for the exam and are theory based – remember that the exam will be 50% of your final
grade.
When your Media exams draw nearer, your teachers may choose to turn your lessons into
revision lessons in order to help you prepare for the exams and get the best possible mark.

Attendance

Full attendance is ESSENTIAL in order for you to do well in the course. If your attendance
for Media Studies falls below 85% you may have to pay for your exam, or even worse be
kicked off the course! Missing lessons means you miss out! If you miss a lesson or several
consecutive lessons you will find it harder to catch up with your classmates and so you will
have a disadvantage in the exam. It is essential that you attend all of your lessons in order
for you to learn all you need to know to pass your exams. When your Media Studies exams
are close it is advisable you pay extra attention to your lesson content because this is when
your teachers advice will be most valuable! Missing practical lessons also means that you
have less time to film and edit your coursework and could affect others if you‟re working in
a group, which means you will be put under pressure to finish the piece in time for the
deadline.

Expectations

Media studies requires many of the same skills as English. You will be expected to be able
to write clearly and analyse media texts in detail, and unless you can present a detailed
and well-written evaluation you are unlikely to achieve one of the higher grades for your
coursework.
It is important to be open minded when studying this subject – for example when studying
for the exam you may be required to watch and analyse a text you would not necessarily
choose to watch yourself.

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 Course Overview
Unit One – Foundation Portfolio

This is a coursework unit in which you will produce two paired media artefacts in
response to briefs set by OCR. We currently offer briefs in Print and Video. You
will have to complete a preliminary exercise followed by a main task, which is
accompanied with evidence of research, planning and an evaluation. This could
take the form of a Power-point presentation, blog or website, podcast or DVD
with `extras‟. If you opt to do Print you must produce the front page, contents and
double page spread of a new music magazine. If you opt to do Video then you
must produce the titles and openi ng of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of
two minutes.
This unit is marked and internally standardised by your teachers and marks are
submitted to the exam board (OCR), when a sample is then selected for external
moderation. The unit is marked out of a total of 100 marks: 20 marks for the
presentation of the planning and research; 60 marks for the construction; 20
marks for the evaluation. This coursework piece is worth 50% of the total AS
grade and 25% of the full A Level.

Unit Two – Key Media Concepts

This is an exam unit in which there are two sections:

Section A: Textual Analysis and Representation (50 marks)
Section B: Institutions and Audiences (50 marks)

Section A: Textual Analysis and Representation

For this section of the exam, you will be shown an `unseen‟ moving image extract
of a contemporary British TV drama four times. You will then answer one
compulsory question dealing with textual analysis of various technical aspects of
the languages and conventions of moving image media. E.g.
camera angle, shot, movement and composition
mise en scene
editing
sound

You will then be asked to link this analysis with a discussion of some aspects of
representation within the sequence. E.g.
gender
age
ethnicity

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 sexuality
class and status
physical ability/disability
regional identity

Section B: Institutions and Audiences

In this section you will answer one compulsory question based upon a case study
of a specific media industry, from a choice of six topic areas offered by OCR:
film
music
newspapers
radio
magazines
video games

Your teacher will tell you which two areas you will be studying and you will write
about one of them in the exam. You will learn the processes of production,
distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporar y media
institutions, as well as the nature of audience consumption and the relationships
between audiences and institutions.

This exam is worth 50% of the AS grade and 25% of the full A Level. Each
section will be worth equal marks.

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 AS Level Assessment Objectives

At AS Level Media Studies you will be assessed through your ability to meet the
following assessment objectives:

AO1

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical

debates, using terminology appropriately and with accurate and coherent
expression.

AO2

Apply knowledge and understanding to show how meanings are created when
analysing media products and evaluating your own practical work.

AO3

Demonstrate the ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate
technical and creative skills.

AO4

Demonstrate the ability to undertake and apply appropriate research.

Module 1 – Foundation Portfolio (c/w)

A02 (10%)

AO3 (30%)

AO4 (10%)

Module 2 – Key Media Concepts (exam)

AO1 (30%)

A02 (20%)

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 Key Concepts
Key Concepts are an important part of the OCR Media Studies course; they
apply at AS and at A2. They are the first step on the way to understanding the
mass media. At first they might seem like a set of rules b ut they are not intended
to restrict your thinking but to show you how to start thinking about the media.
Thinking in this way is a skill that needs practice. Eventually, the reading of texts
using the key concepts will be natural to you.

Representations

Nothing you come across in the media is real even something that attempts to
give you information about a real-like event. Everything in the mass media
that you see, hear or read has been constructed. You, as the consumer of
the media are getting a second had experience.
Many media texts give the impression that what you see is realistic, true-to-life,
authentic, natural but even the news, is re-presented to the consumer. You
weren‟t there and you‟re being told about it by someone else. Despite the
familiar, authoritative voice and appearance of the newsreader, despite the
pictures broadcast from the scene of the event, the content style and format of
the news package has been constructed and this process involves selection and
editing. Decisions have been made as to what to put in and what to leave out,
decisions affected by the time available, the availability of the news story itself
and the choices made by the news producers about what they think is
appropriate and interesting for their viewers. You are not seeing the real thing, it
has been mediated by the very fact that it has been selected and shaped.
When considering the concept of representation you are examining the
processes and techniques that shape texts and students must ask questions:

Is the representation fair and accurate?

What is the purpose of the representation
What might the audience make of the representation?
Is stereotyping used? Why?

You will need to look, in detail, at the language and form of the text and consider
its genre in order to answer these questions. You must be able to support ideas
by giving detailed references to the processes by which the representation has
been constructed.

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Applying the concept
Here is an example of a way of looking at looking at representation as part of the
study of the topic TV Drama. You will be studying different types of drama, e.g.
soap operas and teen dramas. Perhaps the focus is on the represe ntation of
families and you might examine one half-hour programme looking particularly at
issues of representation. A contemporary example would be EastEnders on
BBC1 to a family audience. There is, as in most soap operas, a „problem‟ in
most episodes but the characters, their relationship with each other, stay more or
less the same throughout the soap and the setting is usually a domestic one:
various rooms in the comfortable house in which they live. There is always
conflict between the characters particularly between parents and children. You
could look in detail at the representation of any of the following:

how family life is represented

how working-class, marriage is represented
how working women/mothers are represented
how men are represented
how parenting is represented
how teenagers are represented

You will look closely at the codes to construct the characters: e.g. what does the
clothing and hair style of the X signify? What message does it give the audience
about the balance in her life? Note the elements of stereotyping present in the
construction of teenagers and consider how these factors often form the basis of
the narrative.

Media Languages and Forms (including Narrative and Genre)

This concept is about looking at the ways in which the language (words and
sounds, the images and shapes) of any media text are „read‟ or interpreted by
the people who read, view or listen to them. It is concerned with understanding
the processes involved in the construction of media texts and how the techniques
used in the construction affect the way the message is interpreted by the
receiver.
Semiology, the study of signs, is the starting point for the study of individual
texts and making comparisons between them and students should scrutinize
closely the signs in a text to help them work out what meaning they signify. You
must be able to explain how the technical codes particular to a media form (like
the size and font of the masthead on a newspaper front page, or the over-the-
shoulder shots and use of spooky music in a dramatic scene from a horror film)
carry with them cultural meanings. You should denotate (describe accurately)
the detail that makes up the language of a text and connotate (say what
meaning the language may carry). One of the most interesting things about the
media is that the meaning intended by the maker of the media product, the
preferred meaning, doesn‟t always come across to the partaker of the media

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product, because the reader of the text is interpreting it in the light of previous
thoughts, ideas and experiences and may have different cultural connotations.
When considering the concept of media language and forms you must avoid
merely describing what is there. You should look at all the elements in the text
and explain how they carry cultural meaning.

Applying the concept

To practise analysing media language any text can be interrogated from any
topic in any unit. You should be familiar with and use the terminology of the
moving-image media and that of the print-based media.
When studying the TV Drama topic you should make detailed readings of
significant parts of specific texts and be able to explain:
How the processes involved in constructing the messages shape the
meanings and carry the story to audiences.
o non-verbal structures (e.g. facial expression, position, gesture,
clothing, props etc)
o the significance of the mise-en-scene, the sound and visual
techniques (e.g. camera positioning, editing, relationship between
sound and images)

Narrative

Narrative is closely related to Media Language and is concerned with the form or
Structure of the text itself, the way it tells the story, how it is shaped. You will
have come across the word „narrator‟ meaning story teller and the narrative is
the story that is told or written. In the context of the mass media the story is the
media text and a whole team of people has been involved in creating and
shaping it for the consumer.
Narrative is a process of organising and structuring.
It‟s easy to work out the narrative pattern of a fictional text such as film and there
are theoretical models which can be used to look at the regular patterns found in
film and television drama. A narrative is present in all media texts and you will
need to be able to describe the ways in which narratives is constructed in
individual texts, comment on any narrative patterns within each topic and
account for similarities and differences. You should be able to talk about how
the producers control the flow of information and how this affects the way the
story is understood by the audience. In newspapers, for example, a large
dramatic photograph or a dramatic headline is the first part of the story that the
reader notices, and may, in fact, be the only part of the story read, the part on
which the reader‟s opinion is formed.

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Applying the concept

Look carefully at the texts within the topics and think about how the story is
structured and how the audience is positioned (in a detective drama, have we
seen the crime and the criminal or do we work out what happened at the same
time as the detective does: are we led to identify with the victim, the criminal, the
detective?).

You should use the terminology of the moving-image or print-based media when
exploring the following ideas about each text:
How the narrative is organised and structured.
o How the conflict is established and how it is resolved
o The construction of the characters in the text and how we are led to
relate to them
o How heroes and villains are created within the text
o The importance of sound, music, iconography, mise-en-scene, editing
and other technical features in telling the story.
o How the themes and ideas are put forward in the story.

Genre

Genre is closely related to Media Language and Narrative as it is by considering

these factors that we can classify texts into genres or types by the similarities of
content and form that they share. You should look at the codes and
conventions shared by texts and discuss the generic features they share.
When texts are grouped together according to types you will become aware of
trends in popular taste and understand why producers respond to these by
making more texts of the same sort in order to maintain an audience. Audiences
like familiarity and producers like to produce texts that will guarantee an
audience. Genre studies have shown that audiences can have specific
expectations from a text that they wish to be fulfilled; that they enjoy a certain
degree of repetition of features and that recognition of genre attracts
audiences. Soap-operas for example gain higher television audiences than any
of the other genre of broadcast fiction (on terrestrial television viewers could
watch more than four hours of soaps on a weekday evening). You could
examine two soap operas, for example Eastenders and Hollyoaks and note the
features in terms of language of the moving image, character, themes and
narrative structure. Looking beyond the texts themselves to the co ncepts of
audience (different target audiences and different time slots in the television
schedule), and institution (BBC 1 and Channel 4) you should be able to account
for the differences within the genre.

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Genres develop with changes in technology, changes in popular culture and
changes in the nature of audiences. Audiences like familiarity but want to be
surprised by the unexpected too. Producers welcome the chance to repeat
storylines, sets, actors and to build on a successful product. “If it ain‟t broke, don‟t
fix it.”

Genres that are a mixture of existing ones are called hybrid genres. If students
look at a weekly television listing magazine they will find a number of types of
made for television drama, classified in terms of subject matter, style and
conventions to market them to an audience: drama, medical drama, comedy
drama, crime drama, thriller, police drama, documentary-drama. Genres are not
fixed; producers combine aspects of different genres to attract particular
audiences. One way for the film industry to draw a young audience into the
cinema has been to use television or popular music performers in acting roles.
Stars associated with specific genres have always been and important as
regards causing expectations in an audience.

Applying the concept

Question each text students are studying and the texts within any of the topics for
any of the units.
Identify the major generic conventions, including iconography, themes and
characters.
Explore how far audiences‟ expectations are fulfilled or otherwise and
whether the generic conventions are treated playfully.

Advertisements are a useful resource for a focus on genre. All advertisements

share certain conventions – the product, the slogan, the space taken of time-slot
but can be broken down into categories according to the product or service
advertised and again into styles and formats.

Audience

In order for communication to take place there has to be two parties: the sender
of the communication and the recipient of the communication. Every media text
is produced with an audience in mind. The audience is the receiver of the text, it
interprets the message conveyed by the text, and without an audience the
message carried by the text doesn‟t reach anyone and thus its meaning is lost.
The concept of audience is closely linked with institution and the institution is
concerned with producing media texts that will reach a designated target
audience.

The media institutions devote much time and money into researching audience
preferences and building up audience profiles which guide them in their decisions
on what films, TV programmes, magazines, newspapers, and pop groups etc. to
finance.

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This audience data, known as quantitative data, is broken down by the
institution into demographics (information about age, social class, address,
occupation) which can give a detailed picture of the specified audiences
appealed to by different texts and guide producers into how to construct more of
the same or how to develop the genre in ways which will maintain the audience‟s
interest.
In the marketing industry such audience research is a vital part of a process
which is fundamentally concerned with discovering audience thoughts, feelings,
needs and aspirations and creating and/or packaging a product in a way that will
deliver it to the audience successfully. Methods of research include
questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. Advertisers use the same methods
to investigate the effect of the advertisements on audiences.
The relationship between the media and their audiences has always been a
matter of debate and there have been shifts in ideas about the relative power of
the media and the audience. From a position early in the 20 th century when
behaviourist theorists saw the media as a hypodermic needle injecting the ideas
held by the powerful groups in society into passive individuals, opinion has
shifted to one which recognizes that audiences already have well-formed
attitudes, that their identity is formed by the many social groups to which they
belong and that, most importantly, they consciously select and interpret
messages in an active way.

Media audiences are often given the opportunity to interact with media texts by,
for example, voting on a reality TV game show, e-mailing an opinion, writing a
letter to a local newspaper, taking part in a radio phone-in, requesting a record or
a television clip, appearing on a confessional; programme or participating in
make-over programmes. Audiences even create and distribute texts themselves
in the newer media forms such as creating websites on the internet which may
contain music, moving-image, and the spoken word as well as more conventional
print text.

Applying the concept

How the audience reads and reacts to the media is really important and you must
explore this in relation to all texts and topics. An example of a way of focusing on
how a text addresses its audience is to look at a range of generically similar texts
that appeal to slightly different audiences: for example Breakfast TV programmes
or drive-time radio programmes. Always ask:

Who is the likely target audience (demographics) and how is it addressed

by the elements of the text (media language including narrative and genre,
media representations…)
How does the scheduling or the positioning of the text support their views
on its audience (think about conditions of viewing) and what does this say
about the audience itself. What can be assumed about the likely size of
the audience?

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 What are the probable audience readings of the text? How active of
passive is their involvement?

Examination questions may ask about how an institution targets a specific

audience, so you will need to understand the audience‟s role in a media text.
Institution

When discussing institution as a concept you don‟t need to make a distinction

between this term and industry, organisation or corporation. It can be used to
describe large conglomerate corporations for example AOL Time-Warner, which
produces the traditional media forms of film, tele vision and music and new media
forms and technologies like internet service provision; or the BBC which also
works with traditional and new forms of media technology and has a global
reach; or smaller institutions such as Radio 1, MTV, Heat magazine, all of which
are also part of larger institutions. There are some independent media
institutions which are free from the financial and organizational influence of the
large scale media corporations that dominate the market place and mass media
industry. Texts produced by independents are often small-scale, appeal to a
niche audience, and are distributed and consumed in different places from that of
mainstream media. However, large organisations commission work from
independents if they think they will be financially successful in the mass market.

You should know the institutional source of each text you study and how typical it
is in terms of the products or texts generally produced by that institution. When
examining a text a consideration of the institution that produced it adds a new
dimension to its meaning and message. An issue worth thinking about is how
institutions might use the power and control that they have and questions must
be asked as to whether the text has been influenced or shaped by the institution
that produced it. News International often run promotions for 20 th Century Fox
films in its newspapers and on its satellite TV channels) and may legitimately be
said to have an interest in the content, style and attitudes of the text itself.

Values and Ideology

Values

Attitudes, beliefs and values are terms used to describe our various responses to
the world. Our values are our basic responses to reality and are based on the
worth we place on aspects of our lives, including events and people. They are
the foundation on which we base our behaviour and they are culturally shared.
For example, the majority of people in Britain share the view that the best way to
bring up children is within the family home by two parents. Although this does
not reflect the reality of life in British society, it can be argued that it is the model
to which the majority aspires. We experience the world primarily through the
family and social groups to which we belong and – from a very early age- through
what we read, see and hear in the mass media.

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Identify the values carried by the media and the beliefs about society which are
naturalised within texts. Texts deliver assumptions about life that can affect how
their consumers think about themselves and others. For example, in the majority
of media texts the predominant image of a female is of an attractive, tall and very
slim young woman, often with long, blonde hair. This can be seen as the only
desirable appearance for a woman; it has become naturalised or take n for
granted.

Our view of the world is filtered through the media. The media have a powerful
role in reinforcing or changing our attitudes towards events and people, and can
sometimes provoke action. The News of the World started a „naming and
shaming‟ campaign by publishing the names and addresses of paedophiles,
some of which were incorrect. The newspaper gained publicity and extra sales
and unleashed vigilante behaviour. It was accused of generating a moral panic.
The Daily Mirror ran an anti-war campaign in March 2003, which encouraged
readers to demonstrate against war in Iraq. The paper even provided a cut -out
poster for readers to put in their windows. This poster indicated that the reader
shared the Daily Mirror’s views and the paper‟s name was visible to the onlooker,
thus promoting it as being serious-minded and having a social conscience. The
editorial and opinion sections of tabloid and broadsheet newspapers are often
revealing, as they may encourage their readers to adopt a particular attitude
towards a political, social or national issue.

Ideology

Ideology is a set of beliefs that people use to make sense of their experiences
and views of the world. The most obvious belief systems centre upon religious,
political and economic concepts. The construction, selection and shaping of
ideas that go into a media text can be seen to reflect the belief system of the
originator of the text.
Historically, the people who ran the media institutions shared the same narrow
social class and educational background as those who made up the higher ranks
of government, the legal profession and the civil service, and were therefore
more likely to share the same values. These people were mostly white, middle
class and educated at public schools and Oxbridge. The same ideology
(attitudes, belief and values) was seen across the majority of media and was
implicit in every medium, resulting in a state of hegemony. Hegemony is the
domination of a powerful professional elite which imposes a certain worldview on
the rest of the population in order to maintain the status quo, i.e. the situation in
which the elite‟s views about religion, politics, economics, gender and race are
favourably presented and re-presented in news-papers, magazines and the
broadcasting industry.

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The concepts of ideology and hegemony originate from a sociological view of
how political and social control worked in nineteenth- and twentieth-century
capitalist and totalitarian societies. The situation has changed and continues to
alter, as the people who work in the media industries today come from wider
backgrounds, reflecting Britain‟s increasingly multicultural society. With the
growth of media out-lets across traditional and new technologies there is more
potential for alternative ideological values to be presented.

Applying the concept of ideology involves unpacking ideas which are often taken
for granted by the producers and the audiences of media texts about shared
concepts like the family, nationality, gender and sexual orientation. Interestingly,
you will find that there are inconsistencies in people‟s consumption of media
texts; for example, many working women read the Daily Mail in spite of its anti-
working women content. A text conveys an obvious message through its format,
narrative, characters and technical codes, but there is also a hidden message to
be found in the beliefs and values it implies.

Applying the concept

Consider the perspectives the texts you are studying have on different social
groups such as homosexuals, women, children, old people, minority ethnic
groups, and what attitudes are implied about such cultural conditions as
marriage, friendship, childhood, parenting, virginity, beauty, drinking, sex and
drugs.

Make sure that you can explain how ideology is built into the text. To support
your ideas you may need to refer to media language (e.g. soft-focus lighting and
romantic music), genre (e.g. heroic males saving the western world from
disaster), narrative (e.g. a problem is solved, the hero gets a reward, there is a
return to the status quo) and representation (e.g a white-haired granny knitting by
the fireside). In addition, the intended audience and how likely it is to receive the
text are paramount. Some of the texts may be critical of the dominant ideology
and comment on ideas and values, perhaps through humour or in drama or
documentary formats, to expose them to audience scrutiny. The producers of
many media texts encode a set of values which it might be assumed the
audience shares.

The concepts of ideology and hegemony originate from a sociological view of

how political and social control worked in nineteenth- and twentieth-century
capitalist and totalitarian societies. The situation has changed and continues to
alter, as the people who work in the media industries today come from wider
backgrounds, reflecting Britain‟s increasingly multicultural society. With the

16
growth of media out-lets across traditional and new technologies there is more
potential for alternative ideological values to be presented.

Applying the concept of ideology involves unpacking ideas which are often taken
for granted by the producers and the audiences of media texts about shared
concepts like the family, nationality, gender and sexual orientation. Interestingly,
you will find that there are inconsistencies in people‟s consumption of media
texts; for example, many working women read the Daily Mail in spite of its anti-
working women content. A text conveys an obvious message through its format,
narrative, characters and technical codes, but there is also a hidden message to
be found in the beliefs and values it implies.

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 Unit 1: Foundation Portfolio (G321)
This is the coursework module which is worth 50% of your final AS marks. You
will be given a choice of 2 tasks (print and video) and will be given opportunities
in the Autumn term to practise both areas. These pieces will be graded by your
teachers to help you decide where your strengths lie. The practice pieces are
compulsory and you will be deducted marks from your final coursework if you
don‟t submit anything (exam board rules). For the actual coursework piece, you
must decide whether to produce a printed or filmed media text.
Preliminary exercises
As already mentioned these are compulsory, and will show the moderator that
your work has progressed when compared to your actual coursework. Although
your teacher will grade this piece, this grade will not be sent off to the exam
board.
Video

This will take place in the first Autumn Term (your teacher will inform you when).
In pairs or threes you must film and edit a character entering a room and
engaging in conversation with another character using shot/reverse shot and the
180 degree rule. You can decide on the genre, mise en scene and conversation
which takes place.
Print

This will take place after half term in October (second Autumn Term). Either
individually or in pairs, using Photoshop, produce the front page of a new
school/college magazine.
Main tasks
After gaining experience filming, editing using I movie, photography and editing
using Photoshop, you will need to decide which task to complete for your actual
coursework piece. The main task should show a sense of progression from the
preliminary exercise and is slightly more detailed and complex. Your teacher will
tell you when you have to start this. This task is worth 60% of the actual
coursework marks and will be marked by your teachers.
Video

You must film the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a minimum of 2
minutes. You can decide on the genre, storyline etc

Print

You must produce the front page, contents and double page spread of a new
music magazine.
Planning and Research
The main task you produce for your coursework must be accompanied with
research and planning. This is worth 20% of your actual coursework marks and
will be marked by your teachers. You can present this as any of the following:

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 Power-point presentation
Blog or website
Podcast
DVD with extras

Planning and research must cover the following areas:

• Research into similar products

• Research into potential audience
• Evidence of organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props
• Evidence of shot-lists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboards
• Evidence of time management
• Evidence of digital technology or ICT in how the planning/research is
presented

Evaluation
You must also evaluate your work and this is worth 20% of your final coursework
mark. This evaluation must be presented in an electronic format (like the
research and planning) and show evidence of understanding of the following:

• Forms and conventions used

• The role and use of new media
• The combination of main product and ancillary texts
• The significance of audience feedback
• The choice of form in which to present the evaluation
• An ability to communicate
• Use of digital technology or ICT

Examples of work
Your teachers will show you a range of print and film examples produced by
students so that you can see the standards expected of you. You will also
analyse real examples of film openings and magazine covers so that you
become familiar with the conventions. There are examples on the VLE you can
look at.

19
 TOP TIPS FOR FILMING AND EDITING

If planning to film outside always make a note of the weather. If it does

rain see if you can shoot something else indoors.
Make sure you set a date to film that everyone can attend.
Make a shot list for that filming session so that you can get all of it done.
Do not rush! You will forget shots and will need to re-shoot and you may
damage equipment.
Watch what is happening in the background of your shot. You don‟t want
to get in the edit suite and realise your film has inappropriate graffiti in the
background.
Use a tripod whenever possible.
If you need dialogue and you‟re recording outside make sure it isn‟t windy.
The wind can affect the microphone and your dialogue will be lost.
When filming make sure that the lens cap is secure and will not bang
about around the tripod and camera as you can hear it.
Never rewind your tape to look at a shot that you have just done in the
middle of filming. The camera will rewind more than you expected and
then you will lose shots.
When editing make a note of shots you don‟t need as the computer
captures them. That way you can get rid of your footage immediately and
keep work you know you can use.
If you need to re-shoot make a note of which shots and then plan when
you will film them.
Team work is essential. Let everyone try everything: filming, acting, editing
or music choice are all jobs everyone can do.
Filming is not about having a laugh with your friends, you need to be
constructive and prepared - you will have just as much fun.

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 Production tips –
50 ways to improve your practical work

Your production work can make all the difference to your final grade; and
for many of you it will be the high point in your course.

Read on for advice from expert and examiner, Pete Fraser on getting the
most out of your coursework.

Research and planning

1. Focus your research by looking at examples of real media texts. If you are
doing a Sunday supplement, take the time to examine several Sunday
supplements. If you are doing chocolate ads, break down some real ads to see
how they are shot and edited. If you are doing a radio current affairs programme,
tape some real examples and identify the features they contain and how they are
put together. Concentrate on formal and technical aspects – this is just as
important as content.

2. Look at examples of previous students‟ work. Identify their strengths and their
weaknesses – you can build on the former and avoid the latter. Use their work to
identify clichés to avoid, such as endless Tarantino rip-offs.

3. Think about your audience. Make sure your ideas are appropriate, realistic and
aimed at people beyond your own peers, teacher and examiners.

4. Set yourself a deadline of a week earlier than the date for the final submission
– that way you allow for any unexpected mishaps.

Coming up with ideas

5. Keep your ideas simple. The more complex the idea, the more can go wrong.
Complex productions also run the risk of confusing your audience.

6. Film parodies or pastiches have to be really good to work. You ma y think you
were the first people to think of doing a chocolate ad in the style of The Blair
Witch Project … but you weren‟t.

7. Don‟t try to be funny. What is funny to you and your mates may not be that
amusing to your teacher or the examiners. Out-takes in particular look childish
and amateur – it‟s like including a load of deliberate spelling mistakes at the end
of an essay.

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8. Endless car-based videos should be avoided. They just look like students
showing off that they‟ve passed their test. Scenes in pubs should similarly only
be done if absolutely essential; they look like students showing off that they can
pass for 18 and get served.

9. Avoid long scenes of kissing. They are usually just there to feature boys who
want to prove they can get a girlfriend.

10. Scenes of students doing drugs (or simulating doing drugs) are painfully
embarrassing. Avoid at all costs. Likewise avoid scenes with cigarettes. It doesn‟t
look big or clever!

11. POV (point of view) camera is similarly unwise. Just because you‟ve seen the
video for Smack my bitch up does not mean you could hope to emulate it. POV
stuff probably needs a greater degree of planning and control than more
conventional editing.

12. Remember, a thriller lasts 90 minutes or more, so you don‟t have to tell the
whole story in the first two minutes. Aim to establish atmosphere and intrigue the
viewer, not kill off half your cast.

13. With music video, a track by an unknown band taken from an MP3 site, or
from a local band is likely to be far more produc tive than choosing your own
favourite song. A sensible distance from the material can help produce a more
professional outcome. Choose a track that generates visual ideas – don‟t
illustrate the lyrics literally. A music video doesn‟t have to tell a story, but it does
have to sell the music, however, so endless depressing shots of girls on
roundabouts staring at flowers or boys clutching pills ready to swill them down
with vodka are unlikely to lead to CD purchases. Fast cutting and lots of close-
ups work well.

14. Avoid using the most obvious music tracks – everyone else will be using
them, too! Make sure you get hold of any tracks you need early on in the project.
Don‟t leave it to your teachers to find – it‟s your project, not theirs. Get it on CD –
local libraries often have a very good stock that can be borrowed for a small fee.

Planning the shoot

15. Plan and organise down to the tiniest detail: where you will be shooting, who
is going to be there, what they will be wearing, who will bring the props, what
time everyone will meet up, what each shot is going to look like. Make simple call
sheets and give a copy to everyone involved.

16. Never shoot anything until you have a storyboard or shot list. You can always
change this plan on the shoot, but without a plan you will shoot rubbish –

22
guaranteed!

17. For group work, take down one another‟s mobile phone numbers. Agree to
phone each other straight away if there any problems or if anyone fails to show
up.

18. Test built-in camera microphones before going out on important dialogue
shoots so you can compensate for their limitations (e.g. shooting some scenes
from behind to be dubbed later, recording wild sounds that you can use with
dubbed dialogue). Lots of camera microphones pick up every sound equally
(planes, the wind, distant doors slamming, as well as your dialogue) so you need
to shoot dialogue in appropriate places or using an external microphone. Always
try out unfamiliar equipment before you using it.

19. Make sure batteries are fully charged before you go on location. Avoid using
the LCD as it runs the battery down very quickly. Always have a spare battery or
a charger.

On the shoot

20. Don‟t waste any time. If someone is absent, improvise. Don‟t say you can‟t do
anything because they have the storyboards – you are all responsible. Always
have a back-up plan, for example, what happens if it rains?

21. In group work make sure everyone has a go at the different roles. Everyone
must know how to operate the camera and the editing equipment, other wise they
will have difficulty in the production log explaining how the process worked. In
your evaluation you should make clear your contribution to the project.

22. Don‟t set up anything that is dangerous – for example, filming on railway lines
or hanging off buildings. It‟s just not worth it. If you are trying that hard to be
different, you probably didn‟t have a good idea to begin with.

23. Don‟t film anything in a public place that might be misinterpreted as a criminal
act. Toy guns have been known to result in police call-outs; bags of white powder
carried by teenagers convince some people you are a drug dealer. If you are
intending to film anything of this kind, talk it over with your teachers and see what
can be organised. Ring your friendly neighbourhood police station – they can be
very helpful.

24. Always create original images unless there really is no alternative (such as
needing an explosion, where it is clearly more sensible to get one off a video).
Dressing up fellow students, teachers or e ven parents as characters for your
magazine covers, adverts, thrillers or websites is much more effective than using
existing actors. If you need a famous background like the New York skyline that‟s

23
fine – but use it with image manipulation to integrate with your own material.

25. For radio work, make sure you can use a microphone properly. If the sound
isn‟t good enough record it again. Radio programmes need a lot of planning and
variety. They should never involve simply reading out a script and playing a bit of
music. The role and tone of the presenter is crucial because you are relying on
sound alone.

26. When doing voiceovers, make sure the sound level is adequate so they can
be heard over your music. Record only when the room is quiet.

27. Avoid your main source of light being behind your subject unless you want
them in silhouette. In difficult light conditions, shoot a few frames, rewind and
check.

28. For an effective piece of cheap lighting take a torch. But remember, most
night shooting will produce completely dark tape. For interior mid-shots and
close-ups you can create a dramatic effect with a 60 watt bulb in a bedside lamp.

29. Make sure date and time are not displayed on the camera viewfinder. If they
are, they will be there on your final footage.

30. Auto focus can sometimes be a problem. Learn how to control manual focus,
too.

31. Keep the camera upright. Unless you want to turn your TV on its side to
watch it, footage shot at a slant will be useless! A well-planned tilt, however, is
almost always better than a zoom.

32. Make sure you know when the record button is on and off. It is pointless to
come back with 2 hours of shots of your walking feet and none of the material
you set up! Use „shoot!‟ and „cut!‟ and a simple clapperboard (a cheap pad of
paper consecutively numbered 1, 2,3 etc) for easier editing.

33. Keep the camera steady, using a tripod wherever possible. Handheld footage
is very hard to do well.

34. Set up moving shots in advance. Always know where you are going to finish
before you start. Do a test shoot and always run the camera for a good few
seconds before the opening and run over after the action finishes, to avoid post-
production nightmares when editing.

35. Pay attention to framing. Your shots need not always be centrally framed, but
beware of close-ups where the actor moves his head too much or shots where
the actors‟ heads are right at the bottom of the frame and a big brick wall or
curtain dominates behind. Don‟t just concentrate on the action in the foreground

24
– what is happening behind? Do you want that passer-by in the background
making a rude sign? Is there a tree growing out of the hero‟s head?

36. As a rule, avoid using zooms – they look amateur and will make your footage
will look like a home video.

37. Got wobbly shots, poor lighting, someone in the shot who shouldn‟t be there?
Shoot it again to get it right!

38. Shoot plenty of extra footage to use in your editing for cutaways and cut-ins.
Plan a variety of types of shot (LS, MS, CU) and angles on the same subjects.
And always log every shot you shoot to speed up the editing process.

39. If shooting a music video with lipsynch, take a CD player with you on location
and shoot the performance at least three times straight through from different
positions so that you have plenty of material from which to choose when editing.

40. Always treat the equipment with care and bring it back on time.

Post-production

41. When editing, avoid cutting immediately to a second shot of the same thing.
Cut to a different subject first, then cut back to the first subject – it looks more
professional.

42. Don‟t overdo the wacky edits. Special effects of any kind should be kept
special by limiting their use. Most transitions should be cuts. Fades can be used
to slow the pace, but gimmicky edits are only good for children‟s TV!

43. You‟ve run out of footage? Avoid the solution of simply running your existing
footage backwards. It‟s a common trick and looks too obvious.

44. Don‟t use the names of famous actors or directors i n credit sequences – the
audience will expect to see them. Check thriller openings to see which personnel
do get a mention and stick to the relevant crew. Use your own names or make
names up, but please not silly names like „Hugh Jarss‟ – leave that to Bart
Simpson. Don‟t spoil a decent piece of work with a silly title – keep the tone right.

45. An advert usually lasts 30 seconds or less. Not only will the audience be
bored with a two minute advert but the company won‟t be prepared to pay
megabucks for such a lengthy slot!

46. Cut and cut again. Unless a shot has dialogue, we are likely to get the point
in less than one and a half seconds. If your shot lasts much longer, ask yourself
whether it couldn‟t be cut down. This is particularly important with adverts.

25
Student video shots are rarely too short, but often too long.

Evaluation

47. In print work the overall „look‟ is often neglected. Stand back from your page
and disregard the content of the writing. How does the layout compare with
examples from professional texts?

48. Don‟t fill your evaluation with excuses – be honest about the shortcomings of
your work and make it clear what you have learnt from the experience. Don‟t
blame other members of the group, limited equipment or, worst of all, your
teachers! It is better to be modest about good work than to try to talk up a turkey!

49. Keep within the word limit. You risk a penalty if you fail to do so.

And finally …

50. Treat your project with professionalism and organisation and you will not go
far wrong! Enjoy your work. Being creative is brilliant – but you can‟t beat being
organised.

Pete Fraser
This article first appeared in MediaMagazine 1, September 2002

26
Print Production

In order to create your own magazine front cover you should be familiar with the
conventions of magazine front covers. The following power point will give you
some background information:

Magazine Covers

27
 Unit 2: Key Media Concepts (G322)
This unit will be assessed by a 2 hour exam in the summer and is split into 2
sections. Your paper will be marked out of 100 (50 marks per question) and will
form 50% of your final AS grade.
Section A: Textual Analysis and Representation (50 marks)
Section B: Institutions and Audiences (50 marks)

Section A: Textual Analysis and Representation

For this section you will be shown an `unseen‟ moving image extract of a
contemporary British TV drama four times. In preparation for this exam, your
teachers will show you a number of different sub genres e.g. soap operas, teen
dramas, costume dramas, medical dramas, crime dramas and docu-dramas.
Each of these dramas have their own conventions, narratives, target audiences
and expectations – you will analyse these in class in order to develop your
knowledge and understanding of the genre so that you can confidently sit the
exam. In the exam you must answer one compulsory question dealing with
textual analysis of various technical aspects of the languages and conventions of
moving image media. E.g.
camera angle, shot, movement and composition
mise en scene
editing
sound

Textual analysis means deconstruct – you will need to understand from the
above bullet points, how the extract has been put together. You will be asked to
link this analysis with a discussion of some aspects of representation within the
sequence. E.g.
gender
age
ethnicity
sexuality
class and status
physical ability/disability
regional identity

Representation means how something has been re-presented or portrayed – you

will need to understand from the above bullet points how different groups are
represented in the media and whether stereotypes have been used.
Timing:
30 mins viewing/making notes (extract to be shown 4 times)
45 mins to answer 1 question

Section B: Institutions and Audiences

This section of the exam requires you to know about how media industries
operate and audiences are formed. In the exam, you will answer one compulsory

28
question based upon a case study of a specific media industry, from a choice of
six topic areas:
film
music
newspapers
radio
magazines
video games

From these six topics, you will be taught two areas, so that you have a choice in
the exam. You will learn about how your chosen areas are currently being
produced and distributed and how this is changing. You will need to understand
and discuss the processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange
as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as well as the nature of
audience consumption and the relationships between audiences and institutions.
In the exam you will be given a very broad question which can be answered
using any of the industries studied e.g. “Discuss the issues raised by an
institution‟s need to target specific audiences within a media industry
which you have studied.”
Timing:
45 mins to answer 1 question on 1 topic area

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 USEFUL WEBSITES.

The websites listed here will give you a „headstart‟ in terms of sifting through the
vast amount of information available on-line. With so many excellent websites
available the expectation is that you make use of them. Not only will they keep
you informed and up-to-date, they will add a real edge to your written work and
enhance your understanding of media as a subject.

General

www.abc.org.uk – Audit Bureau of Circulation – offers updated circulations

figures – a good resource for institutions and audiences

www.allisonmedia.net – A teacher‟s website with some very useful explanations

of media terms.
www.afi.com – The American Film Institute.
www.asa.org.uk – The Advertising Standards Authority.
www.barb.co.uk – Broadcasters Audience Research Board.
www.bbc.co.uk – The British Broadcasting Corporation. A massive site full of
useful information and links.
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer - record programmes
www.bbfc.co.uk – The British Board of Film Classification.
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/michaelwalford/tag/ocr_media_studies_textual_analysi
s/ - useful definitions of camera shots.
www.bfi.org.uk – The British Film Institute.
www.blogger.com – create your own blog for free in minutes
www.emusu.com – West Midlands based digital music distribution website
www.englishandmedia.co.uk – resources, subscriptions to Media Magazine and
they pay to publish A Level media studies student work!
www.facebook.com – essential social networking site
www.games-culture.com – A comprehensive site covering all aspects of gaming
culture.
www.hitwise.co.uk – searchable internet usage statistics
www.imdb.com – The best film reference site on the internet.
www.loc.gov – The Library of Congress website
www.longroadmedia.com – Sixth Form College website full of students‟ practical
work
www.mediaguardian.co.uk – The place to find new and exciting media items.
www.mediauk.com – useful for research on UK institutions
www.nielsenmedia.com – American television ratings.
www.nmpft.org.uk – The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television
in Bradford.

30
www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/asa_levelgceforfirstteachingin2008/mediastudies/d
ocuments.html - Our exam board‟s Media page including the full specification
www.phoenix.org.uk – Leicester‟s very own independent art cinema and
contemporary theatre.
www.rajar.co.uk – Radio audience figures.
www.rottentomatoes.com – An excellent film review site.
http://tv.zap2it.com – Current television news and reviews from across the pond.
www.wikipedia.com – a very useful online encyclopaedia.

New Media Technologies

www.jonesencylco.com/ - Jones Encyclopaedia. Media and Information

Technology. A vast resource, will prove to be an excellent research tool.
www.howstuffworks.com – If you are really interested in finding out how the
equipment really works!
www.newmediastudies.com – up-to-date facts and figures, such as global
internet usage statistics
www.webopedia.com – Unsure of all that media jargon? This site will help you
look all knowing in front of your friends.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia - the original “we media” resource
www.wired.com/wired - An essential technology magazine. Very highly
recommended.

Production Work

www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials - invaluable for production work

www.exposure.co.uk – A fantastic site for low budget film-makers.

www.exposure.co.uk/eejit - The Eejit‟s Guide to Filmmaking. This site has tips
and guidance on how to construct a successful production.
www.filmmaking.com – A comprehensive site that covers many aspects of
production work.
www.imperica.com/sofia/ - This site has plenty of information on the technicalities
of filming.
www.mediacollege.com – helpful tutorials for production work
www.channel4.com/film/makingmovies - Channel 4 online film-making site

31
Radio & Television News

www.bbc.co.uk – British Broadcasting Corporation.

www.channel4.com - Channel 4.
www.cnn.com – Cable News Network.
www.pcc.org.uk – The Press Complaints Commission.
www.sky.com/news/ - Sky‟s main news site.

Magazines and print

www.abc.org.uk – This site will give you sales figures for newspapers and
magazines. Select „magazine data‟ from the top then „consumer magazines‟ from
the left on the new page.
www.cosmopolitan.co.uk – The best selling women‟s magazine
www.ehow.com – photography tutorials
www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/269039506 - a guide to annotating images in
Flickr
www.glamourmagazine.co.uk - Glamour magazine.
www.fhm.com – Home of the best selling men‟s magazine.
www.gqmagazine.co.uk – GQ magazine.
www.confused.co.uk – Dazed and Confused magazine: fashion, music, art, film,
current affairs. Cutting edge from the U.K.
www.thefader.com – Fader magazine. Similar in tone to Dazed and Confused but
from an American perspective.
www.i-dmagazine.com – ID magazine. A long running critically acclaimed leftfield
magazine.
www.condenast.com – Publisher of Glamour and GQ, to name just two.
www.emap.com – Publisher of Cosmopolitan.
www.intellagentcia.com - Another site for magazine sales figures.
www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound - Sight & Sound magazine.
www.empireonline.co.uk – Empire magazine website.
www.magforum.com – lots of information on magazines

32
Newspapers

www.thepaperboy.com – A good starting point for this area of the media.

www.thesun.co.uk – The Sun. The biggest selling paper in the U.K.
www.guardian.co.uk – The Guardian.
www.timesonline.co.uk – The best of the Times and The Sunday Times.
www.dailymail.co.uk – The Mail.
www.independent.co.uk - The Independent.
www.mirror.co.uk – The Mirror.

Advertising

www.absolutelyandy.com – A collection of recent adverts, downloadable in

windows media player and real player formats.
www.adassoc.org.uk/inform/content.html - The Advertising Association. A guide
to what advertising agencies actually do.
www.advertisingarchives.co.uk – You will need to sign up to access the majority
of this site. A perfect resource for the committed media student.
www.asa.org.uk – The Advertising Standards Authority.
www.commercialbreaksandbeats.co.uk – The definitive directory of UK TV advert
soundtracks.
www.tbwa.co.uk – Website for the advertising agency TBWA.

Film

www.artificial-eye.com
www.bigfilmshorts.com – a short film festival
www.thefilmfactory.co.uk
www.disney.co.uk
www.dreamworks.com
www.filmeducation.org – film study resource
www.firstlightmovies.com – useful website for short film work

33
www.miramax.com
www.momentumpictures.co.uk
www.fox.co.uk
www.warnerbros.co.uk

Music

Copyright free sites (Note: not all music is free to download from copyright free sites
– there are download fees)

http://copyrightfriendly.wikispaces.com/Copyright-friendly+m usic+and+sound
http://www.shockwave-sound.com/
http://audiojungle.net/
http://www.musicmediatracks.com/?gclid=CK6V-r7ZiJgCFUse3god7XQJCw
http://www.royaltyfreem usic.com/free.html
http://freeplaymusic.com / (free downloads)
http://www.trackline.com /acatalog/Tracks.html
http://www.royaltyfreem usic.com/docum entary-general-production.html
http://www.dm oz.org/Arts/Music/Sound_Files/Sam ples_and_Loops/
www.freesound.org (free m usic)
http://www.mobygratis.com/film-m usic.htm l (teacher needs to register for this one)
http://www.ljudo.com/default.asp?lang=tEnglish&do=it
http://www.jamendo.com/en
http://derekaudette.ottawaarts.com/
http://www.acoustica.com/sounds.htm
http://www.alcljudprod.se/english/ljud.php

Many, many more sites are available just „Google‟ „copyright free m usic audio
download‟ or „free audio editor software‟

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