Exam Questions

You should all be revising for your mock exams which take place right after the holiday. One of the key things you'll need to do is work through the Med 4 past questions which you'll find here...

• Genre

• Representation

Another really useful resource is...

• AQA Past Question Papers & Mark Schemes

...and this includes Med 6 too.

Remember, if you can't do timed essays at least have a go at brainstorming your answers (producing mind maps etc.) and writing essay plans.

Issues and debates quiz wk 6

Are you keeping up with contemporary issues and debates in the media, in preparation for your med 6 exam? If you are, you should be able to answer these questions (email your answers to Ms Jones).

1. What is the 'Byron report', and what does it recommend?
2. Which magazine is to blame for children's reluctance to complete their homework?
3. Which controversial tv channel has recently lost 15 of its staff?
4. Which social networking website is working with NME, and in what capacity?
5. What is 'Miss Bimbo', and why is it under investigation by regulators?

WC (SHEP) Timeline

For all Year 13 students...

You need to do some important research over the holiday where you will find out about the key social, economic and political aspects of different historical eras and then go on to produce a timeline on your blogs. This is because the Module 6 text(s) could be from any decade since the 1950s so you have to have some general knowledge and understanding about them in order to answer the question.

This is work you will need to have completed by the day we come back after Easter...Monday 21st April.

To help you - here are a list of good links to try out...

• The BBC's 'TV on Trial' Timeline

• Media History Timeline

• Infoplease: Year By Year

• Infoplease: Movie Timeline

• Infoplease: Broadcasting Timeline

Please post up the research to your Med 6 blogs, making six diffferent posts, one for each decade - 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s.

In each post you need to cover the following...

• Social issues (status and roles of different social groups, e.g. women, ethnic minorities, gay people, the family, etc.)

• Political issues (key events: wars, elections, political movements and changes, like feminism, civil rights, etc.)

• Economic issues (state of the local - UK - and global economy)

• Media issues (key texts, major developments, important people, changes in technology and censorship, etc.)

Be selective when choosing information and avoid covering too much American content as usually one - and often both - of the texts are British in the exam. And don't just copy and paste up events etc. that you don't understand or couldn't explain - the whole point is to make you confident about referring to this info in the exam so do extra research when this is the case.

Mocks & Revision

For all Year 13s...

Don't forget...mock exams are fast approaching and you should all be revising hard for them NOW. This is your only chance to practise these questions and develop these skills under full test conditions so make the most of the opportunity - if you haven't prepared you'll be wasting both your own and your teacher's time as the only feedback you'll get is 'do some work' - not very helpful when the purpose is to help you improve for the real thing on June 12th.

The dates/times are (during the first week back after the Easter holiday)...

• MODULE 6 Mock for 13c1 & 13c2 - Wednesday 23-04, periods 2 & 3 (working through break)

• MODULE 4 Mock for 13c1 &13c2 - Thursday 24-04, periods 5 & 6
  

• MODULE 4 Mock for 13d1 - Tuesday 22-04, periods 5 & 6
  

• MODULE 6 Mock for 13d1 - Thursday 24-04, periods 1 & 2
  

Your revision/preparation should be...

MODULE 6

• Read through the Med 6 'Issues and Debates' blogs.

• Read through the handouts on 'Issues & Debates' (Marxism, Uses & Gratifications, etc.).

• Read the Media Keywords A-Z handout (the big one).

• Practise note-taking/comparing two different texts - one moving image, one print - (MIGRAIN, WC: SHEP, Issues & Debates/Theory) for half hour stints.
  

MODULE 4

• Read through all notes and handouts on the two key topics...

• Representation - Representation pack (cartoons), Gauntlett, Mulvey, etc.

• Genre - Genre pack, Slasher pack, repertoire of elements worksheets, etc.
  

• Read through all 'Representation' & 'Genre' past questions.

• Write essay plans for as many different questions as possible.

• Complete at least one timed essay for each topic (Rep, Genre - 45 minutes/question).

And, obviously, the best way to support your revision is to turn up to the (compulsory) Easter Revision Class which is on Monday April 14th from 9am-4pm.

Slasher Schedule

Please note the revised schedule for the remaining slasher genre film club screenings in DF02...

• Tue 25-03

Scream (Wes Craven, 1996, 111 mins.)

• Thur 27-03

Scary Movie (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000, 88 mins.)

• Tue 01-04

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Marcus Nispel, 2003, 98 mins.)

Then we have three more scheduled genre film clubs on these dates...

• Thur 04-04

• Tue 22-04

• Thur 24-04

Rather than dictate what we watch on these occasions, though, we thought it would be best if YOU decided. Each of these screenings will be a STUDENT CHOICE from the following...

Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960, 101)
Britain's answer to 'Psycho', and the killer's phallic murder weapon is a camera tripod!

Black Christmas (1974, Bob Clark, 98 mins.)
Introduces most of the slasher staples before 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

When A Stranger Calls (1979, Fred Walton, 91 mins.)
The creepy opening phone sequence inspires the later 'Scream'.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (Jim Gillespie, 1997, 100 mins.)
Second most successful franchise of the 90s slasher cycle.

Psycho (Gus Van Sant, 1998, 105 mins.)
Shot-for-shot remake of the original, un homage to the "granddaddy of the slasher genre."

My Little Eye (Marc Evans, 2002, 95 mins.)
Slasher meets reality-TV in this British-Canadian low budget movie.

Switchblade Romance (aka Haute Tension) (Alexandre Aja, 2003, 91 mins)
The French can do slasher too (naturellement).

Wolf Creek (Greg McLean, 2005, 99 mins.)
And the Aussies.

Hostel (Eli Roth, 2005, 94 mins.)
One of the most significant of the new 'torture porn'/'painography' genre that is superseding slasher.

When A Stranger Calls (Simon West, 2006, 87 mins.)
Remake of the 'golden age' era movie.

Black Christmas (Glen Morgan, 2006, 84 mins.)
And another remake!

Vote Slasher!

These are probably the best and most significant slashers we haven't yet seen. Do a bit of research about each one by clicking on the links above and seeing what IMDB has to say. The top three will be chosen for the final three film club screenings but - if you're really committed - you should try to see at least some of the others in preparation for the exams...

Slasher Choice Select the film you most want to see at film club. Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960, 101 mins.) Black Christmas (1974, Bob Clark, 98 mins.) When A Stranger Calls (1979, Fred Walton, 91 mins.) I Know What You Did Last Summer (Jim Gillespie, 1997, 100 mins.) Psycho (Gus Van Sant, 1998, 105 mins.) My Little Eye (Marc Evans, 2002, 95 mins.) Switchblade Romance (aka Haute Tension) (Alexandre Aja, 2003, 91 mins) Wolf Creek (Greg McLean, 2005, 99 mins.) Hostel (Eli Roth, 2005, 94 mins.) When A Stranger Calls (Simon West, 2006, 87 mins.) Black Christmas (Glen Morgan, 2006, 84 mins.) view results

Issues and debates quiz wk 5

Five questions on the last week in the media. Remember - up-to-date knowledge of the media is crucial to Med 6 success! Email your answers to Ms Jones.

1. Why is BBC Worldwide's acquisition strategy under fire?

2. Which series of programmes has opened the BBC up to allegations of racism?

3. Why has the ASA banned the latest ad for Ghd's hair straighteners?

4. Why are some blaming the press for the suicide of Chief Constable Mike Todd?

5. Which glossy women's mag is about to undergo an online re-launch?

MD13d1 Cover Work: Tue 10-03-08

Make sure you stay in the classroom for all three periods - I will be back from time to time to monitor your progress!

1. Watch and paste the following clips of Key Slasher Sequences into your Med 6 blogs...

• Psycho (shower murder)
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre (ending)

2. For each one, make Med 6-style notes (on your blogs) on the following...

• a. Form/Function
• b. M-I-G-R-A-I-N
• c. Other related texts
• d. WC (SHEP)...how does each text relate to the zeitgeist?
  
• e. Issues & Debates
• f. Relevant Theories

3. Make a list of...

• a. similarities;
  
• b. differences

...and be sure to identify reasons WHY.

4. Write a plan and the introduction to a Med 6-style essay comparing the two texts but with the following title...

How does a comparison of these two 'slasher' texts demonstrate how genre changes over time? Why is this so and what other media issues and debates do they raise?

5. Start writing the essay on your blog and finish for homework (by Monday 17-03-08...it needs to be at least 1000 words long).

MD13c2 Cover Work: Wed 05-03-08

1. Stay in the classroom - I will be back from time to time to monitor your progress.
2. Find two different film trailers on 'YouTube' from different decades but from the same genre.
3. Paste the trailers in your Med 6 blogs.
4. For each one, make notes (on your blogs) on the following...
a. Form/Function
b. M-I-G-R-A-I-N
c. Other related texts
d. WC (SHEP)
e. Issues & Debates
f. Relevant Theories
5. Make a list of a. similarities; b. differences
6. Write the introduction to a Med 6 essay comparing the two texts.
7. Start writing the essay on your blog.
8. Finish for homework (needs to be at least 750 words long).

Issues and debates quiz wk 4

More questions on the media week. Email your answers to Ms Jones.

1. Which pair of auteurs won an impressive number of Oscars last week?
2. Which royal was the subject of a controversial media blackout recently, and why?
3. Why is Michael Grade under pressure this week?
4. Which natural history presenter bowed-out on Monday night, and how many viewers tuned-in to watch his swansong?
5. Which Tory peer and one-time Daily Telegraph owner has just been jailed for embezzlement?