Identities and Film: blog task

The media we choose to watch says a lot about us as people – it helps to construct our identity. 

Complete the following tasks using Media Factsheet 142: Identity and Film. You'll find it in our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets

1) Read Media Factsheet 142: Identity and Film.

2) Complete the Twenty Statements Test yourself. This means answering the question ‘Who am I?’ 20 times with 20 different answers. What do they say about your identity? Write the 20 answers in full on your blog.

3) Classify your answers into the categories listed  on the Factsheet: Social groups, ideological beliefs, interests etc.

4) Go back to your favourite film (as identified in the lesson). What does this choice of film say about your identity? Are there any identities within the film (e.g. certain characters) that particularly resonated with your values and beliefs?

5) Watch the trailers for the five films highlighted as examples of gay/lesbian representation in mainstream film. How are LGBT identities constructed in the trailers and how are audiences encouraged to respond to these representations?

Complete for homework - due date set by your exam class teacher.

MEST4 Linked production: Research and planning *REMINDER*

It is vital you re-focus on your Linked Production following your work on the second draft of your essay. 

The Linked Production research and planning was due the week before Easter but several of you have not yet produced anything on your MEST4 coursework blog. The mark scheme for MEST4 is absolutely clear: production work must "approach professional standards". There is no chance of your work meeting this requirement if you do not research existing texts and plan meticulously. 

If you haven't done so already, complete the following urgently by your next Media coursework lesson:

1) Confirm your production brief. You write this yourself but it's absolutely crucial this is clear, appropriate and achievable. You should have done this already - the original blogpost was here - but it may have changed as a result of your preliminary exercise.

2) Research: detailed notes on at least THREE texts similar to what you are creating. What are the key conventions? What can you learn/borrow from the examples you have looked at?

3) Project schedule: when will you shoot and edit this production? Make this a week-by-week schedule leading up to Easter. Key dates: we break up for Easter on Friday 31 March and the final deadline is Wednesday 19 April.

4) Script - see the BBC Writers' Room for advice/script formatting. If you're making a music video, you'll want to write a treatment instead. This is an example treatment that I provide for GCSE Media students studying this topic. For print productions, this means writing all the text for the cover, contents and feature articles. Write this in Microsoft Word so you can proofread and spellcheck the work before moving it into Photoshop.

5) Sketching and drafting - for video-based productions this means a storyboard - sheets available in DF07 or you can print out your own AQA storyboard sheet. For print productions, this means detailed sketches of all your pages.

6) Shot list - use Microsoft Word or a template like this to help you. Remember, you need a shot list whether you are filming or carrying out a print photoshoot - professional quality original images are essential if you want to reach the top level.

7) Mise-en-scene: casting/model details, costume and make-up, props, lighting, location scouting for video productions etc. Use photographs to document and plan your mise-en-scene - using your phone is acceptable for this.

All of the above needs to be posted to your MEST4 coursework blog urgently.

New Media Magazine - Issue 59

The new issue of Media Magazine is out now - MM59.

This contains some superb articles for our ongoing work on exam case studies and coursework - including Post-Truth society, the documentary genre, short films every film student should see and a Marxist critique of The Apprentice. 


Our Media Magazine reference guide is here - if you haven't searched this for your critical investigation topic then you are missing out on a brilliant resource. You can then find the article in our Media Magazine archive.

Take a look through and read any articles of interest - particularly if you want an A/A* in Media!

Identities: applying feminism

We have completed some excellent work on feminism but it is vital that we are able to apply these ideas to a variety of media texts.

Complete the following tasks using our brilliant Media Factsheets resource.

Media factsheet: Applying Feminism

Find and read Media Factsheet #86 Applying Feminism. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the Factsheet for homework. You can find the Factsheet on the Media Shared drive - M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. Once you have read the Factsheet, complete the following tasks:

1) What are the five types of feminism outlined on the first page of the Factsheet?

2) Which category would Judith Butler fit into? What about Angela McRobbie? Laura Bates and Everyday Sexism? Explain your answers.

3) What was the difference between suffragists and suffragettes? Which approach do you agree with?

4) What was Laura Mulvey's argument regarding Hollywood film? Do you agree with it? Why?

5) Watch this YouTube video extract on Jean Kilbourne's Killing Us Softly series and list five examples she gives of the media objectifying women:



6) What is Killbourne's argument regarding the representation of women in advertising?

7) What is Naomi Wolf's argument in The Beauty Myth?

8) Why is the representation of women in music videos a controversial topic for feminists?

9) What is your view of female artists such as Nicki Minaj or Beyonce - do they empower women or reinforce sexist, patriarchal views?

10) Has new and digital media given women an opportunity to challenge sexist views or is it simply another media platform for women to be oppressed? Explain your view.

Complete this work for homework - due date set by your exam class teacher.


Further reading: in-depth theory and wider examples of feminism in the Media

If you're interested in further theory and examples in terms of feminism and the media -or perhaps are currently redrafting a Critical Investigation on this topic - then the following Factsheets and links will be essential reading. Remember: if you want an A* in Media then you'll need a wide variety of theoretical perspectives to call on in the MEST3 exam.

Feminist theory: Factsheet research

Media Factsheet #125: Gender for A2 - Focus on Judith Butler
This Factsheet offers much more depth on Judith Butler and her work in Gender Trouble (1990) - the argument that gender is a process or performance and not biologically set. It explores how Butler fits into wider media theoretical perspectives (e.g. Structuralism and Post-Structuralism) and also criticisms of her approach. One key criticism is the difficulty in applying Butler's ideas to feminist campaigns in the real world - relevant to our recent work on the possibility of a fourth wave of feminism.

Media Factsheet #125: Gender: Beyond Butler
This Factsheet explores a wider interpretation of the representation of women in media and society. It offers a historical perspective, looking particularly at the 1970s and British television. It also builds on Factsheet #89 and Jean Kilbourne's work on advertising and the representation of women. Finally, the Factsheet addresses masculinity and the changing representations of men in the media over the last 30 years.


Feminism in the media: examples

If you're looking for recent examples of feminism in the media then you'll find plenty. Prime Minister Theresa May is personally overseeing work on domestic violence legislation and there have been many other stories over the last few years that we can link to feminism. Here are just a few you may want to read up on:

Caroline Criado-Perez: female presence on banknotes 

Emma Watson: HeForShe gender equality campaign 

Ched Evans: petition to prevent footballer accused of rape playing 

Controversial FCKH8 campaign: ‘Potty Mouth Princess’

Identities: Feminism and new/digital media

There is a current debate regarding whether the use of new and digital media to further feminist campaigns constitutes a fourth wave of feminism.

Key notes

Waves of feminism
First wave: early 20th century, suffragette movement (right to vote).
Second wave: 1960s – 1990s, reproductive rights (pill), abortion, equal pay.
Third wave: 1990s – present, empowerment, reclaiming of femininity (high heels, sexuality etc. See Angela McRobbie's work on women's magazines).
Fourth wave? 2010 – ongoing, use of new technology and digital media (e.g. Twitter) for activism.

Fourth wave?
Many commentators argue that the internet itself has enabled a shift from ‘third-wave’ to ‘fourth-wave’ feminism. What is certain is that the internet has created a ‘call-out’ culture, in which sexism or misogyny can be ‘called out’ and challenged. 

This culture is indicative of the continuing influence of the third wave, with its focus on challenging sexism and misogyny in advertising, film, television and the media. 

Key quote: “power users of social media”

The internet has facilitated the creation of a global community of feminists who use the internet both for discussion and activism. 

According to #FemFuture: Online Feminism, a report recently published by Columbia University’s Barnard Center for Research on Women, females aged between 18 and 29 are the ‘power users of social networking’.

(Source: Political Studies Association. Read more about this: http://www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus/feminism-fourth-wave)

Critics of online feminism
Critics of online feminist movements suggest that petitions and pressure from Twitter campaigns is simply a witchhunt orchestrated by privileged middle-class white women.

They ask: are ‘trolls’ the danger they are portrayed to be?


Blog tasks


Case study: Everyday Sexism

Watch this TEDx talk by Everyday Sexism founder Laura Bates:



1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

3) How can you apply Judith Butler's theory of gender as a 'performance' to the creation of the Everyday Sexism project?

4) How does Angela McRobbie's work on female empowerment link to the Everyday Sexism project?


Media Magazine: The fourth wave?

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64)

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave ‘networked feminism’? 

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a 100-word summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.

4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?

Complete for homework - due next lesson.

Critical Investigation: learner response

The in-class peer assessment tasks are invaluable in identifying key aspects to improve for your next draft of the Critical Investigation. 

You need to complete an initial learner response task to make sure you have read, recorded and understood your feedback.

Critical Investigation: first draft learner response

On your MEST4 coursework blog, complete the following tasks:

• Type up your teacher comments from your first draft - these are your main targets that you must address.

• Write what level/mark/grade you are aiming for in your second draft.

• Write a numbered action plan of at least five things - ideally one for each of the eight EBIs you received in feedback in your Peer Assessment lessons - that you will do or change for your second draft that will help you get there. Be specific and explain in detail.

Here is the peer assessment lessons PowerPoint to help you check you've covered everything...

Critical Investigation: next deadline

Write the second draft of your Critical Investigation.

This includes any additional research that may be required - a lack of high-quality academic research and a low number of footnotes is the number one reason students miss out on their target grade in this task.

***MAKE SURE YOU VISIT THE BFI LIBRARY AGAIN DURING HALF TERM***

Due: Tuesday 21 February

Please make sure that you have posted an electronic version on your blog and you bring a hard copy (with 1.5 spacing) into the lesson.

This second draft will receive feedback in the form of an extended one-to-one tutorial in class before Easter. You will then have a short time to make any remaining improvements before the final deadline.

Identities: Feminist theory and blog task

A current debate in feminism is whether we are in a post-feminist state: is feminism still needed?

It's important to have your own opinion on this debate and, crucially, be able to support it with reference to feminist theory and current examples. 

Feminist theory: key notes

Judith Butler: gender roles

Butler believes traditional feminists are wrong to divide society into ‘men’ and ‘women’ and says gender is not biologically fixed.

By dividing men and women, feminists accidently reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders

Butler believes gender roles are ‘a performance’ and that male and female behaviour is socially constructed rather than the result of biology.

Butler and the media

If gender is a ‘performance’ rather than biological, we then need to think about what is influencing that ‘performance’.

And that’s where the media comes in. How might the media influence our behaviour in terms of gender roles?



Angela McRobbie: empowering women

McRobbie is a British cultural theorist known for her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s.

McRobbie highlights the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists.


This idea of ‘popular feminism’ fits into the idea of post-feminism and challenges the radical feminism of the 1970s.

Feminism: blog task

Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’ 

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

2) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why?

3) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?

Complete for homework if you don't finish this during the lesson - due next lesson.

Identities and the Media: Feminism

Discussing feminism and learning a range of feminist theory is an essential part of A2 Media Studies.

Are we living in a post-feminist state? Do you agree there is still a need for feminism? To what extent does the media contribute to the identity created for women in popular culture? These are some of the questions we need to consider in this next section of our Identities and the Media unit.

Complete the following tasks on your blog:

Media Magazine reading

1) Read Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media (MM40, page 64 - our Media Magazine archive is here).

2) What are the two texts the article focuses on?

3) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?

4) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?

5) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.

No More Page 3

1) Research the No More Page 3 campaign. Who started it and why?

2) What reasons did the campaign give for why Page 3 had to go?

3) Read this debate in the Guardian regarding whether the campaign should be dropped. What are Barbara Ellen and Susan Boniface's contrasting opinions in the debate?

4) The main campaign website has now been replaced by a site called Sexist News, designed to highlight sexism in the media. Give an example of a recent story the website has highlighted. Do you agree with the view of the website?

5) How can the No More Page 3 campaign and Sexist News website be linked to the idea of post-feminism?

6) What are your OWN views on these campaigns? Do you agree with their aims? Is there still a need for these campaigns in the media?

7) Finally, do you agree that we are in a post-feminist state or is there still a need for feminism?

Complete for homework if you don't get it finished in the lesson - deadline confirmed in class.

Post-colonialism - bonus reading and tasks

The latest issue of Media Magazine has some extremely relevant articles to our recent work on identity and post-colonial theory.

Complete the following tasks - you may be given lesson time to do this but will need to finish for homework.

MM58: Social Media and Black Identity

Open up MM58 from our Media Magazine archive. Go to page 66 and read Social Media and Black Identity then complete the following tasks:

1) List three theorists discussed in the article and what they believe regarding black identity.

2) In your opinion, is social media a positive or negative force when it comes to issues of black identity? 

3) How could you apply the post-colonial theories we have learned in class to the issue of social media and black identity?


A Hustle for Life: Refugees in the Media

Now turn to page 6 and read A Hustle for Life: Refugees in the Media. When you have read the article, complete the following tasks:

1) What examples of different representations of refugees in the media are offered in the article?

2) In your opinion, is the documentary genre more or less biased than the news media? What examples can you provide from the article to support your view?

3) How could you apply the post-colonial theories we have learned in class to the representation of refugees in the media?


Media Magazine: Critical Investigation research

You'll soon be receiving back the first draft for your Critical Investigation. In some cases, a lack of research is holding people back. You may find several articles from MM58 useful for your second draft:

Pathetic Fallacy: Representing Brexit 
Jonathan Nunns looks back at the carnage provoked by the EU Referendum, and takes the media to task for their coverage of events and individuals.

The Power of the Media
Steph Hendry considers the power of the media in relation to the development of technologies and their impact on social change.

Internet Research for Film Studies
Any self-respecting film student knows that informed and critical online research is essential – but where do you start? Roy Stafford introduces some of the most useful film websites around.

The Witch: A Feminist Review
Owen Davey recommends a new horror film with a difference.

Remember: A* students need to develop an understanding of the media across platforms, genres, issues and debates. These Media Magazine articles will help you to do this even if you don't need them for your Critical Investigation. Good luck!