Revision Express Textbook

This is a fantastic resource! Really concise.

You are advised to learn all the key terms (in bold) and have a go at the exam questions at the end of each section (these are good for practice although NOT the typical ones you'll get in the exam; see the list of Section B questions for that).

This download covers most of the key issues & debates that you MUST be able to apply to the Section A texts you have to analyse/compare in the exam...

Advertising, Advertising & Marketing, Audience Profiling, Cult of the Celebrity, Effects Theory, Globalisation, Marxism, Media Ownership, Narrative Theory, News Values, Pluralism, Postmodernism, Reception Theory, Uses & Gratifications

...Revision Express Textbook

AQA Official Textbook

Read and make notes/mindmaps on this essential text book, written by the exam board - great for revising...

• Contents
• 1. Issues and Debates
• 2. Media Theories
• 3. Approaching Texts Critically
• 4. Approaching Topics Critically

MEST3 Section B Questions

A big part of your revision will be going back over your Case Studies for New/Digital Media and Representation.

Make sure you refine your research - adding to it over the final few weeks with up-to-the-minute info from sources like MediaGuardian, and new articles that will be posted up here.

Also, use the following advice/suggestions so you know precisely what kind of information you need to have researched (you should try to combine several of the topics listed to make sure you've covered a wide enough range)...

Impact of New Media Case Study Prompts

You should be able to answer all the typical questions for Section B in the exam...

New/Digital Media

• “Digital media have, in many ways, changed how we consume media products.” Who do you think benefits most – audiences or producers?

• “Media institutions are right to feel threatened by new/digital media.” Consider this statement and show how media institutions are reacting to technological developments.

• The development of new/digital media means the audience is more powerful in terms of consumption and production. Discuss the arguments for and against this view.

• “The new generation of UK media power players are going stratight to their audience via the web” www.mediaguardian.co.uk Monday July 14 2008. How have media institutions responded to the opportunities offered by new/digital media?

• Developments in new/digital media mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values. To what extent are audiences empowered by these developments?

• Why and with what success are traditional media institutions adapting to the challenge posed by new/digital media?

• The world first heard about the death of Michael Jackson from the online gossip website TMZ. How has new/digital media changed the ways in which information reaches audiences and what are the implications?

• ‘New and digital media erodes the dividing line between reporters and reported, between active producers and passive audiences: people are enabled to speak for themselves.’ (www.indymedia.org.uk) Have such developments made the media more democratic, with more equal participation by more people?

• New and digital media offers media institutions different ways of reaching audiences. Consider how and why media institutions are using these techniques. 

• ‘To connect, to create, to share creativity or thought, to discuss, to collaborate, to form groups or to combine with others in mutual interests or passions.  If you can’t see the point of any of those things, you will not see the point of Facebook.’ (www.guardian.co.uk) What opportunities and/or disadvantages do new and digital media have for audiences?

• Although new and digital media may promise audiences more freedom, it does not necessarily give them more power. Discuss.

• New and digital media is creating one global culture. Do you think that this is true?

Representation

• Critics have accused the mainstream media of tokenism and stereotyping by creating extreme and exaggerated representations. To what extent is this true for the group or place you have studied?

• Media representations rarely challenge the dominant values of society nor do they give a voice to those with little power. To what extent is this true for the group or place you have studied? Why?

• It has been said that media representations often reflect the social and political concerns of the age in which they are created. Discuss.

• Media representations favour those with power at the expense of those without. To what extent do you think this statement is true?

• 1Xtra, MTV Base and Zee TV are all hugely popular. But whenever I watch these channels, all I see is a ghetto… Nobody wants to be in the ghetto, OK? We all want to live in the mainstream.” (Lenny Henry in a speech to the Royal Television Society, Guardian News and Media Ltd, 2008)

• Why would the group or place you have studied want to be represented in the mainstream media?

• A dominant representation is one which is repeated across the media over time and so are the values that it carries. Discuss.

•  ‘Constant media stories about gang crime create a depressing and unbalanced picture of  black youngsters.’  (www.guardian.co.uk) Using the group or place you have studied, consider whether media portrayals are more complex than simple positive or negative representations.

• How does the representation of the group or place you have studied differ across different media platforms or genres?  Why do you think this is the case? 

• A negative representation is better than no representation at all. Discuss this statement with reference to the group or place you have studied.

• Part of stereotyping is the attitude that all members of a particular group are the same, or else fall into a very small number of types. How and why is the group or place you have studied stereotyped? 

• Audiences are now too sophisticated to be taken in by negative and stereotypical representations. Do you agree?

• How are stereotypes used by media producers and why are they so popular?

You should have detailed plans for each of these essays and have practised as many as possible under timed conditions (ONE HOUR for each).

Remember, the examiner is looking for the following:

• A sophisticated and detailed evaluation, showing very good critical autonomy.
• Sophisticated and detailed application of a wide range of wider contexts.
• Supports answer with a wide range of examples from other media.
• Articulate and engaged.

New Media: Essential Revision Articles

You MUST ensure you've read ALL of the following, making revision notes/mindmaps and understanding how you can apply the key points to the Section B essay questions:

From MediaEdu...

• A2 AQA MEST3 Revision New and Digital Media Example Question
• The Impact of Digital Media Revision
• We Media, Democracy and Convergence
• Understanding News in Print and Electronic Media

From MediaMagazine...

• The Rise and Rise of UGC
• In the age of media 2.0 - six questions about media and participation 
• Participation debates - media and democracy 
• Web 2.0 - participation or hegemony? 
• Social networking and citizen journalism - participating in the Arab Spring (pp14-19 in Media Magazine 39)

Others...

• Newspapers - The Effect of Online Technology

(Where prompted, use the login details you've been given to access the sites; email Macguffin if unsure).

New & Digital Media Lessons

Use this to help you revise, by going through each slide/linked article and making notes/mindmaps...

• New Digital Media Lessons Y13
• Introduction to New & Digital Media Y12

Y13 Tasks wc 30/4

All of the following needs to be completed by these deadlines:


13B: Fri 04/05 p3/4
13C: Tue 08/05 p3/4

• June 2011 exam Section A + Section B (Q6 and Q7)
• January 2011 exam Section B (Q7)
• An A3 mindmap on paper of audience theories, using the MediaKnowall site as a starting point
• The final draft of your Critical Investigation (with footnotes/bibliography) posted on your MEST4 blog
• Read and make revision notes (on paper) on the following Media Magazine 39 articles...

1. In the age of media 2.0 - six questions about media and participation (pp6-11)
2. Participation debates - media and democracy (pp12-13)
3. Social networking and citizen journalism - participating in the Arab Spring (pp14-19)
4. Web 2.0 - participation or hegemony? (pp 58-62)

(I will email you the passwords).

• January 2011 exam Section B (Q4, representation) - just a detailed plan/mindmap for this, using your case study (13B - this doesn't need to be done until next week)

MEST3 June 2011

13B HW for Wed 25/4 - Complete Section A...

MEST3 June 2011

• Adidas House Party
• NHS Binge Drinking Advert

Links for Critical Investigation (3rd draft)

Remember - Your detailed targets/next steps must be posted up on your blog by Thursday 14/3.

MEST4 Peer Marking

Theory Quotes

Digital Media PowerPoint HW

13B Students: Please complete the following by next Wednesday (14/3)...

Finish all twelve questions from the New and Digital Media Case Study Pack and post up full answers with research (Guardian articles, theory quotes, YouTube videos, infographics, etc.) on your blogs.

Produce a PowerPoint presentation based on the Death by PowerPoint principles (slide 58 has a checklist summary). Include notes in this to guide you when presenting and to share with the class.

Rehearse your presentation - practice at least once with someone from the class and get some feedback.

Upload your presentation to Google Docs, share it, and post the link to your Powerpoint on your blog.

13B Cover Work p1/2 Wed 22/02

Stay in DF07, register with Mr Babu, and continue working on....

'The Impact of New and Digital Media Case Study' Pack

For today, you should have posted up answers to Tasks 1-6 on your blog. Please complete Tasks 7 and 8 in the lesson/for homework, before Friday 24/02.

For each Task, remember to include the following...

• 2/3 Guardian relevant articles, with key quotes/info highlighted and an explanation/your comments after each article;
• 2/3 other relevant websites, again with your comments and highlighted sections;
• 1/2 theory quotes that you can link to this question - explain how;
• 1/2 infographics, with some of the key data summarised;
• 1/2 YouTube videos, with a text summary by you of the key points;
• Audience/Institutional data/statistical information (revenue, market value, trends, growth, share, users, hits, subscribers, etc.)

...and remember you must also include media terminology.

Media Ownership Info

Two key sites for essential institutional info that's really useful for MEST3...

Ownership Chart: The Big Six

Media Consolidation: The Illusion of Choice

Theory Quotes

Please use these Theory Quotes in your case study research and critical investigations and try to learn some by heart for the exam.

Coursework - 1st Draft

The following needs to be completed by Tuesday 31st January (for 13C).

• Complete your first draft of your Critical Investigation.
  


• It must be a word processed 2000 word essay (with a precise word count included at the end).
  


• Also, include correctly set out references, quotes and footnotes. Footnotes should take the following form - Author Surname, Author First Name Initial (Year of Publication), Page Number(s). e.g...Lacey, N. (2009). p. 122.
  


• Where the next reference is from the same text and the same page use ibid. (in italics). This means 'in the same place' in Latin. If it's from the same text but a different page you include the new page reference too. e.g. ibid. p23.
  


• A full bibliography must be submitted. (See the Xmas Book Research Task for help with this) . The first section should be titled 'Works Cited' and will contain everything that you make direct reference to in your essay. Divide it into 'Books', 'Newspapers & Magazines', 'Internet' and 'Moving Image Texts'. The second section should be called 'Works Consulted' and will cover all the additional research you did but that didn't necessarily get directly quoted. This should have the same subheadings as the first section. Books should be listed in alphabetical order, by author's surname. Use BibMe to help you do this correctly, using the APA format for books. e.g. Lacey, N. (2009). Image and Representation (2nd ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
  


• Two copies are necessary. Hand in a hard copy (on paper) on the deadline day, and this needs to have one and a half spacing. Also paste it up on your blog.

If you're in any doubt about what this all should look like then please check out some of the finished grade 'A' and 'B' essays from (2011), (2010), (2009), (2008), (2007), (2006). But remember that most of these (apart from 2011/2010) were for a different specification and had to be 3000 words, unlike yours (which should be 2000).

They will be helpful, though, when thinking about how to write your essay (what to include in the introduction and conclusion, how to structure the work, how to set out quotes, the correct tone, and how much research to include - they each contain between 20 and 40 footnotes - you should aim for around 30.)

But please ensure that all writing is done in your own words. Plagiarism is a very serious business and anyone found simply copying from other sources (either students or books/websites) will be in real trouble. And you will be found out if you do! We're not stupid - we know how you write, and we know very well what was in the previous studies (and there are numerous online checkers that we can feed your work into to see if it has been plagiarised).

This is the big one so no excuses and good luck!!

13B Cover Work p1/2 Wed 18/01

Stay in DF07, register with Mr Babu, and start reading the following....

'The Impact of New and Digital Media Case Study' Pack

On your MEST 3 blogs, complete Step, 1, Step 2 and Step 3 (finish for homework for Friday 20/01).

NB: Column headings for the tables (you can't see them in this version of the document)...

Step 2:

• Theorist/issue or debate
• Topic Covered
• Book/ Publication/Online source
• Key Quotes

Step 3:

• TEXT
• PLATFORM (broadcast, print, e-media)
• YEAR OF PRODUCTION

The Decline of Print Media Articles

Check back here regularly for updated stories on your New/Digital Media case study topic.

For each article - read, paste onto your MEST3 blog, and highlight key points/information.

News International launches Sun - and News of the World - archive website (04/01/11)

Rupert Murdoch joins Twitter? News Corporation chief seemingly tries to break with 2011's annus horribilis by tweeting 'with his own voice, in his own way' (01/01/12)

Media predictions for 2012: media business and advertising Endemol could come up for sale if it can restructure its debt, while the Olympics are expected to prop up the ad market (30/12/11)

iPads and Kindles force newspapers further away from print Economics of the digital world are only too evident to the press as handheld devices strike a death knell for old business models (25/12/11)

Coursework Tutorials

For 13C, you will be each be receiving a crucial one-to-one coursework tutorial with Macguffin during January 2012. However, you must have completed all the Xmas blog tasks to be eligible for this so these need to be done by the lesson we return after Christmas (Tuesday 03-01-12). Also, when you attend the tutorial you must bring your fully organised research folder with you (containing notes, plans, highlighted/annotated photocopies, etc.) so get those in order now if you haven't done already.

Finally, the deadline for the completed first draft of the Critical Investigation is...

• Tuesday 31st January '12

This means that if you have a tutorial towards the end of the January exam period you will only have a few days to get all 2000 words done (with footnotes and a full bibliography for it to be accepted) so the advice would be to get in early for a tutorial so you can start the essay as soon as possible.

MEST 4 Xmas Task #6

The following needs to be done by 13C and completed by the day we return after the holiday: 3rd January 2011...

INTRODUCTION & FIRST/SECOND PARAGRAPHS

Type out the full title of your Critical Investigation, highlighting what you consider to be the keywords in a different colour.

Then write out the first/second paragraphs and post them on your blog. This is usually the hardest part in any essay (along with the last one!) Obviously, it must be a clear introduction that makes reference to the keywords in the title and outlines the various areas that you will be exploring in the course of the essay. It may introduce a hypothesis (something that you will seek to test/prove during the next 2000 words). For example, you may be arguing that your contemporary textual examples demonstrate a change in the representation of a particular social group. It's a bit like a debate in this sense - you are putting forward a proposition and making points that will back it up (although you will also be given credit here for considering both sides of the argument too).

Then, write the next paragraph and post it on your blog. Remember that you're looking to include at least one quote/reference per paragraph and often considerably more. It may help to look at some of the best essays from last year, from 2010, from 2009, from 2008, from 2007, and from 2006 (all top grades, although all except 2010/2011's are from a different specification, don't forget) to get an idea of the style and format required. But take care - plagiarism will always be found out so don't even consider copying from others...best to look on a day when you won't be writing as other people's work can sometimes be a bit disabling.

Good luck with everything here - yes, you're going to be very busy but you want to get the top grades and get into top universities so this is what's required!

If anyone needs help over the holiday then please email us and we'll try to get back to you asap.

MEST 4 Xmas Task #5

The following needs to be done by 13C and completed by the day we return after the holiday: 3rd January 2011...

ESSAY PLAN

Produce a detailed essay plan for your independent study, covering everything that you hope to include in your submission. Break your ideas and research down into sections and paragraphs with headings, summaries and a list of references that you hope to include at each step. You can see some decent ones from previous years by clicking on Jaleesa or Manjoth or Jatinder or Avneet or Madenah.

Make sure that you label each point you hope to include by linking it to Key Concepts (MIGRAIN) and Wider Contexts (SHEP). (You could just include the initial letter in brackets). This way you can see whether you have covered everything that you need to in an even way. Also, ensure that you think about where you will include theories/theorists, issues/debates and media keywords. (Keep the 'Essential Word Dictionary' handy).

This will make writing your essay so much easier. However, it is a big task as it requires you to read through all your research very carefully and browse through each other's blogs as there may be some overlapping areas of research you could share with each other.

You may want to produce this plan as a straightforward series of bullet points or as a more complex mindmap. If it's the latter you may have to do it by hand and then scan it in before posting it up on your blog. Or you may want to try out an online mind-mapping tool like bubbl.us.

MEST 4 Xmas Task #4

The following needs to be done by 13C and completed by the day we return after the holiday: 3rd January 2011...

ADDITIONAL WEB RESEARCH

Although books carry more authority, the internet is an excellent resource and you should be searching regularly to identify additional ideas and references related to your Critical Investigation.

In particular, you will find up-to-the-minute, current information and opinion about your topic and this always scores highly with the examiners so it's important to continue online research all the way through until you hand in your final essay. A crucial platform that you really ought to cover - New Media and Digital Technology is always changing, for instance. Key places to keep track of this are...

• A Level Media Studies subscription sites - we have paid for you to have free access to both the MediaMagazine (search the archive or browse through past copies), and MediaEdu (spend time, in particular, looking at the theory, new media and key concepts resources)...both are excellent and contain information pitched just right at your level of understanding. (NB: Email Macguffin for passwords if you don't have them);

• broadsheet newspaper sites, especially MediaGuardian (it's essential you get into the habit of reading this every week, preferably on a Monday), and the Independent Media;

• media education sites - the biggest and best is MCS; but there's also Media Literacy, Film Education, Screen Online...

• film review sites like IMDb (use the 'external reviews' link on the sidebar whenever you're on a chosen film) and Rotten Tomatoes;

• film magazines online like Sight & Sound, GuardianFilm, Empire, and Senses of Cinema;

• Wikipedia, naturally: a useful starting point for any web search, but make sure you avoid referencing this directly...it makes you look like a beginner. Provides, however, a good overview and. essentially, a list of 'References' and 'External Links' at the end of each entry;

• the best student essays from 2011, from 2010, from 2009, from 2008, from 2007, and from 2006 : in particular, look at their quotes (usually highlighted by a footnote number) and bibliographies (at the end of each essay) as they will have often identified some of the best quotes for your topic. But, as ever, be wary of the temptation to plagiarise - you should only 'borrow' a few quotes from each person's essay!

Over the holiday, continue with your internet research, using the Google Search Tips you've been shown to help you refine your searches and, of course, the Google academic search engine: Google Scholar.

Post up AT LEAST 20 additional quotes, with full article titles (and hyperlinked web addresses) and an explanation about each one saying how it's linked to your study.

MEST 4 Xmas Task #3

The following needs to be done by 13C and completed by the day we return after the holiday: 3rd January 2011...

HISTORICAL TEXT ANALYSIS & RESEARCH

Research a historical text that you can use to compare with your contemporary one (that is the main focus of your investigation). By 'historical' it is meant anything pre-2000 but the 40s, 50s, 60s or even 70s might be more fruitful because they pre-date many of the important changes that have occurred more recently (such as the gains for women as a result of feminism; or greater equality for ethnic minorities now that we are - arguably - a more inclusive and multi-cultural society; or the ground-breaking developments in new media/digital technology). The purpose here is to be able to demonstrate...

• how society has changed over the years and how these changes are reflected in different media texts, or - to put it another way...
• how popular culture reflects the 'spirit of the age' or zeitgeist

Ideally, you will watch at least one film/TV programme/video game/music video from the past, make notes on it and research it in Media/Film Studies textbooks and on the internet. The best option is to watch/play the whole text on DVD/online or otherwise you might be able to see extracts on YouTube.

• How is it similar/different to your text?
• How does this show how the genre/society has changed?

Through this you will become aware of developments in the genre you are researching - look for a range of titles (at least five) that you can refer to in your essay - and you should be able to link them to the wider contexts that were present at the time. It's also worth noting that you will be rewarded for considering your topic across different platforms.

If you can't get hold of the text it's not the end of the world - you are stuck with doing just secondary research instead of this and primary research. Just make sure you do plenty of it.

List your media texts, research, analysis and links/bibliography in a detailed blog post.

MEST 4 Xmas Task #2

The following needs to be done by 13C and completed by the day we return after the holiday: 3rd January 2011...

ADDITIONAL BOOK READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY (SO FAR)

As you know, a detailed bibliography is crucial for the top grades in the coursework. Please refer to the Essential Reading List which contains titles of 45 of the most important books for the Critical Investigation, all of which are either in the school library or media suite.

Those underlined are the twenty most important but, obviously, not all of the texts on this list will be directly relevant for you...you'll need to spend a fair amount of time searching through them (especially the contents and indexes) to find the key quotes and ideas that will impress the examiners.

You must include references to quite a few of these books if you want an A or B so borrow/buy these books and read them over Christmas: one/person from the Media Suite and you MUST sign them out with Mr Babu and you MUST bring them back the day we return after the holiday).

Then please include the following in a blog posting...

• Author-Year-Title-Place-Publisher info;
• Quotes (+ Page References) from the book that can be linked to your study;
• A short explanation of each one explaining how it is relevant to you.

Finally, post up on your blog a Complete Bibliography (So Far) to include ALL the books you currently have quotes from. It MUST contain at least TEN different books.

Use this 'Guide to writing bibliographies' to help or try this really useful bibliography creator: 'BibMe'.

MEST 4 Xmas Task #1

The following needs to be done by 13C and completed by the day we return after the holiday: Tuesday 3rd January 2011...

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

Carry out close textual analyses of at least TWO chosen scenes/extracts/clips from your main text and post it up on your blog.

The extracts should be able to exemplify some of the key points you wish to make in your Critical Investigation and link with some of the following key areas raised by your text...

• issues and debates

Representation and stereotyping; Media effects; Reality TV; News Values; Moral Panics; Post 9/11 and the media; Ownership and control; Regulation and censorship; Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century; The effect of globalisation on the media

• theories

Semiotics; Structuralism and post-structuralism; Postmodernism and its critiques; Gender and ethnicity; Marxism and hegemony; Liberal Pluralism; Colonialism and Post-colonialism; Audience theories; Genre theories

Make sure it is an extract you haven't analysed before and embed the YouTube link in your posting if you can.

Think of each analysis as like a MEST 3 exam analysis but with one text instead of two - so you need to cover MIGRAIN and SHEP and you are advised to watch the extract several times and to make detailed notes before embarking on the write-up, which should be in essay format (NOT in note form).

Also, use the Key Concepts Glossary to help you think about terminology to use. You should be including as many of these keywords and ideas as possible in your analysis (where relevant...this won't always be the case), along with ideas from the essential Media Keywords A-Z that you should be reading religiously!

13C Cover Work p3/4 Tue 01/11

Stay in the classroom or DF06. Ms Brown will be taking the lesson.

1. Read the article : Newspapers - The Effect of Online Technology

2. Create a separate mind-map (on A3 plain paper) for each section:

• Newspapers: In Decline
• Why is the newspaper industry in crisis?
• Should news be free?
• The democratisation of news?
• Audience power?

3. Copy out (on A4 lined paper) and fill in the gaps in the three charts:

• The impact of online technology on news
• Newspapers - The effect of online technology
• Audience gratifications of the Guardian website

4. On your blogs, summarise FIVE recent examples of UGC making the news, to include:

• The Arab Spring
• Ian Tomlinson's death
• Gadaffi's death

...for each one, include an embedded YouTube clip showing the footage and a link to a Guardian newspaper article reporting on it (ideally referring to the UGC element and its significance).

Complete all of this for homework (due Thur 03.11)

13B Cover Work p1/2 Wed 19/10

Mr Babu will be taking the register and supervising the lesson.

Please do the following, remaining in DF07 for the whole two periods...

1. Read the article: The rise and rise of UGC

2. Create a mind map that summarises the article with the following sections/headings...

• Examples
• Theory (audience reception, etc.)
• Benefits to institutions
• benefits to audiences
• Wider issues and debates
• SHEP (social, historical, economic, political contexts)

...bring this to Friday's lesson.

3. Answer the following questions in full sentences, with detailed examples where possible...

1. What is meant by the term ‘citizen journalist’?
2. What was one of the first examples of news being generated by ‘ordinary people’?
3. List some of the formats for participation that are now offered by news organisations.
4. What is one of the main differences between professionally shot footage and that taken first-hand (UGC)?
5. What is a gatekeeper?
6. How has the role of a gatekeeper changed?
7. What is one of the primary concerns held by journalists over the rise of UGC?

Homework (for Fri 21/10)

1. Copy and paste the article to your MEST3 blog. Highlight the key points/information in a different colour.

2. Post the answers to the questions (above) on your MEST 3 blog and embed the Rodney King footage from YouTube on your blog too.

Summer Research Project

For all Year 12 students (who'll be Year 13 in September '11)...

The following needs to be completed by the first lesson you come back at the start of September..

• Start a new blog. Call it MEST 4: Research & Production



• Leave a comment with the address and your name in the comments section below so I can put up a link on this blog.



• Choose a film or television text or video game that you are really interested in and that is less than five years old.



• Get hold of a copy of your text. Watch it at least once over the summer. While you are watching it make key concepts notes and post them up on your new blog, considering the following questions for each key concept...
  

Media Representations

Who is being represented?

• In what way?



• By whom?
  

Why is the subject being represented in this way?

• Is the representation fair and accurate?



• What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?

Media Languages and Forms

• What are the denotative and connotative levels of meaning?



• What is the significance of the text’s connotations?



• What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?



• What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings?



• What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?



• What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?



• What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?

Narrative

• How is the narrative organised and structured?



• How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?



• How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?



• What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?



• What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?



• What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody?

Genre

• To which genre does the text belong?



• What are the major generic conventions within the text?



• What are the major iconographic features of the text?



• What are the major generic themes?



• To what extent are the characters generically determined?



• To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically?



• Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?

Media Institutions

• What is the institutional source of the text?



• In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?



• Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text?



• Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?



• How has the text been distributed?
  

Media Values and Ideology

• What are the major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text or naturalised within it?



• What criteria have been used for selecting the content presented?
  

Media Audiences

• To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience?



• What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text?



• What assumptions about the audience are implicit in the text’s scheduling or positioning?



• In what conditions is the audience likely to receive the text? Does this impact upon the formal characteristics of the text?



• What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?



• What are the probable and possible audience readings of the text?



• How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc?
  

Other Tasks to complete by the start of September...

• Research your text on the internet. Start by using the de.li.cio.us tags that are on the sidebar ('Macguffin Links') to guide your research. These links are some of the best sites for Media Studies.
  


• Post up all evidence of research on your blog. You are looking for the following: reviews, newspaper/magazine articles, useful book titles linked to your text, relevant theory, relevant media issues and debates, information about wider contexts, etc.
  


• Don't just cut and paste mindlessly - be selective, try to summarise the information, comment on it and explain why it is useful. Also, make sure that you include specific links to all the sites you find.
  


• Feel free to be as creative with your blogs as you can. Include pictures, clips, reflections, links, etc.
  


• Prepare a presentation to be given to the class during the first week you return. In this you will show everyone your blog and talk through the research you found. Also, you will need to put together a five-minute Powerpoint presentation that summarises what you've found out. Use the Significance, Structure, Simplicity, Rehearsal checklist on slide 58 of the guide about how to prevent Death by PowerPoint as this will help you produce a more interesting presentation.
  

Good luck. There is a lot to do here. Our advice is to work on this throughout the Summer rather than leaving it all to the last minute. It should be an enjoyable process - finding out about something that you're interested in. If you have any problems then please don't hesitate to email me.

And remember, the aim of this is to develop your key research skills that you'll be using when you do your coursework next year...and these are skills that are vital for any subject you do in Year 13 or at university.