Media Studies GCSE EXAM 40% Unit 1: Investigating the Media Written Paper- 1 hr 30 mins – 60 marks Based on a pre-released paper which will be released JUNE 2012 Crime Drama COURSEWORK 60% Unit 2: Understanding the Media Three assignments to be completed: I. Introductory assignment II. Cross-media assignment III. Practical production and evaluation

Assignment 1: Introduction to the Media TOPICAnalytical taskResearch and planning task Packaging of DVDs Analyse the covers of TWO film or television programme DVDs. How does each cover appeal to its target audience? Your analysis must include an explanation and should total approx 500 words. Design a DVD cover for a film or television programme targeted at a specific audience.

Apply concept of Denotation and Connotation to this image

Target Audience You must be able to identify the TARGET AUDIENCE for the DVD cover you are analysing. 1. Write down as many ways as possible we can classify an audience. Age Ethnicity Gender Location Occupation Income Lifestyle choices Attitudes Political persuasions

Audience theory: Uses and Gratifications In the 1970’s media theorists Blumler and Katz came up with five reasons why audiences consumed media texts: 1. To be informed and educated 2. In order to identify with characters and situations 3. To be entertained 4. To enable themselves to socially interact with others 5. To escape from their daily troubles and woes

Apply Uses and Gratifications theory to 3 different media texts that you consume.  Feedback in pairs

Analysing a DVD cover...What is the genre? How do we know? Who is the target audience? How do we know? WW

Keywords Genre and Iconography  Iconography = the images or items that we often associate with a given genre

Think of a genre...  Now list as much of the iconography associated with that genre as you can think of...

What is an Institution?  The organisations or companies that produce and/or distribute media. What is the name of the institution behind your DVD cover?

What does Representation mean in the Media? The idea that all media texts are artificial versions of reality. Representat ions can be seen as positive or Negative.

Your Writing must include the following:  Apply media terminology, the effect of MEDIA LANGUAGE  Apply analytical techniques; denotation connotation  Identify how GENRE is established  Discuss how NARRATIVE is suggested  Make judgements about who the TARGET AUDIENCE might be  How might the product be consumed?

Designing a DVD cover  Homework: Write up the blurb and the tag line for your imaginary movie.  Make sure you look at Style Models that are in the same genre.  Due in next Tuesday 10 th May

Design a DVD cover for a film or television programme targeted at a specific audience Check your design has all the ingredients for a DVD cover.

DVD Checklist Have you included... FRONT COVER:  DVDtitle  Large central image  Tag line  Star rating and magazine/newspaper name  Age certificate  Format logos SPINE:  Format logos  Age certificate  Thumbnail image  DVD title BACK COVER:  Blurb  Montage of images  Extracts from reviews  Special features box  List of people and institutions involved, Eg.‘music by, costume designer, production designer, edited by, director of photography, screenplay, produced by, directed by’...  Age certificate BOX  Institutional logos  Barcode

Evaluation of Task  Write one to two paragraphs explaining how you went about the process of designing a DVD cover. Important points to include:  Your target audience and the choices you made as a result of the type of DVD you went for.  Media Language that you used to appeal to the target audience.  What difficulties arose and how you overcame them.  Conclusion: How successful do you think the final product is? What would you improve?

ASSIGNMENT 2: Cross Media Task TOPICANALYTICAL TASKRESEARCH & PLANNING Film Promotion Covering key concepts of Representation and Institution. Compare the impact and effectiveness of two promotional methods used by one film. E.g. Poster; cinema, television or viral trailer; web page; magazine article; television interview. Print or web based/new media- Mock up design for a poster, Magazine article, Internet home page Audio-visual media- Devise a storyboard for a trailer or A script for a television or radio interview promoting the same film.

Film trailers are a form of advertising. Trailers include the best bits of the film in order to encourage as many people as possible to see the film.  Complete the worksheet after watching the trailer twice  Write in as much detail as possible

Have you done the homework which was to compare two trailers? Was your trailer viral/television or for cinema release? Discussion point: What do you think are the differences between these types of trailer?

Continuing your Analytical Task  You will need to choose another promotional method...e.g. Film Poster, Web Page or Magazine Article or television interview.  Look at these and consider who their target audience and how successful they are at promoting the film/product. 

How does it appeal to the audience?

Look up a trailer on IMDB.com  Make sure it is linked to the genre that you want to create your own film in.  Using worksheet analyse the trailer  Due first lesson back after half term.

How else can a film promote itself?

Websites offer a range of methods to lure the audience into the film   Explore this website and make a list of all the different features that are offered to the audience

How films are promoted: Film Posters  Film posters: giving information  Film posters are hard to ignore – they are large, they are eye-catching and they are often intriguing... Look at the posters featuring movie star Reese Witherspoon.  What genre would you expect each film to be?  In what different ways is Reese Witherspoon presented in these posters?

Task  Compare two different film posters for upcoming releases.  Annotate the posters to show your understanding of gesture codes, genre, target audience and tag-line.

Film Posters: Promoting Stars  One way a poster can grab people’s attention is to show pictures of the film’s stars. The more popular the star, the more dominant their image will be in the poster.  Identify the biggest box office draw in each of the posters...

Who is the Box-Office draw here?

Key Media Term: Newswrap Video compilation including clips from the film, interviews with the stars and/or director and other background material given to television companies to use when covering a newly released film. In your group, plan a newswrap for the film. Think about:  Which Clips from the film would interest the audience.  Which characters you would focus on and stars you would interview.  What background to the issues in the film you would include.

Film Promotion: Key terms  Captive Audience: People who, for whatever reason, are unlikely to stop consuming a media text.  Action Codes: Use one action to indicate what is going to happen: a character is seen taking down a suitcase, so you know that they are going on a journey.  Enigma Codes: Set the scene while giving very little away. A hand is seen writing a threatening letter. Who is writing the letter? Why?

In pairs use the information on the posters to, match these plot summaries to the film titles in posters 8-11  A: Nicole discovers that her ‘perfect’ boyfriend David has a violent and disturbed side to his character.  B: Jennifer and her bother David find themsleves trapped in his favourite 1950’s soap opera.  C. This screen version of Oscar Wilde’s play casts Reese as the young sweetheart Cecily in a comedy of manners.  D. Tracy wants to be student president and uses some surprising tactics in this comedy film about the world of high- school politics.  Key term- Gesture Codes; how a media text conveys a message using facial expression or body language.

Film Trailers: Group Presentation Task Choose two trailers to compare and contrast, highlighting the similarities and differences. Use the points you have noted in the grid to shape your response, and aim for a lively and informative presentation style.

Your Analytical Task: Homework due in this Friday...my desk in English office  Compare the impact and effectiveness of two promotional methods used by one film:  E.g. Poster, cinema, TV or viral trailer; web page; magazine article; television interview  You need to compare using concepts of representation and institution  How are people or places being shown? What connotations are given off to the audience?  Who is the company behind the film? How do we know “Production values” high or low?  What kind of audience does the film appeal to? How do you know?

How do I write up the analysis task? words  Annotate with your analysis of poster/website how the film promotes itself. How is the audience lured in? What is the representation (connotation) that is communicated through the text?  Then write about the Trailer - produce a commentary analysing the trailer in relation to representation and the institutions involved. Remember to use film language and the conventions of trailers (types of shot, soundtrack, use of Voice- over, editing)...when describing how the trailer appeals to the audience.  Discuss the Institutions involved in your products and the production values evident. How has is the product marketed?  You then need to write a final evaluation about how the two promotional methods are different and also similar. What do they offer the audience that the other one doesn’t? etc.

Checklist for writing up analysis of Film Promotion.  Have you talked about the Genre of the movie?  Have you explored the institutions involved?  Have you analysed the way in which people /places are being represented?  Have you mentioned the production values?  Have you talked about the trailer using the correct film terminology? Genre/narrative/unique-selling point/ target audience/ music/shot types camera angles/pace/dialogue/voice over/special effects

Carrying out the research/production task Your task is to produce ONE print or web-based, new media task and ONE Audio visual task Print, web-based or new media task Audio-visual task  Mock up design for a poster  Magazine article  Internet home page  Devise a storyboard for a trailer  A script for a television interview  Or radio interview promoting the same film

What can you say about how this poster promotes the film, Wuthering Heights?

Analytical TASK: Now look at the article in the Guardian newspaper along with the trailer?  How has the product been adapted to suit the platform?  How would the product appeal to the audience? 

Planning and Research  Needs to be part of a CROSS MEDIA CAMPAIGN...

Watch trailer for Skyfall and make notes on types of shot and camera angles.  Complete your own examples for the following shot types:  Over the Shoulder  P.O.V.  Close-up  Extreme close up  Establishing shot  Medium shot  Long shot  Extreme long shot

How to be interviewed on radio or television: Taken from a website advising people on how to deal with the Media  A Good Way to Communicate A radio or television interview can be thought of as a conversation, but with other people listening in. Alongside press releases, interviews are one of the main ways of communicating your message through the media.  Whether you are being interviewed by a journalist over the phone (‘down the line’), face-to-face, in a radio studio or live on television, how can you ensure that your point of view comes across clearly? How do you answer difficult questions?

What do you do when a journalist asks you for a radio or Television Interview?  Don’t reply instantly, spend a short time considering the pros and cons of the interview.  Firstly, find out the details – What is the interview about? What do they want you to say? What sort of programme is it? Who will interview you? When will it take place? How long will the interview be? Will it be live or pre-recorded? Where will the interview take place? Who else is being interviewed?  You also need to decide if you are the best person to give the interview, and whether you have a clear viewpoint on the subject or issue. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking a difficult subject might go away if you refuse to give an interview. Journalists can be very persistent and they will probably find someone else

Journalists always stick to the 6 W’s when interviewing:  Who - is the story about? What - is it about? When - will it happen? Where - will it happen? Why - is it happening? How - will it take place?

Annotate this poster: Use all the film terms you have picked up so far...

Task: Design a mock up of a poster promoting your film to a UK audience  Consider: USP  Tag line  Cinema release

Now complete your final design of the poster using publisher software  Hand this in to Ms Anderson 6 th January.