1. Narrative &
Ideology
An Intro
COLOSSAL & OKJA

2. Technical Codes
The Technical Codes can be remembered using the acronym SCALE
Special Effects
Camera
Audio
Lighting
Editing

3. Writing About Technical Codes
What are the ways that technical codes can be discussed in an answer?
Generally, you’ll analyse how codes have been used to impact/show one or more of the following:
audience engagement
audience consumption/reception
genre
ideology

4. Writing About Technical Codes
So HOW do we write about them?
As always, when writing your answers, you should use as much terminology as possible. A minimum of one term per mark.
You should use paragraphs regularly. Leave a line gap to show the paragraph is there. You should try to avoid having paragraphs longer than 5-7 lines.
Have one specific example/scene you’re referring to from one or both of the films.
Analyse WHY and HOW the code reflects genre, ideology or audience consumption/reception.

5. Good Examples What makes a good example?
Generally, for each film we’ve studied, you should have around 4 key scenes that you are able to discuss.
Two of these should be the opening sequence and the resolution (closing sequence) of the film (roughly, the first minutes, and the last minutes).
A good example scene is one where you can discuss a number of different codes and conventions from within the same scene.

6. Context
Remember, when writing about a scene, you need to give context for your assessor, but you don’t need to spend a great deal of time summarising the plot.
It’s not your job to make the assessor understand what the film is about or explain everything that happens in the film, or scene you’re discussing.
e.g. For the hotel scene in Colossal, this would be plenty of context…
“In Vigalondo’s narrative fictional film Colossal, when Gloria goes to see Tim in his hotel room…”

7. Form - HOT TIP!
The form is the type of media product you’ve studied. Narrative film, television program, documentary film and photography are some of the media forms you could have studied this year.
Because of this, it’s important that you very clearly state what it is you’ve studied in your answers.
DON’T just say “film” or “movie”. You should specifically write “narrative fictional film” because that’s what we’ve studied and it will make it clear to the marker. This is what they are looking for this year.
e.g. “In Nacho Vigalondo’s narrative fictional film Colossal…etc.”