Christmas Homework

Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS on completing MS3 Coursework! You will receive this back on the week commencing 12th January. If we think you have the potential for a resubmission to increase your grade, you will have automatically have the option to do so. If you have under performed due to a late submission or failure to hand in the work to a standard that reflects your ability, you will have to apply for a re-submission through our CTM. Full details will follow in the first week back.

Secondly, it's time to focus on the exam. You have a mock the first week back and this will test your current knowledge and what you have retained from MS1. This will give Louise and I a clearer idea of what areas to develop and what our focus should be on. Obviously we are not expecting you all to ace this, however it is paramount you do your best and this leads me onto the Christmas task.

The focus when studying these films is...

• REPRESENTATION of gender (traditional/stereotypical or contemporary/positive?)
• Conventions of the action GENRE (subvert or conform?)

There are three options to complete with option 1 being the best!

Option 1 <--- this is the one you want to do!

• Watch all three key texts (Guardians of the Galaxy, Skyfall and Drive) and study the print-based media we have given you (complete a textual analysis!). Complete the pack for each film. Watching the condensed trailers would also be good as it gives a snapshot as to how the studio want the film to be viewed to the masses.

Option 2

• Watch the trailers for all three key texts (Guardians of the Galaxy, Skyfall and Drive) and study the print-based media we have given you (complete a textual analysis!). Complete the pack for each film. 

Option 3

• Study the print-based media we have given you (complete a textual analysis!) for all three key texts (Guardians of the Galaxy, Skyfall and Drive). Complete the pack for each film. 

During the first lesson back Louise and I will check the packs, failure to have completed this task to a good standard will result in a meeting with the CTM. It will also drastically limit your response in the mock exam?

Evaluation

Hello all!

Just a friendly reminder about deadlines. 

You need to submit your MS3 coursework on the 18th December at the latest. By now you should have:

• Handed in your second draft of the investigation and will be receiving feedback. Amendments should be made for your final hand-in. 
• Printed out, or handed in a copy of your audio/visual project - you will the receive feedback for the final hand-in.
• Start thinking about your evaluation! Although this is only worth 10% it is an essential piece of work and an easy way to boost up your grade!

If you are in need of support, guidance or assistance, remember you can attend a lunch-time support session (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) and you can be allocated a peer-mentor who can give you support.

It is paramount that you hand the work in by the 18th - this will give Louise and myself the Christmas holiday to mark your work and we will know 50% of your final A2 grade.

Please hand work in in an project folder not a A4 ring-binder. Presentation of your work is key. You should be proud of this research investigation and show it off to its full potential!

Well done so far. You all have created some excellent work and your investigations have been a pleasure to read. Below is a .ppt on how to write an effective evaluation if you are struggling.

Christmas homework will be set next week - it is essential you complete this as you will be sitting a MS4 mock-exam in the first week back. This will gauge your initial understanding and will highlight areas for us to develop upon.

One final reminder; you need to make payments for your AS retakes before 12/12/15.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé

Key text: Digital release of Beyoncé

Essential Reading

Billboard (13/12/13): Beyonce Unexpectedly Releases New Self-Titled 'Visual Album' on iTunes

Billboard (17/12/13): Beyonce Makes Billboard 200 History with Fifth No. 1 Album

Buzzfeed (13/12/13) The Best Of The Internet’s Reaction To Beyoncé’s New Album

CNET (13/12/13): Beyonce drops new album on iTunes: Fans, marketers gasp


Essential Viewing

Which exam sections should I use the music industry for?

• Audience Response (section B)
• Representation of Gender (section A)
• Marketing and Promotion (section B)

Additional articles to support (A/B)

Time (17/12/13) Flawless: 5 Lessons in Modern Feminism From Beyoncé
The Independent (12/4/14) Admire Beyoncé for her music, not her feminist credentials
The Guardian (25/08/14) Beyoncé's 'Flawless' feminist act at the VMAs leads the way for other women

  

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran

Key text: Release of + & X

Essential Reading

Wiki: + (album)

MTV (13/01/11): Ed Sheeran The Interview

Mashable (15/07/14) Music Videos Aren't Enough: How MTV Plans to Lift Album Sales


Essential Viewing

Which exam sections should I use the music industry for?

• Audience Response (section B)
• Representation of Gender (section A)
• Marketing and Promotion (section B)

Additional articles to support (A/B)

Atlantic Press Release: Ed Sheeran
The Telegraph (16/07/14) Ed Sheeran interview: 'I don't make music for critics'
The Guardian (16/02/12) Ed Sheeran: 'I apologise for my fans'
Billboard (07/04/14) Ed Sheeran Un-Zipped: On His Pharrell-Produced Single, Being a Sex Symbol and Turning Betrayal Into Song (Cover Story)

  

Exam Retake

If you achieved less than a C grade for either your coursework or exam at AS (or both) we would suggest that you retake this year.

The Facts

• You will not end up with a worse grade. If you achieve a lower grade, this will not change your overall grade, as the highest is the one that counts.
• You will undertaken AS coursework (MS2) January - April. You will be offered either lunchtime or after-college support lessons with either myself or Louise AND can be teemed up with a peer mentor for 1-1 support.
• You will prepare for the AS exam (MS1) from January. The majority of the case studies we do at A2 can be applied to the exam and you will also have the opportunity to attend additional sessions AND AS classes if you wish to.
• You are more likely to achieve a higher grade at A2 with a higher grade at AS. It is 50% of the grade - if you currently have an E grade it is unlikely you will achieve a C or higher without the retake (it is not impossible, however!)

The Cost

• £21 per retake (MS1 = EXAM, MS2 = COURSEWORK)
• Payment (cheque or cash) can be made at any time in student services. 
• Card payments will be taken by finance during the week 8 – 12 December.
• The deadline for payment is 12th December 2014.

If you want to attend University or feel like you want a grade that reflects your skills - this is the best opportunity you have to make changes! 

We will discuss with you all further during challenge week. 

KG

Representation of Women

Tunstall (1987) - the presentation of women in the media is biased as it emphasizes women's domestic, sexual, consumer and marital activities to the exclusion of all else.

Greer (2012) - 5 types of women in the press (print media)

Lord Justice Leveson's report into press standards criticised the way women are depicted in the newspapers, something that has struck a chord with campaigners. What do activists object to most? In its 2,000-page verdict, the report says some papers "often failed to show consistent respect for the dignity and equality of women generally". There is only limited recent research on how the UK press treats women. Here are five of the most common complaints about the portrayal of women in newspapers:

Sex Objects
Wives and Mothers
Passive
Relative Invisibility
Too fat/thin/old/young

Check out the article here 

MEDIA MAGAZINE: MS3 Research

Media Magazine Online Subscription 2014/15

Here are your login details for www.mediamagazine.org.uk



Here you will find extensive articles on key concepts and theories plus a wealth of articles about films, TV, Music and more!

Username - mediamagazine12


Password - j47kmsz



These will be active until August 31st 2015.
I hope you enjoy using the site.

Louise J

Key A2 Theories

Genre

• John Fiske – genre as ‘convenience’ for producers and audiences – this means commercial success is underpinned by the conventions of genre in terms of what audiences expect.
• Robert Stam – there are infinite genres. Basically here, Stam is advancing an A2 concept that there is an argument that genre no longer exists and we do not have to analyse text in terms of genre.
• Jane Feuer – genre is abstract and becoming harder to identify.
• Henry Jenkins – genre break rules and commonly hybridizes.
• John Hartley – genre is interpreted culturally e.g. Coronation Street or Eastenders could only be understood in terms of the conventions of UK soap operas, American television dramas tend to have a slightly different set of conventions to British television dramas.
• Daniel Chandler – genre is too restricting and presents audiences and producers with a creative ‘straightjacket’.
• Steve Neale – genre as repetition and difference
• David Buckingham – genre in constant process of negotiation and change
• Rick Altman – genre offers audiences a ‘set of pleasures’

Narrative

• Levi-Strauss: texts are often understood by the ways things are places in binary opposition to each other.
• Todorov – 4 Act Structure: Equilibrium, Disruption, Resolution, New Equilibrium. Interpretations of Todorov’s theories differ from textbook to textbook.
• Roland Barthes – 5 narrative codes: Cultural, Semantic, Symbolic, Hermeneutic, Proairetic
• Goodwin – useful for analysing Music Videos: Thought Beats, Narrative and Performance, The Star Image, Relation of Visuals to the Song and the Technical aspects (composition) of a Music Video.
• Propp – 8 character roles: only applies to mainstream texts e.g. blockbuster films or Disney films where characters often pertain to stereotype. Sometimes, however you can apply Propp to running news stories by analysing a Hero, Villain, False Hero, Princess (or prize), Her Father, Donor, Despatcher, Helper.
• Lyotard – post modern A2 theory against Meta narratives, pro micro narratives and fragmentation suggesting that traditional ways of thinking about narrative are flawed.

Representation and Identities and the Media

• Taijfel and Turner – intergroup discrimination, useful for studying Identities and the Media and the idea of a collective group.
• Angela McRobbie – post feminist icon theory suggesting female character are determined, strong, independent and in control but also utilize their sexuality e.g. Lara Croft, Lady Gaga…
• Laura Mulvey – male gaze/female gaze. Although Mulvey herself has rejected the male gaze theory in recent years there are still strong arguments suggesting the female form is still objectified in a range of media. The female subverts the theory suggesting male performers/actors are objectified.
• Tessa Perkins – stereotyping has elements of truth and are based on repeated representations, both in society and within the media.
• Andy Medhurst – stereotyping is shorthand for identification.
• Stuart Hall – oppositional, negotiated and dominant reading of representations.
• Richard Dyer – stereotype legitimize inequality by marginalizing certain individuals and social groups.
• Levi-Strauss – binary oppositions and subordinate groups (see Dyer)
• David Buckingham – we have increasing fragmented identities and can no longer so much be said to be part of a collective identity.
• David Gauntlett – “identity is complicated, everyone’s got one”. Pluralism but within a hegemonic framework.
• Carol Clover – last girl theory: useful if analysing representation in horror films but mainly the sub genre of slasher horror.
• Baudrillard – representations are hyper real, often copies of copies and have lost meaning as a result.
• Judith Butler – queer theory. Gender is not the result of nature but is socially constructed through media and culture. Queer theory challenges the assumption that there is a binary divide between gay and heterosexual suggesting in mainstream media heterosexuality is represented as normal.
• Zygmunt Bauman – identity as a reflection of society is problematic, there are too many variables.
• Erving Goffman – studying the nature of social interaction e.g. notions of ‘performance’ reflecting a certain identity. Although ‘The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life’ is a historical text it is still relevant when looking at the whole idea of identity and can be mapped onto contemporary media.
• Anthony Giddens – self-reflexivity and developing own biographical narratives. Useful for looking at Facebook and studying how identity is represented in digital social media.
• Pierre Bourdieu – social class is constructed by cultural taste (and in turn by education)

Audience

• Jeremy Tunstall – audiences can be identified as Primary, Secondary or Tertiary but also the site or conditions of reception e.g. consuming media as a collective group of individually.
• Blumler and Katz – Uses and Gratifications theory, useful for studying the range of different pleasures active audience gain from media texts i.e. Diversion (escapism), Personal Relationships (talking about or sharing media with others e.g. on social networks), Personal Identity (with media performers) and Surveillance (information on the world).
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – 5 levels of a pyramid. From Psychology can be mapped onto other media: Physical Needs, Safety Needs, Communal Needs, Esteem Needs, Self-Actualization.
• Katz and Larzasfeld – Two Step Flow: opinion leaders take on a belief and ideology and develop or discuss its content.
• Adorno – Passive consumption/Hypodermic model (Frankfurt School): old fashioned but still relevant – vulnerable audiences will always be passively affected by media texts.
• David Gauntlett – Producer as Consumer (Prosumer): thanks to digital media, many consumers of media as also producers e.g. YouTube as cultural phenomenon.
• Stanley Cohen/Martin Barker – Moral Panics in the media e.g. aggressive Daily Mail headlines often with the intention of marginalizing a social group.
• Stuart Hall – audience positioning and dominant/negotiated/oppositional readings. Audiences can be positioned into a shared dominant reading in a number of ways e.g. by technical composition and mise-en-scene.

Institutional Theory Including New Technologies

• David Gauntlett – opposes media censorship and the vulnerability stereotype – sees youth as active and literate compared to vulnerable and needing protection.
• Henry Jenkins – video game effects research suggests instead of audiences being passive they are active and engaged in multiple communications.
• Richard Berger – Ofcom will subsume the BBFC and become one, large regulatory body.
• David Gauntlett – the prosumer creates a world of independent media producers.
• Andrew Keen – the prosumer creates a world of ‘amateurs’.
• Daniel Chandler – online genre proliferation: new media has increasingly led to the questioning of the boundaries and conventions of genre as traditionally studied.
• Michael Wesch – YouTube as cultural phenomenon: here the value of YouTube is being acknowledged with the availability and access to resources it provides being taken for granted despite it origination in recent history, 2006.
• Charlie Brooker – blurred boundaries, representation of ‘the real’. Brooker is suggesting that many texts and their availability on a number of interactive platforms has made people question what is real as what is not.
• Dan Gillmor – makes key points about the relationship between technology and ‘We Media’
• Stuart Price – critical of global media and ownership
• Noam Chomsky – Marxist readings on media ownership
• Nick Lacey – on synergy, ownership and institution referencing the concepts of synergy and convergence as crucial to modern media.

How to start your research investigation!

Week 3 Independent Study Task: How to Plan MS3

How to plan the MS3 Investigation

This writing plan is just a SUGGESTION. Please feel free to structure your essay as you see fit, but try to include each of the points listed below.

1.            Introduction that states EXACTLY what it is that you are investigating

2.            Start with your first key text. Use textual evidence to support a point of view that relates to your area of investigation.

3.            Bring in secondary research that supports and/or challenges your findings. Try to use evidence from differences sources/points of view to develop an argument. Does this text challenge or reinforce arguments made around your first text?

4.            Use your second key text. Repeat sections 2 and 3. Again, the emphasis is on argument and debate through effective sources.

5.            At this stage, consider if you have included any relevant theory (genre, narrative or representation).

6.            Bring in your third and final key text. Repeat sections 2 and 3. Does this text challenge or reinforce arguments made around your first and second texts? Apply relevant theory to this text.

7.            Use any additional primary sources. These may be focus groups, interviews or anything else that you have conducted for this research.

Draw conclusions. These should be in relation to secondary research and primary research (including application theory). You should also take into account your findings from other primary sources.