Because we all love John Lewis at Christmas time...

I thought it was only fitting to share this with you as 50% of our class work for John Lewis! Merry Christmas year 13!

New/digital media case studies

Here are the case studies you have chosen:

JACK
The future of the games console
A study into how new technology is affecting gaming and how this impacts on the audiences who buy/play the games. As games become more real and interactive, do we become dangerously involved in their narratives? Audience theories are useful here!

SUSIE
Cyberfeminism
Has the internet helped or hindered feminist causes? Has it not created more opportunities for stalking, objectifying and criticizing women? Or is it used to provide freedom of speech and to promote feminist causes?

KIERAN
The impact of Facebook on our lives
A study into how people use Facebook in positive and potentially negative ways. Could look at Facebook campaigns, scams etc as well as controversies over privacy, control and the power and influence it has as a website. Remember to look at how it makes money and how the adverts we see are tailored to our ‘needs’.

ISAAC
Youtube
Content is generated by users however this has caused problems with copyright laws. Youtube is owned by Google so who really benefits from the site’s popularity? Look at 'prosumers'.

ALICIA
The music industry
The internet had created ways for musicians to promote themselves and for some it is the reason they gained fame in the first place. Look at ways artists have used digital media to promote themselves.

REBECCA
 Advertising and branding
A study into how companies use new/digital media in innovative ways to promote brands and products. You could consider how adverts are now tailored to individual users. Is this a form of censorship? Do you see the same version of the internet as everyone else?

JOE
 Mobile Phone Technology and Convergence
Look at the future of mobile phones – how have we changed the way we use them from just being calling/texting devices. In the future your phone could become your wallet, with new technology which will allow you to use it as a payment card.
BECKER
 Apple – the iPod, iPhone and iPad
This brand has been responsible for many innovative products – they have made technology fashionable, functional and above all something which makes a statement about the owner of the device. You could look at the functions of their most iconic products and how they are changing the way we live.

MEST 3 Hints and tips

For hints and tips on MEST3, follow this link... THIS ONE!

New/Digital Media - Article links

Here are a few article links you may want if they are relevant to your individual case studies. I will continue to update this page so keep checking back!

REDDIT USER AGREEMENT

BEYONCE'S NEW ALBUM AND REVOLUTION IN PR

GOOGLE LETS SOFTWARE DO YOUR SOCIALISING

ANOTHER MEDIA BLOG

BT TO ADD MUSIC SERVICE

STREAMING MUSIC

SPOTIFY FREE TIER

MEST 3 SECTION B WHAT MAKES A GOOD CASE STUDY

SECTION B – WHAT MAKES A GOOD CASE STUDY AND A GOOD EXAM

ANSWER

 

 

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CASE STUDY?

The best case studies include:

 

1. A range of different media products from a range of media platforms

2. Detailed examples from particular media products.

3. Evidence of research into media debates and issues and relevant wider contexts.

4. Theory used to explain and support answers

5. A real interest in the case study chosen, evidenced by engagement with the products and issues and own opinions.

 

HOW TO GET THE BEST MARK YOU CAN

 

1. Having your own individual case study to answer the question.

You shouldn’t all have the same case study. This doesn’t allow you to show evidence of independent study, which excludes you from the higher levels. For example, all writing answers on the representation of youth, with the same or very similar media products, theory, contexts and media debates will limit you. Candidates who have their own case study are more engaged and more willing to focus on the question, rather than repeat a pre learned answer of descriptive points. This will lead to higher marks as it is more independent. The majority of the media products used to support and illustrate your answer should also be individual. You will do a class overview of a topic to introduce it and then you should do your own individual case study with your own choice of media products.

 

2. Answer the particular question that is asked, don’t write ‘everything I know about my case study’. It is best to do a plan before the question is answered.

 

3. Include detailed references to particular media products, rather than just general examples.

For example:

A point explaining that the BBC has adapted to the changes in new and digital media could be illustrated with them reaching a niche audience with BBC3 and some examples of BBC3 programmes and examples from those programmes.

A point explaining how social networking was used to reach audiences in the last election could be illustrated by a particular party or single issue website, with examples from the content of the website.

 

4. Showing range in your answers – platforms, media products

Refer to a wide range of platforms, preferably all three, but at least two.

This can seem more straight forward for some case studies, but even for example in a case study on the vampire genre products could be obviously films and TV programmes, but also teenage girls magazines and fan and official websites.

Refer to a range of different media products to support the answer, not for example just one or two films.

 

5. Having a clear focus.

Answers are better when they have a clear and specific focus.

For example for Representation one social group or one place with detailed examples from particular media products and for New and Digital media one industry and one institution, again with detailed examples from particular media products

 

6. Apply media issues, debates and theories

What does your case study suggest are the current issues in the media?

Apply relevant media theories to your case study and media products, use the theory to answer the question and support the point made, don’t just describe a theory.

 

7. Include relevant wider contexts

Again apply them to the own case study.

MEST 3: New/digital media - Let software do your socialising.

It is often argued that audiences are becoming more active and engaged with the everyday world due to the media but what happens when new forms of media take over? Are we really in control?

MEST4: Critical Investigation - what do you need to do?

What would a top band essay need to do?

 

Well, here's the markscheme to remind you...

 

A fluent and analytical investigation which explores the chosen topic from a clear, autonomous and critical perspective, making use of extensive and wide-ranging research which has clearly  been employed in the investigation and detailed in the bibliography, making use of a wide range  of academic, media and contextual sources. The investigation demonstrates sophisticated  research and engagement with the primary text(s) and a range of secondary texts. It is well  presented with a very detailed bibliography/source list

(AO4).

 

The investigation demonstrates sophisticated knowledge and understanding of media

concepts, contexts and critical debates relevant to the chosen area of investigation. The work contextualises the study and the linked production piece effectively within the contemporary media landscape (AO1).

 

At  the top of this level candidates demonstrate very good understanding of the chosen area  of investigation, very good, independent research skills and very good application of media  concepts, contexts and critical debates. The link between the investigation and the production is cogent, clear and evident.

 

Let's break it down by looking at key words in the markscheme...

 

ANALYTICAL = you are analysing and questioning things rather than just explaining the text. Look at the issues behind it.

 

AUTONOMOUS = independent - not me or someone else telling you what to do!

 

CRITICAL = thoughtful and questioning things. Looking at an argument and your question and saying why you agree/disagree.

 

EXTENSIVE AND WIDE-RANGING RESEARCH = you need a long bibliography which shows you have read around the topic. The things you have looked at should form part of your argument in the essay.

 

ACADEMIC, MEDIA AND CONTEXTUAL SOURCES = books, films, magazines and information that may relate to the film and be relevant to your argument. Use Google Scholar to find books if you can't find any in the library.

 

SOPHISTICATED RESEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT = not just plucking quotes out of a text without having read the rest of it. You need to understand all areas of the argument in order to explore it properly and write a confident and developed essay.

 

 

MEST3: Critical Perspectives exam - Revision! MOCK ON 10TH DECEMBER

Hello hard-working year 13! 

I know you are all currently working extremely hard on your essays, planning linked production work AND revising for your mock so here is something to help your revision over the next week.  

What do you need to know?

Your mock exam is scheduled for Tuesday 10th December period 5. You will be answering Section A of the exam only; we have not covered everything for Section B yet so this will have to wait. This means you will be spending 45 minutes answering the questions and about 15-20 minutes viewing the text. 

Section A has three questions. You must answer all of them.

There will be information on the products which you should read, highlight and understand in order to answer the questions properly.

You will be shown the two media products three times. In between these viewings you should make notes in response to the questions. These notes will not be marked.

You should spend approximately 45 minutes answering the questions in Section A.
This section tests you on your ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates


Here's what you should revise:

• Media concepts - MIGRAIN
• Semiotics
• Audience theories
• Understanding of a wide range of critical debates/issues/theories (your yellow folder!)
• Examples of a range of media products that might fit with debates/issues/theories
• Media terminology

How you could revise:

• Read through your yellow folder and re-write out notes, make posters, spider diagrams or record what you have learnt in a way that you will remember.
• Collect newspaper articles that are relevant and discuss current debates
• Find a range of examples to fit with each issue or debate we have discussed
• Analyse a few moving image texts - this could be adverts, trailers, extracts from news programmes or anything which involves you analysing how and why it has been constructed.
• Read through all of the past posts on the blog and use twitter to ask us questions
• Use the internet to search anything you may have forgotten or want to develop a proper understanding of

What type of thing will you be presented with?

Some information (which you are expected to highlight and use to inform your answer):

Media Product One – Adidas House Party Advert

Adidas launched the House Party campaign in January 2009. The advert was part of the Adidas Originals brand campaign which used television, cinema, print and online platforms. The Adidas website described the campaign as ‘set against the backdrop of a house party hosting an electric mix of people from the worlds of music, fashion and sport’. The advert includes David Beckham, The Ting Tings, Estelle, Missy Elliot, Katy Perry, Method Man and Run DMC. The song in the advert is the Pilooski re-mix of Frankie Valli’s original version of ‘Beggin’. Adidas also created a version of the advert which enabled users to click at various points of the film to view extra footage. Xbox Live also hosted a dedicated Adidas Originals section on its portal where gamers could browse and download content.

Media Product Two – NHS & Home Office Advert

The £4m campaign targeted 18 to 24 year-olds with the slogan, ‘You wouldn’t start a night like this, so why end it that way?’ There were two TV adverts in the campaign, one focusing on a young man and one on a young woman getting ready to go out. The campaign used TV, radio, press and digital platforms. The TV adverts appeared on youth programming, sport and music channels; the radio adverts on national and regional stations; and the print adverts in youth-oriented titles including Nuts, NME, Glamour and Reveal. In The Guardian, Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary at the time, said: ‘This new campaign will challenge people to think twice about the serious consequences of losing control. Binge drinking is not only damaging to health but it makes individuals vulnerable to harm.’

Three questions (which you must check you understand!):

Question 1

Evaluate how each media product represents young people. (8 marks)

Question 2

Why are shock tactics, such as those in media product two, so often used?

 You may also refer to other media products to support your answer. (12 marks)

Question 3

Consider the value of using online marketing to target a youth audience.

You should refer to other media products to support your answer. (12 marks)

Two products (which you must make notes on):

(Sorry for poor quality but I pinched it from Youtube!)

View this blog post as the perfect revision! It is a past paper from 2011. Watch the videos three times and make notes in between on representations, the key concepts, debates in the media and other things you feel are relevant. 

If you are working hard then I expect to see a few answers on this blog post to show me what you can do! 

The best answers will:

• Make detailed references to both products - this means referring to camera shots, music, setting etc
• Show a sophisticated understanding of media concepts - not just listing the concepts but truly engaging with them and exploring what the question asks of you
• A wide range of media issues, theories and debates (Question 2 and 3 requires a range of examples from other media you have seen)
• Critical autonomy - this means making independent points and not just repeating things I have told you without making it relevant to what you have seen. You must be specific to the product you are looking at and how that relates to wider issues within the media. Avoid making general points if you can't explain or support them. You should show an interest in the media and knowledge of many different things. Only the truly engaged and hard-working will be able to do this. Is it you?

Good luck with revision! Keep an eye on the blog and Twitter!

MEST 1 MOCK EXAM: 7th January - A few tips and reminders

Here are a few little reminders about the exam and what it will be asking you to do. More coming on the blog soon!


Section A

• It's going to be a moving image text - so get yourself onto YouTube and practise analysing lots of TV adverts, opening sequences, trailers and general viral clips. 
• Remember you will get to watch the clip 3 times with a 5 minute note-taking interval after the first and second showing. Once the third clip ends, start writing your answer to the first question. You will be allowed to read the questions before the clip is shown.

Media Forms - 15 minutes

• Use media terminology. A revision sheet can be found by clicking this link.
•  Make sure you answer the question. You will probably be asked to explain how the media forms create a particular effect. Always explain the effect of each camera shot or use of sound you mention.

Media Institution - 15 minutes

• Here you will probably need to discuss branding or image.
• Remember to use the background information printed in the exam paper to help you answer this one.
• Make clear connections between the media language used and the institution represented.

Media Representation - 15 minutes

• Again, try to link the media language used with the resulting representation.
 

Media Audiences - 15 minutes

• Make sure you can define audiences specifically and accurately - revise the National Readership Survey classification (ABC1C2D) 
• Make connections between the media language used and the audience targeted.
• Bring in relevant audience theory if you can. 

Promotional Music Videos MEST2

Struggling to find a good example to base your own video on? Here are a couple you might want to look at. If you choose one of these videos then check no one else in the class is doing it! Remember you need to analyse the codes and conventions of the video to make sure yours fits with this.

The brief asks you for:

A two to three minute informative promotional video that will be added to the act's Myspace and Facebook pages and be downloadable from the official website. The video should provide biographical information about the act and be focussed on defining the genre and creating a definable 'brand' for the act. The video should include information presented in a documentary/news report style. It should not be a music video for a song.

Neon Jungle - perfect for pop music! Has all of the biographical information you would need and seeks to define them as a band with a certain style. Clips used suit the documentary style.



Bastille - A little too short for the brief but does fit with the documentary style when you look at camera angles and voiceover used. It works hard to establish a definable brand with the use of the symbolic triangle and the shot overlays which fit with the indie genre.




See what you can find online. Search for the website of a new band (because they are seeking to establish their brand) and then see which videos you can find. This will usually link to Youtube. Check the video matches the brief before you analyse it. Tweet me if you need me to check beforehand!

Good luck!

MEST2 Coursework research

I don't see you now until 11th November so you need to be doing plenty of work at home to cover the lessons we don't have. Make sure you print it all off and put it into your folder so I can check where you are up to. This is what you should have done by the time I see you on 11th November:

• Analysis of three existing products similar to those you will make e.g. three magazine interviews/ full page adverts and a promotional video
• Print piece in music press - you need to look in a magazine which is appropriate for the genre you have chosen e.g Rock = NME or Kerrang
• Two page interview in magazine - you can do any magazine here which reaches more than just a youth-based audience. Your band can do an interview for the Sunday Times supplement even if they are a rock band - you just follow the conventions of that particular magazine and adapt your style to suit it.
• Look for the codes and conventions being used
• Present analysis as bullet points or a table and annotate screen shots (think about the examples we have looked at in class - try to get coloured screen shots as this looks better!)
• Use the key concepts in your analysis MIGRAIN
• Collect style models - photography examples, fonts you might use - looks for things which are typical of the established genre you have chosen.
• Moving image - watch a promotional video for a band that has been posted on their website. Take screen shots of it and annotate it. This is better done on computer so that you can fit all of your writing in. Make sure you use media terminology - diegetic and non-diegetic sound, specific camera angles and cuts etc.

If you need any colour photcopying doing then see me or get it done in the sixth form area please. I will be looking at all of this with you next lesson so make sure it is printed and ready in your folders! Neat work only! If your work is not good enough then you will be doing it again.


Images borrowed from this blog - thank you to Lauren. Y12 - you might learn plenty from reading her blog!

MEST 4 Critical Investigation

Here are your critical investigation titles:

 

Kieran – To what extent does Skyfall follow the typical conventions of an action thriller and how does it seek to appeal to a more modern audience?

 

Jack – To what extent does The Dark Knight use binary opposites to reflect issues in society and the changing needs of the audience?

Joe – ‘Reality television plays into the idea of a moral divide between classes.’ Discuss the ways in which this might apply to Geordie Shore and Made in Chelsea.

Isaac – In what ways has Breaking Bad fuelled moral panics within the media?

Alicia – In what ways does celebrity culture uphold capitalist values and influence audience lifestyle? With a focus on Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Rihanna

Becker - “It is no longer taboo for women to take dominant roles and assume the position of the observer.” With close reference to Cosmopolitan, how far is this true in women’s magazines today?

Susie – “Illegal drugs have moved from the subcultural to the cultural mainstream.” Discuss the ways in which this is demonstrated in music videos and the impact this may have on audiences.

 

Rebecca – Django Unchained ‘subverts or inverts the racist tropes that have defined Hollywood's -- and our culture's treatment of slavery’. How does Quentin Tarantino seek to challenge modern ideologies?

First draft of this essay is due on Monday 9th December

You should then work on improvements over the Christmas holidays and at home until the final deadline. The final deadline for both the critical investigation and the linked production is 10th March.

Use your blue booklet to keep track of mini deadlines, checklists and what should be in your essay. Remember that you need to show you have studied the media and can use critical vocabulary confidently to engage with your argument.

Theory wordles

Media effects homework

Answer the question: How might the media affect audience behaviour?

Remember that the key word is 'might'. You need to engage with media effects and how different theorists view the media. You all have an article from the lesson and there will also be several things on the blog for you to look at and help you develop your answer.
You should include:

• Hypodermic Syringe Theory
• Cultivation Theory
• Two-Step Flow Theory
• Reception Analysis
• Pluralism
• Give examples from within the media

This should be written in essay style and it should be about 2 A4 pages.

Click the links below to view a few powerpoints:

 Powerpoint 1

Powerpoint 2

Dove campaign homework

Year 12 homework -

 

Write an essay of 2 A4 pages answering the following question:

 

How does Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty try to challenge today’s stereotypical representation of beauty in the media?

Is it successful?

Compare with another advert.

 

Use your notes from the lesson, visit the Dove website and find yourself a stereotypical beauty advert to compare Dove with.

 

Here are a few reminders of what we looked at and considered:

 

          Shanel Lu: I love the thought of being a part of an ad that would potentially touch many young girls to tell them that it is all right to be unique and everyone is beautiful in their own skin.

Julie Arko: Being a woman is beautiful. Waking up every morning and living a happy, healthy life is beautiful.

Lindsey Stokes: Young girls need to see real women like themselves in print ads or on TV.

Sigrid Sutter: Truth is beauty.

Gina Crisanti: It [the campaign] encourages the viewer to let go of society's narrow fantastical idea of beauty, and embrace beautiful reality.

Staci Nadeau: It's time that all women felt beautiful in their own skin.

 

• Only two percentof women describe themselves as beautiful.

•Sixty-three percent strongly agree that society expects women to enhance their physical attractiveness. Forty-five percent of women feel women who are more beautiful have greater opportunities in life.

•More than two-thirds (68%) of women strongly agree that "the media and advertising set an unrealistic standard of beauty that most woman can't ever achieve."

•The majority (76%) wish female beauty was portrayed in the media as being made up of more than just physical attractiveness.

•Seventy-five percentwent on to say that they wish the media did a better job of portraying women of diverse physical attractiveness, including age, shape and size.

 

•Why do you think there is so much focus in our society on body image?

•Where does our notion of an "ideal" body come from?

•Why do we think we should look a certain way?

•How does the ideal image of a woman's body differ in other cultures? In other historic times? How does this compare to the ideal image of a man's body?

•Who controls what images we see?

•Do you think teenage girls are especially vulnerable to these ideas? Do teenage boys feel similar pressures?

 

A plan:

• Discuss what the current representation of women is in the beauty industry. Is this fair? Has this changed at all?
• Talk about the Dove campaign. What are Dove like as a company? What are their values? How do they present these values through their 'real beauty' campaign? What criticism have they faced?
• Analyse print Dove ads
• Analyse moving image Dove ads
• Analyse Dove website
• Compare this with your chosen advert
• Summarise by discussing the beauty industry and the values behind it. Was this campaign ground breaking? Did it change the way women are represented or do we still have a long way to go?

 

Homework is due on Friday 27th September.