1. Welcome to Media Studies GCSE!
EXAM 40%
Unit 1: Investigating the Media
Written Paper- 1 hr 30 mins – 60 marks
At the end of the two year course (Y11 Summer Term)
COURSEWORK 60%
Unit 2: Understanding the Media
Three assignments to be completed over the two year course
Introductory assignment
Cross-media assignment
Practical production and evaluation

2. Firstly...You will need to buy a coursework folder (bring this in next lesson)
It is your responsibility to look after this over the two year course
You will also need to use a memory stick, so that you can back up all you coursework.

3. Talking Point... Instant Survey
Each student to write down their two favourite and two least favourite films.
Combine whole class into two lists
Do the same types of films – such as adventure, fantasy, science fiction, romantic comedy- appear on both lists? Were the same types of films popular with boys and girls?
Favourite Films
Least Favourite Films

4. Types of Films are called...GENRE
You already know a lot about Genre...
You can probably tell from the first few seconds of a TV trailer or even from a poster what genre a film is likely to be and you will have certain expectations as a result.
What film genre do these three words suggest? Saloon, Sheriff, Gunfight?
You probably thought Western before you even got to read the second word. Media Producers rely on your ability to recognise genre when they promote new films.

5. Activity 1
Work in pairs. Make a table like the one below to show the characteristics of four popular genres: Romantic comedy, Disney Animation, Science Fiction and Horror
Genre
Typical Setting
Typical Characters
Typical
Plots
Typical props
Typical Themes
Romantic
comedy
Young man, young woman
They meet, hate each other, coincidence throws them together

6. Assignment 1: Introduction to the Media
TOPIC
Analytical task
Research 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.

7. When analysing apply concept of:
Connotation: What is the meaning behind a text/image?
Denotation: What do I see?

8. Apply concept of Denotation and Connotation to this DVD Cover

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

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

11. Apply Uses and Gratifications theory to 3 different media texts that you consume.
Feedback in pairs
Did you find the theory to ring true? Explain your findings.

12. Homework: Create a survey on a sample of ten people measuring their film consumption

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

14. Keywords: Iconography
Iconography = the images or items that we often associate with a given genre

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

16. 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?

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

18. Your Writing must include the following: Packaging of DVD’s
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?

19. 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.
Who is your target audience?

20. Write a paragraph explaining the ways this DVD cover appeals to it’s target audience.

21. Check your design has all the ingredients for a DVD cover.
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.

22. The National Readership Survey Audience classification through occupation and income
KEY QUESTION:
What problems do you think could arise through this type of audience profiling?

23. Don’t forget to mention...
Denotation and connotation
Colours
Lighting (high-key and low-key)
Camera shots
Information given:
Director’s name, actors involved
Star rating
Institutions involved (magazine reviews etc)
How the blurb appeals to the target audience
Pictures

24. Create a target audience profile for your DVD
Your profile should include:
A picture of the typical target audience (clothes, hair etc)
Age
Location
Interests/hobbies
Favourite magazines
Beliefs/values
Music tastes

25. 10th October 2012 By the end of the lesson
I will know what a top grade DVD analysis looks like
I will have identified the points I should try to include when writing up my own analysis

26. DVD 1

27. DVD 2

28. The Analytical Task How does each cover appeal to its target audience?
Connotation and denotation Recap...
This is key to you being able to discuss the target audience effectively.

29. 11th October 2012 By the end of the lesson:
I will have started to improve my writing for the Analytical Task (DVD assignment 1)
Have identified the ingredients of a good DVD design and applied it to my own design

30. In groups highlight the moments in the analysis which you think are strong
Look for Connotation
How is the target audience addressed?
How is genre addressed?
Which parts were you particularly impressed with?

31. Some useful ways in to your writing
I have chosen...
The facial expressions of the protagonists...
The tagline...
The DVD is produced by...
The main image...
This indicates
This gives the impression
This makes the audience think
This connotes

32. DVD Checklist Have you included...
FRONT COVER:
DVDtitle
Large central image
Tag line
Star rating and magazine/newspaper name
Age certificate
Format logos
SPINE:
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

33. 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?

34. ASSIGNMENT 2: Cross Media Task
TOPIC
ANALYTICAL TASK
RESEARCH & 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.

35. Film trailers are a form of advertising
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 much detail as possible

36. Task Choose two trailers to compare and contrast, highlighting the similarities and differences write two or three paragraphs
Use the notes on the grid that you have noted
Aim for a lively response
Use the correct terms
Imdb.com