Blaise's A-Level Blog 2// Mr Halsey

1) Media consumption audit 2) Language: Reading an image - advert analyses 3) Reception theory 4) Semiotics: icons, indexes and symbols 5) Genre: Factsheets and genre study questions 6) Narrative: Factsheet questions

Read Media Factsheet 03 - Genre: Categorising texts and answer the following questions: 1) What example is provided of why visual iconographies are so important? The example provided was both Star Wars and Star Trek which use recognisable iconographies of Science Fiction. These help establish the nature as well as the themes of the film. 2) What examples are provided of the importance of narrative in identifying genre? For example, in a soap opera it would not be unusual to see one of the story-lines follow a family having to deal with a domestic situation such as a member of the family having trouble with their boss at work. This type of story may also appear in a sit-com but the way the story develops and is dealt with will be different.   3) What is the difference between character representation in action movies and disaster movies? Action heroes are often isolated from everyone whereas the in a disaster movie heroic roles are placed in the centre of a group. 4)

Read  Media Factsheet 14 - Telling Stories: The Media's Use of Narrative  and answer the following questions: 1) Give an example from film or television that uses Todorov's narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium.   One example is Prison break. The equilibrium is Michael the main character living his life normally and peacefully. The disequilibrium is Michael being put into prison and trying to break his brother out. The new equilibrium is when both characters escape prison and try to flee the country. 2) Complete the activity on page 1 of the Factsheet:  1. How could you show that the scene was taking place early in the morning? (temporal marker) Lighting could change from dark to light with an orange and pink background showing the sun rise. Also the sound of chickens clucking have conventions of the morning. 2. How would you show your film was set in London? (geographical marker) The background could have key aspects of London life, for

WWW: You’ve made a really good start to A Level Media both in terms of contributions in lessons and the work on your blog – well done! You’ve chosen some excellent, relevant texts that have helped to explore the theories and the terminology we have learned – I particularly like the International Women’s Day advert. EBI: There are two key areas that stand out for your progress going forward. Firstly, you need to focus on improving the depth and detail of your media analysis – and particularly your use of media terminology. In the ‘Reading an image’ tasks (RBK advert) you don’t use a lot of the terminology we learned in that lesson and this is a vital aspect of Media Studies, particularly at A Level. Secondly, as you say yourself when reflecting on the media consumption audit, you need to broaden your consumption of media texts. Read a good quality newspaper regularly (online version is fine), watch a range of interesting TV and film that you may not have watched previously and

Icon:  Index: Symbol: 1)Why are icons and indexes so important in media texts? Because they help people understand things, like signs, adverts and posters. They are universal things that the majority of the population will be able to understand. 2) Why might global brands try and avoid symbols in their advertising and marketing? Because symbols are only known by people if they've been taught through culture or religion. For example someone will only know Roman Numerals if they have been taught it. It is the same with the alphabet. Without being taught it(usually due to your country, religion and culture) you will not be able to understand and interpret it. 3) Find an example of a media text (e.g. advert) where the producer has accidentally communicated the wrong meaning using icons, indexes or symbols. Why did the media product fail? This advert clearly failed. The advert as a whole appears to be sending out good messages about equality and no racial di

1) Why did you choose A Level Media Studies? I done GCSE Media in year 11 and it was overall my favourite subject I had taken as a GCSE. I was interested in developing my media knowledge and skills as I have grown to have quite a big interest in the subject. 2) Did you take GCSE Media Studies (either here at Greenford or a different school)? Yes, i took GCSE Media in year 11 at Greenford High School 3) If you answered yes to Q2, what grade did you achieve in GCSE Media? What coursework tasks did you complete? What would you say your strengths and weaknesses were in GCSE Media? I ended up with an A in Media. I achieved an A* in my cousework. My strengths were being able to complete long essay work to high standards. A weakness that I need to build on is navigating myself around programmes such as photoshop. 4) What grade do you hope to achieve in A Level Media? I am aiming for an A in A-Level Media 5) What are your current thoughts about your next steps after A Levels - university

The dominant reading of this media text is that Reebok is reliable as it has a celebrity endorsing in its products. It suggests that even if you are from rough backgrounds Reebok is still there for you. Reebok is trying to show customers that their product is for everyone, even if you are from rough backgrounds. The fingerprints also reinforce the idea that even if you are in trouble or have been in the past then Reebok will still be there for you. The opposition reading is that Reebok is associated with crime. Reebok does not want to be giving the impression that if you are a drug dealer or someone involved with crime the Reebok is the brand for you. However it is possible that some audiences will perceive this advert in that way. The company may loose customers as this advert may be suggesting that Reebok is associated with crime and many people will try and avoid this. The dominant reading of this is that for many year Coca-cola has been picked as a top drink. The referen