Monday 28 November 2011

A2 Exam Question mark Scheme - TOP BAND


Level 4

How is consumer behaviour and audeince response transformed by online media in relation to the past?

Explanation / analysis / argument (16-20 marks)
Candidates adapt their learning to the specific requirements of the chosen question in excellent fashion and make connections in order to present a coherent argument. The answer offers a clear, fluent balance of media theories and knowledge of industries and texts and informed personal engagement with issues and debates.
Use of examples (16-20 marks)
Examples of contemporary texts and industry knowledge are clearly connected together in the answer. History and the future are integrated into the discussion with conviction.
Use of terminology (8-10 marks)
Throughout the answer, material presented is informed by media theory and the command of the appropriate conceptual and theoretical language is excellent.
Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently using a style of writing appropriate to the complex subject matter. Sentences and paragraphs, consistently relevant, have been well structured, using appropriate technical terminology. There may be few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Audiences and Institutions Case Studies

...and here you can find case studies on Nanny McPhee (calm yourselves. I'll brook no sarcastic comments about Nanny McPhee - it is one of my wife's favourite films. Gives you an insight into her derrangement, I guess), Avatar, Hot Fuzz, This is England, Paul, and The King's Speech.

http://lcasmedia.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

Look at them - have they found out anything about their films that you could find out about yours?

The King's Speech - Audiences and Institutions

A really useful case study on aspects of 'The King's Speech' for the Audiences and Institutions question (Section B).

http://eleanorwatsonlcmedia.blogspot.com/2011/05/case-study-kings-speech.html

Editing

Audiences and Institutions Revision


Yep, I know we've only just begun to look at this but contained n this document is a very comprehensive selection of almost everything you may need to know for Section B of the exam. If you can say by the end of the academic year that you know all of this for two films you are set to be abloe to get an A. We will cover all of this over the year, but I'm putting this up now to aid you in your independent study.

Audiences and Institutions - Key Terms

A really useful set of definitions and examples from the good people at asanda2mediablogspot.

Click me to see

Monday 14 November 2011

MONDAY COVER WORK

The guardian case study example
View more presentations from Liz Davies

Read this presentation on newspapers in the online age and write a summary of all the key ideas. Use the hyperlinks to develop your ideas further.

Post findings to your blog under title - 'Newspapers in the Online Age'.

Then look at the Cadbury's case study here. Read it, summarise it and then post your findings to your blog under a heading of your choice.

HOMEWORK: Choose a (music / television / film / magazine / newspaper / radio) media institution of your choice and produce a case study on how the institution has responded to the online age. Case study as a prezi / powerpoint / video with a brief write up to accompany it. Posted to your blog by next Monday.

Friday 11 November 2011

WATCH ME I AM REALLY USEFUL

A2 candidates - here is a video going through some of the many impacts of the online age.
AS candidates - here is useful video for thinking about issues reaised for the film industry in the modern world as well as useful prep for next year.



Great video.

Audiences and Institutions

Just getting my (*cough* blatantly not mine) resources up ready for Thursday's lesson in a bout of organisation of worryingly effective proportions.

Thursday 10 November 2011

Kick Ass



Can be considered a British film owing to writer, funding and production team.


Online Impact on Televison

Today I seem to be overly obsessed with Alan Partridge. But he is a fantastic example of how the online age has impacted on the TV industry.

Now, it will say you have to be 18. Under the terms of the spec we are actually covered in showing you material that is, maybe, a certificate too high in order for you to access enough breadth of material. However, if YOU choose to access this and lie about your age I accept no responsibility. Or are you all 18 A2-ers. If so, this is more aimed at my AS, ahem, 'crew'.

Oh, one more Alan Partridge post:


AS PUPIL VITAL Pearl and Dean



Ready to help further with your research look here http://business.pearlanddean.com/

If you can learn everything on this website you're set to get a blinking beautiful score for Section B of the exam if certain questions come up. AS PUPIL VITAL READING

Representation of Ethnicity Homework

DUE 21st November.

How is ethnicity represented in this extract from Hotel Babylon?



AS an essay response, not a blog post please!

Either spend 45 minutes on this OR take as long as you need. Just make sure you write on the top if you do it in 45 minutes.

Monday 7 November 2011

Chief Examiner's Presentation on aiming for 100% coursework marks.

Clay Shirkey Again - loads of really useful stuff

Includes analysis, a transcript, an audiio file and a video file:
http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/09/clay-shirky-let-a-thousand-flowers-bloom-to-replace-newspapers-dont-build-a-paywall-around-a-public-good/

Good old Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jul/05/clay-shirky-internet-television-newspapers

Criticisms and counterarguments thereof:
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/12/the-net-advantage/

You can tell why this one's interesting just by looking at the web title:
http://socialreporter.com/?p=502


Twitter Feeds

I have put two RSS feeds in to Wesch and Shirkey's Twitter feeds in the right hand list of gadgets. Immensely useful for Year 13, a useful grounding for Year 12 thinking about next year.

Web 3.0

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-30.htm




http://webtrends.about.com/od/web20/a/what-is-web-30.htm

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/web_30_when_web_sites_become_web_services.php

Audience

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/pph9701.html

Useful undergraduate piece of importantce of audience focus in Media Studies.

Clay Shirkey - Social Media

"http://rypple.com/blog/2010/07/clay-shirky-how-social-media-can-make-history/"></

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Web 2.0

1) Who is Michael Wesch?
2) What is he famous for?
3) What IS Web 2.0?
4) How has it impacted on how we relate to others?
5) Why is this significant for media studies?
6) How has Web2.0 impacted on a media institution or media form of your choice?
7) What does it hold for us in the future?

Useful for all questions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

http://petesmediablog.blogspot.com/2009/11/anthropology-of-web.html#!/2009/11/anthropology-of-web.html

http://tombeardshaw.com/mike-wesch-on-social-media-education-and-youtube/

Question 3 USeful links

href="http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0"
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LzQIUANnHc"



Particularly useful for question 7
- Michale Wesch's 'Whatever' future


http://aljean.wordpress.com/2009/07/18/on-michael-weschs-whatever/

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Media in the Online Age

A very interesting article about the inmpact of online technologies on the music industry - with criticism of Apple and illegal downloading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/31/apple-digital-vampire-pete-townshend?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fmedia%2Frss+%28Media%29

Really Useful Blog For All

It is here.
It is good.
Read it.
Think about it.
Maybe post something independently about something you read on it.

Vladimir Propp and his 31 Functions




Propp extended the Russian Formalist study of language to his analysis of folk tales. He broke down the tales into the smallest possible units, which he called narratemes, or narrative functions, necessary for the narrative to exist. Each narrateme is an event that drives the narrative forward, possibly taking it in a different direction. Not all of these functions appear in every story, but they always appear in this order.

Propp's Narrative Functions

These 31 functions are as follows:
1. A member of a family leaves home (the hero is introduced as a unique person within the tribe, whose needs may not be met by remaining)
2.An interdiction (a command NOT to do something e.g.'don't go there', 'go to this place'), is addressed to the hero;
3. The hero ignores the interdiction
4. The villain appears and (either villain tries to find the children/jewels etc; or intended victim encounters the villain);
5. The villain gains information about the victim;
6. The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings (trickery; villain disguised, tries to win confidence of victim);
7.The victim is fooled by the villain, unwittingly helps the enemy;
8,Villain causes harm/injury to family/tribe member (by abduction, theft of magical agent, spoiling crops, plunders in other forms, causes a disappearance, expels someone, casts spell on someone, substitutes child etc, commits murder, imprisons/detains someone, threatens forced marriage, provides nightly torments); Alternatively, a member of family lacks something or desires something (magical potion etc);
9. Misfortune or lack is made known, (hero is dispatched, hears call for help etc/ alternative is that victimised hero is sent away, freed from imprisonment);
10. Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action;
11. Hero leaves home;
12. Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc, preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor);
13. Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against them);
14. Hero acquires use of a magical agent (it's directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, is eaten/drunk, or offered by other characters);
15. Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search;
16. Hero and villain join in direct combat;
17. Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf);
18. Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished);
19. Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revived, captive freed);
20. Hero returns;
21. Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero);
22. Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognisably, hero saved from attempt on his/her life);
23. Hero unrecognised, arrives home or in another country;
24. False hero presents unfounded claims;
25. Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks);
26. Task is resolved;
27. Hero is recognised (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);
28. False hero or villain is exposed;
29.Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome, new garments etc);
30. Villain is punished;
31. Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).
Although the plot is driven by the actions and choices of the hero (the protagonist), these narrative functions are spread between the main characters. Propp also defined these character categories:
  • the villain, who struggles with the hero (formally known as the antagonist);
  • the donor;
  • the helper;
  • the Princess, a sought-for person (and/or her father), who exists as a goal and often recognizes and marries hero and/or punishes villain;
  • the dispatcher;
  • the hero, who departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to the donor and weds; and
  • the false hero (or antihero or usurper), who claims to be the hero, often seeking and reacting like a real hero (ie by trying to marry the princess).