Your AS Media Induction Lesson

We hope you've enjoyed your AS Media induction lesson and that you have a great couple of days finding out more about the Sixth Form.

For a copy of the powerpoint presentation from today's lesson, click here. Or to dowload another copy of the hand-out you were given, click on the graphic below:

If you have any further queries, you may find your answers on our blog or by speaking to one of our current Year 12 students. Alternatively, please speak to a member of staff or email beaverwoodmedia@gmail.com

Good luck, enjoy the rest of the induction programme and have a great summer!

An example of a successful bridging unit

Please only refer to this if you need it. Any students who are found copying material from this blog will automatically have marks deducted from their bridging unit and their place on the course may be in jeopardy.

http://kimmediabridgingunit.blogspot.co.uk/

Your AS Media Bridging Unit

                                                Beaverwood School Post-16 Bridging Unit

Course Title	Faculty	Head of Faculty
AS Level Media Studies	English	Ms D Allwood

Course Information

Assessment Breakdown (AS only)

G322 Exam (worth 50%) •       Two hours (including 30 minutes to view an extract from an unprepared TV drama and take notes) •       Section A – One compulsory question which requires students to write an essay in response to the unprepared TV drama extract and explain how representation of a particular social group is constructed through the use of mise en scene, camera shots, angles, movement and composition, sound and editing. (50 marks) •       Section B – One compulsory question based upon one a case study of a specific media industry and institutions within that industry. (50 marks) G321 Coursework (worth 50%) •       After completing a range of preliminary tasks, students are required to research and plan their own music magazine. They must produce a front page, contents page and a double page spread for their magazine, which includes original photography that has been manipulated accordingly. Students must then submit an evaluation of their work which includes audience feedback. (100 marks in total: 20 marks for research and planning; 60 marks for production; 20 marks for evaluation)

Assessment Objectives

AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates, using terminology appropriately and with accurate and coherent written expression

AO2 Apply knowledge and understanding to show how meanings are created when analysing media products and evaluating their own practical work.

AO3 Demonstrate the ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills.

AO4 Demonstrate the ability to undertake and apply appropriate research.

Key Skills

C = Communication, AoN = Application of Number, IT = Information Technology, WwO =Working with Others, IOLP = Improving Own Learning and Performance and PS = Problem Solving

Bridging Task

Task Outline

Go to http://beaverwoodmediabridgingunit.blogspot.co.uk/ and follow the instructions for setting up your own gmail account (if you don’t already have one) and blog. Email your blog address, with your name, to: beaverwoodmedia@gmail.com Spend some time familiarising yourself with the resources on our main hub:http://beaverwoodmedia.blogspot.co.uk in preparation for publishing your first post Publish your first post on your blog: Three resources I found most interesting/helpful and why. Your post should include text and at least one hyperlink. Research the term ‘media representation’. Publish a summary of what you find out, and your own definition of the term, on your second blog post. Your post should include text; you may also include one or more hyperlink if you wish. Watch at least one TV drama that you have not seen previously and publish at least one post about this on your blog. Your third post(s) should include: a summary of what type of TV drama it is (subgenre); links to research about the drama (its history, the production company, cast, newspaper reviews etc.); an image of the cast, the title screen or the main actor/actress; a written response to the episode that you watched, focusing on 2-3 characters and how they are represented. Find a magazine cover of your choice. Annotate the cover in detail, identifying the main design features are typical of all magazine covers (these are called generic conventions) and explaining how you think they a) relate to the genre of the magazine; b) represent the person/people on the front cover and c) appeal to the target audience. Upload your annotated cover on to your blog and publish your fourth post (follow the instructions onhttp://beaverwoodmediabridgingunit.blogspot.co.uk/). Read the Media Guardian (either a hard copy or online). Choose the story that interests you most and write a brief summary of it, explaining what interested you and why. Publish this as your fifth post on your blog. Include a link to the story on www.guardian.co.uk/media. Your final post should be a written reflection on what you have learned during the bridging unit and what you are looking forward to (or have concerns about) about A Level Media Studies. Please note The blogging process should be fairly straightforward and self-explanatory and there is guidance on how to resolve most problems on our Beaverwood Media hub. However, if you have insurmountable technical difficulties, please complete the tasks in the usual way and hand hard copies in to your Media Studies teacher in your first lesson. There are exemplars of the six different posts you need to publish athttp://beaverwoodmediabridgingunit.blogspot.co.uk/ along with more detailed instructions Of course, please feel free to publish more than six posts on your blog if you wish – keep a log of your different media experiences over the summer.

Marking Criteria / Assessment Method

(0-7 marks) Research and planning evidence will be incomplete Minimal level of detail in written annotations/summaries/analyses of media texts Minimal level of care in the presentation of work Minimal skill in use of ICT Minimal understanding of issues of representation Minimal ability to refer to what you have done/learned Minimal ability to communicate (8-11 marks) Research and planning evidence may be partially incomplete  Annotations/summaries/analyses are basic Basic level of care in the presentation of work Basic skill in use of ICT Basic understanding of issues of representation Basic ability to refer to what you have done/learned  Basic ability to communicate (12-15 marks) Research and planning evidence will be complete Annotations/summaries/analyses are detailed and show good understanding Good level of care in the presentation of work Proficient skill in use of ICT Proficient understanding of issues of representation Proficient ability to refer to what you have done/learned Proficient ability to communicate (16-20 marks) Research and planning evidence will be complete; excellent level of detail Annotations/summaries/analyses are very detailed and show excellent understanding Excellent level of care in the presentation of work Excellent skill in use of ICT Excellent understanding of issues of representation Excellent ability to refer to what you have done/learned Excellent ability to communicate

Exemplar post 6: Reflection on what you have learned

Well done! You have finished the research and planning tasks. Now it's on to your evaluation.


These are just examples of questions you could consider to help get you started and give you an idea of what's expected. However, your reflection should be presented as an extended piece of writing - not a series of bullet points or Q&As.

• What were your expectations of A Level Media before you came to the induction lesson and/or completed the bridging unit? How have they changed/developed as you have worked your way through the tasks?
• What skills have you learned/developed/used to complete the bridging unit tasks? (E.g. creating your blog; using the different features of blogger; skills of textual analysis and the level of detail; research skills using internet resources; following instructions and applying what you learn; independent learning and perseverance when faced with technological issues) How easy/difficult was it to develop each of these skills?
• Which part of the bridging unit have you enjoyed most? Why?
• How confident are you about starting the AS Media course and why? What are you most looking forward to and why? What reservations (if any) do you have? How will you go about resolving these concerns (including what help you think you'll need from the Media staff)?
• Get someone else (ideally 3-4 people) to have a look at your blog and let you know what they think about your presentation skills, your communication skills and levels of professionalism. They could post comments directly on to the blog or drop you an email with their thoughts.
• Use feedback from others and the marking criteria provided to summarise how successful you think you have been in this unit and why. Outline any changes/additions you would make or how you would  do things differently if completing this unit again.

Exemplar post 5: Guardian story

This is just an example to help get you started and give you an idea of what's expected. To access the Media Guardian and find your own article to write about, go to: www.guardian.co.uk/media

When reading the Media Guardian on 24th June, I was particularly interested in the story Independent titles and Standard face radical cost-cutting proposals on Roy Greenslade's blog.


Having worked in the publishing industry previously, I am really interested by the move from print to digital and the increasingly tough pressures that the print industry faces.  The main cost-cutting measure that this article is concerned with is the move to locate The Independent and The Evening Standard on the same office floor.


I have been keenly following the success of The Evening Standard since the move to make it free of charge in 2009 and in a world where newspapers' sales are declining it has been good to see that advertising revenue has made the title commercially viable. However, the move to merge the two editorial teams on the same floor suggests that The Independent, as a paid-for title is not doing as well. Indeed, the article also points out that the overall losses every year run into millions.


The consequences for editorial content are also of interest in terms of synergy and the further editorial integration that looks likely between the two papers.

Working out how to upload your annotated magazine cover (for post 4)

You will all be familiar with Powerpoint, so I would suggest that if you're unsure, you work in this program.
If you copy and paste an image of your front cover from Google (or insert a scan of an actual magazine cover if you prefer) you can annotate it with text boxes.

When it comes to uploading your file, you have a couple of options...

a) You could just upload your powerpoint file to your Googledocs and insert a link on your post

b) When you are in powerpoint, go to 'Save as...' and change to 'JPEG'. Save the picture file somewhere sensible and then go to 'New post' and upload an image in the usual way. Ensure that your picture is large enough to make the text legible on your post

Good luck!

Exemplar post 4: Annotating a magazine cover

This is just an example to help get you started and give you an idea of what's expected. 

Exemplar post 3: Name of TV Drama you watched

This is just an example to help get you started and give you an idea of what's expected.

Luther is described by BBC One as 'A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.' Link to Guardian article


Here is a link to a blog by the writer of Luther, in which he explains how he has played around with the conventions of different crime dramas and detective stories: Link to blog


I watched episode 1, in which the audience sees Luther, who is back from suspension, having to solve a seemingly perfect double murder and work out how, and by whom, it was committed. 


The producers have carefully constructed the representation of the police force (and the criminals they are up against) and of black men through the lead character of John Luther, played by Idris Elba and his relationship with other characters in the programme.

Here is a link to some information about Idris Elba and his character in Luther.


In episode 1, I noticed how...

Brief introduction to TV Drama

Click here to view the full powerpoint

Genre
Genre is a French word for ‘Type’. ‘Genre’ is a critical tool that helps us study media texts, producers, and audience responses to texts by dividing them into categories based on common elements.

Generic Characteristics
The aim of genre is to classify media texts based on shared characteristics. These characteristics, which are known as generic characteristics or generic elements, are the ingredients that make up a particular genre. These elements fall into the following categories:
1.Typical Mise-en-scène/Visual style (iconography, props, set design, lighting, temporal and geographic location, costume, shot types, camera angles, special effects).
2.Typical types of Narrative (story, plots, historical setting, set pieces).
3.Themes (the underlying messages, ideas, concepts the story deals with).
4.Generic Types/Stock Characters, i.e. typical character types (do typical male/female roles exist, archetypes?).

Some TV Drama Sub-genres
A ‘sub-genre’ is where genres are subdivided into even more specific categories. TV Drama sub-genres include:
Teen Dramas: These depend entirely on the target audience empathising with a range of authentic characters and age-specific situations and anxieties, e.g. Skins.
Soap Operas: These never end, convey a sense of real time and depend entirely on audiences accepting them as ’socially realist’, e.g. Coronation Street.
Costume Dramas: these are often intertexually linked to ‘classic’ novels or plays and offer a set of pleasers that are very different to dramas set in our own world contexts and times, e.g. Sharpe.
Medical/Hospital Dramas: These interplay our vicarious pleasure at witnessing trauma and suffering on the part of patients and relatives with a set of staff narratives that deploy sop opera conventions, e.g. Holby City.
Police/Crime Dramas: These work in the same way as medical/hospital dramas but we can substitute the health context for representation of criminals and victims, e.g. The Bill.
Docu-dramas: these are set apart from the other by their attempts to dramatise significant real events, which usually have human interest, celebrity focus or political significance, e.g. Hamburg Cell.

Exemplar post 2: Research into the term 'representation'

This is just an example to help get you started and give you an idea of what's expected.

Of course, we're not going to post a definition of 'representation' for you - that's your job! But here's a summary/definition of another key concept in Media: Audience.

'Audience' is a very important concept throughout media studies. All media texts are made with an audience in mind, ie a group of people who will receive it and make some sort of sense out of it. And generally, but not always, the producers make some money out of that audience. Therefore it is important to understand what happens when an audience "meets" a media text.

There are different ways of categorising or defining audiences, as can be seen here.

The way that a text relates to an audience, and the way that the audience responds is also an important area of study. Different audience theories can be seen here.

Exemplar post 1: Three resources I found most interesting/helpful and why

This is just an example to help get you started and give you an idea of what's expected.

After looking at the Beaverwoodmedia hub, I have found the following links and resources most helpful and interesting:
1. The link to the different TV drama extracts. I found this interesting because it's helped to give me an idea of the sorts of TV dramas we'll be studying; the different areas of representation we'll be considering and what the exam question will be like. One of the extracts I found most interesting can be viewed here
2.
3.

How to Create a Blog on Blogger

You may find it's easier to create a Google account in Gmail first, before you go to blogger. To do this, go to the google homepage; click on Gmail at the top of the screen and then select 'Sign up' and go through the steps.

Watch this video tutorial to help you create your blog. If you get asked to select a 'Google Plus' or 'Limited profile' - make sure you go for Limited.

I suggest calling your blog something like namemediabridgingunit2012@blogspot.co.uk - then, when you start the AS course in September, you can create a separate blog for that.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO EMAIL YOUR BLOG ADDRESS TO: beaverwoodmedia@gmail.com And it should go without saying that you must make a note of your username, password and blog address and keep it safe!

Good luck - and happy blogging!