B322 GCSE Media Exam Revision Session

GCSEEXAM REVISIONSECTION A

CHARACTER TASK

Write a bullet point list or create a spider-diagram to show what characteristics you think each of the following character types have:

a) The protagonist (main character)

b) The antagonist (villain)

c) The side-kick

d) The female lead

You should focus: what they wear, how they speak, their personality, their appearance (their looks), their role in the film (what do they typically want/do?)

RECAPPING NARRATIVE THEORIES

Vladimir Propp’s character types

1. The villain2. The donor (or provider)3. The helper4. The princess and her father5. The dispatcher6. The hero7. The false hero

Levi-Strauss’ binary oppositions

Good vs Evil Men vs WomenWhite vs Black East vs West

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TASK 2

Watching the clip discuss how characters fit the Action Adventure genre.

Remember to consider:

a) The protagonist (main character)

b) The antagonist (villain)

c) The side-kick

d) The female lead

You should focus: what they wear, how they speak, their personality, their appearance (their looks), their role in the film (what do they typically want/do?)

Use the media

terminology to describe

the characters

Characters – Identify the key characters, their role in the scene, how they impact the scene and apply theory such as Propp’s character roles and

Yvonne Tasker (1993) in explaining how they “fit” the genre.

NARRATIVE TASK

Typical narrative features of the

Action Adventure genre

Action Adventure Revision Session

Objectives: To revise the action adventure topic, and understand the qualities of effective exam answers.

Action Film Conventions Sort of Bingo

Strong protagonist (usually male)ExplosionsAntagonistStuntsLove interestWeaponsGadgetsChase sequencesPowerful villainUnderdog heroDangerous settingTicking clock scenarioExotic settingFight sequences

TODOROV

CHARACTER CLIPS

Die Hard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mEUTq6R2oU

Casino Royale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAPzMrEXIyA

Harry Potter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haZEcPbF1T0

NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES:ANSWERS

Closed narrative Where the narrative has a definitive ending and all problems are solved.

Open narrative Where the narrative is open to be added on to; this could be in the form of a sequel. There isn’t a definitive ending.

Cliffhanger Where the narrative is left open with the audience not knowing what will happen next. This is used to keep the audience interested, in the hope that they will watch on.

Red herring A technique where the audience or the characters are led to believe something different; they are tricked or ‘led up the garden path’.

Suspense Where a text builds up a feeling of anxiety and uncertainty about the outcome among the audience. This could be through music, editing or the characters’ actions.

Multi-strand Where there are a number of different stories within one media text.

Circular narrative Where the narrative goes full circle and the ending/resolution is the same as beginning/equilibrium.

Montage A type of editing whereby a mixture of different shots/images, usually over time, are edited together to give the effect that time has passed.

Binary oppositions A theory thought up by Levi-Strauss whereby opposites are used to create conflict and drive the narrative forward.

Ellipsis A technique used to miss out big chunks of time.

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RECAPPING NARRATIVE THEORIES

Tzvetan Todorov

• Equilibrium – A sense of normality, the calm before the storm.

• Disruption – The point where the story changes; a death, an event, a situation.

• Restoration – Where normality is restored; they all live happily every after.

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NARRATIVE CLIPS

Casino Royale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAPzMrEXIyA

Hot Fuzz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6TYFLevmAc

QUESTION 2

Look at the different technical elements below. Explain how each of the follow elements is used to create a particular effect in action/adventure films. For example: An arc shot could be used to create tension and signify something bad is going to happen, which would build adrenaline for the audience. You should try to think of an example from an action/adventure film to support your ideas.

a) Cameraa) Close-up

b) Tracking shotc) Low angle

d) Dolly Zoom 

b) Editinga) Fast-paced editing

b) Cross-cuttingc) Jump cuts

d) CGIe) Slow motion

c) Sounda) Diegetic sound

b) Non-diegetic soundc) Sound effects

d) Asynchronous sound 

d) Mise-en-scenea) Costume

b) Sets and locationc) Casting choices

d) Propse) Lighting

a) Cameraa) Close-up

b) Tracking shotc) Low angled) Zoom

 b) Editing

a) Fast-paced editingb) Cross-cutting

c) Jump cutsd) CGI

e) Slow motion

c) Sounda) Diegetic sound

(natural) b) Non-diegetic sound

(added)c) Sound effects

 d) Mise-en-scene

a) Costumeb) Sets and locationc) Casting choices

d) Propse) Lighting

Discuss the effect of each of these

techniques

QUESTION 2 CLIPS

Pirates of the Caribbean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNj8mJq65i4

Indiana Jones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guKUR-2rEIA

Casino Royale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAPzMrEXIyA

Low-angle shot of Batman walking towards the antagonist.Effect:

Close Up shot in Kill Bill.Effect:

Wide Tracking shot in The Fast and The Furious.Effect:

QUESTION 3

REPRESENTATION REVISION

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/action-adventure-revision-pt2

REPRESENTATION CLIP

Rocky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVP1wO_E4yk

Lara Croft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnhW2iYL25k

Hancock

How are super heroes represented?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIW3jcKZVi8

GCSEEXAM REVISIONSECTION B

INSTITUTIONS AND AUDIENCES

Consider…

Do certain institutions schedule certain types of programmes?

Are specific audiences targeted by different institutions (or channels)?

QUESTION 4ASCHEDULE TO APPEALHave I Got News for You

A mixture of news and comedy

Long running series – popular

Shown on Friday night at 9pm – target audience are at home on a Friday night (possibly older generation)

Target audience are middle aged, middle class. They follow the news and pride themselves on knowing about current affairs and therefore ‘getting’ the political jokes on the programme

Panellists are people the target audience would recognise, such as politicians, established comedians and people who work for BBC Radio DJs

BBC wish to inform and educate as well as entertain – this programme combines news (information) with comedy (entertainment)

No offensive language or jokes – appeal to mass audience. Paid for by licence fee so needs to appeal to ‘middle England’

QUESTION 4A THE INBETWEENERS TASK

1. How do the characters in the show link to the Target Audience?

2. What is a Niche audience?

3. Why can Channel 4 have more freedom in the programmes they air?

4. Why is The Inbetweeners scheduled late at night?

5. What is the benefit of ‘stacked’ scheduling of The Inbetweeners (several episodes shown in a row) – helps new viewers get into the plot

SCHEDULE TO APPEAL

The Inbetweeners

Aimed at a teenage target audience (reflected by the characters of the show)

Scheduled on E4 – E for entertainment

Niche channel aimed at younger audience. Paid by advertising – can be more ‘edgy’ humour – no need to worry about offence.

Scheduled late at night, people watching TV when they get back from a night out

Show often ‘stacked’ (several episodes shown in a row) – helps new viewers get into the plot

EXAM TASK

TASKNow for some detail...

Pick two pleasures How Not to Live Your Life offers:

a).........................................................................................................................................................................

b).........................................................................................................................................................................

Pick two pleasures The Simpsons offers:

a).........................................................................................................................................................................

b).........................................................................................................................................................................

Pick two pleasures both comedies offer:

a).........................................................................................................................................................................

b).........................................................................................................................................................................

COMEDYScheduled day and time: ____________________________________________________

Channel: ______________________________________

Give three reasons below why you think The Inbetweeners is scheduled at this time and that channel. Try to give clear examples to support your ideas either about the institution or from the programme.

1. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

COMEDYScheduled day and time: ____________________________________________________

Channel: ______________________________________

Give three reasons below why you think Have I Got News For You is scheduled at this time and that channel. Try to give clear examples to support your ideas either about the institution or from the programme.

1. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

QUESTION 4BAUDIENCE PLEASURES

For this question you need you to know about two TV Comedies to illustrate your answer. Typically, the question will ask about what pleasures TV Comedies offer their audiences.

You will be expected to not only be able to name pleasures that all comedies offer but pleasures the programmes you’ve chosen offer specifically, depending on their audience.

For example a sit-com with a target audience of ‘family’ is going to have different pleasures than a comedy quiz show about politics aimed at ‘adults’.

QUESTION 4BAUDIENCE PLEASURES

1. Familiar setting

2. Characters / cast / presenters

3. Accessible themes

4. Representation of social issues.

5. Consumption of the familiar.

6. Generic conventions

7. Narrative resolution.

8. Comedy entertainment.

QUESTION 4BMORE DETAIL• Comedy entertainment (it’s funny)• Simple conventions that are easily

understood (or new variations to create interest)

• Familiarity – meeting the same people regularly, we know their personalities and can predict their behaviour – like family and friends

• Identification with characters or situations that occur

• Identification with themes, e.g. work, family, relationships, getting on in life

• Important social issues may be addressed

• Narrative resolution – the satisfaction of the story ending and all loose ends tied up

QUESTION 4BAUDIENCE PLEASURES

Setting – audiences like to be able to relate to a familiar setting

Characters / cast / presenters – how many are there? Do we recognise any stereotypes? Audience identification. Which characters are most successful and why?

Accessible themes – identify them (eg relationships, family, friendship…)

How important are these themes for audiences?

Representation of social issues. Eg, social class, culture, sexuality).

Consumption of the familiar. An important audience pleasure. Audiences feel ‘comfortable’ dropping in and meeting the same group of characters regularly.

Generic conventions – such as laughter track, live studio audience, catchphrases.

Narrative resolution. How is the status quo disrupted and resolved by the end of the episode?

Comedy entertainment. What is the main source of comedy in the series? Cast, location, celebrity? What is actually funny and who would the humour appeal to? Consider scheduling here.

AUDIENCE PLEASURES

a) List the different pleasures TV Comedies offer their audiences.

b) Once you have completed the list highlight/underline in different colours which ones Gavin and Stacey offers and which pleasures Benidorm offer.

Remember both programmes are sit-coms; therefore they follow sit-com conventions. Try to think of clear examples from the programmes to support your ideas.

Audience pleasures of TV Comedy RevisionHow many did you manage to remember? Read through the list below and again highlight/underline which pleasures How Not to Live Your Life offers and which ones The Simpsons offer. How many do the two programmes have in common?• Regular timeslot• The narrative and problems are always resolved at the end of the

programme• Intertextuality • Use of celebrities• Different types of humour• Relatable characters and situations (so we can also laugh at

ourselves/friends)• Audience escapism• Audience feels superior to characters as they never learn from their

mistakes.• Easy to watch (30 minutes long and self-contained episodes mean audience

can ‘dip’ in and out of series).• Pleasure gained from resolution at the end of episode• Social and family issues often used (audience can relate to)• Themes are easy for audience to understand• Warm mode of address - everyone can watch and enjoy.• Familiarity (e.g. Catchphrases)• Predictability – For example: audiences know character well and know how

they will react. • New variations of the genre create interest

AUDIENCE PLEASURES

Benidorm

Typical working class holiday destination – familiar to working class audience

Regular, relatable characters

Characters main source of comedy

Social class as a theme – makes fun of in an affectionate way

Generic conventions, i.e. laughter track

AUDIENCE PLEASURES

Gavin & Stacey

Familiar settings – house, nightclub etc

Regular characters – can relate to them (Smithy is an ‘Everyman’, Vanessa is a source of comedy as is Uncle Bryn). Same characters mean audience familiarity

Accessible themes – friendship (Gavin & Smithy have a very familiar, relatable friendship), romantic relationships (Gavin & Stacey)

Representations of social issues – social class (Essex/ Wales), community cohesion

EXAM TASK