Media Studies - Year 1 - Intro to course and representation

MEDIA STUDIES YEAR 1

Introduction

How will I be assessed?

2 x Examinations – 1 x 2 ¼ hours and 1 x 2 ½ hours (70%)

Non-examined assessment (Coursework) – 30%

◦ Music video (Set genre and audience) and reflective evaluation

Course Content

Exams

◦ Component 1 – 35%

◦ Section A – Media Language and Representation

◦ Section B – Audiences and Industries

◦ Component 2 – 35%

◦ Section A – TV (1 x contemporary and 1 x historic)

◦ Section B – Magazines (1 x contemporary and 1 x historic)

◦ Section C – Online Media (Blogs)

Coursework

◦ Music Video – 30%

◦ Aims and Intentions – 10 marks

◦ Production – 50 marks

◦ The type of music video you create is your choice, however it must suit the brief we will provide for you at the beginning of the unit.

Component 1Section A Set Texts:

ADVERTISING AND

MARKETING

Areas Covered:

MEDIA LANG &REP

Component 1Section A Set Texts:

Music Video

Areas Covered:

MEDIA LANG &

REP

BeyonceFormation

Component 1Section A Set Texts:

Newspapers

Areas Covered:

MEDIA LANG &REP

Component 1SECTION B Set Texts:

ADVERTISING

AREAS COVERED:

INDUSTRIES & AUDIENCE

Component 1SECTION B

Set Text:

FILM (CROSS-MEDIA STUDY, INCLUDING FILM MARKETING)

AREAS COVERED:

INDUSTRY

Component 1 SECTION B Set Text: RADIO

Component 1 SECTION B Set Text: GAMING

AREAS COVERED:

INDUSTRIES & AUDIENCE

Component 1 SECTION B Set Text: NEWSPAPERS AREAS COVERED:

INDUSTRIES & AUDIENCE

How to do well in Media Studies 1. Organisation

◦ Make a folder with different sections for each of the different elements of the course.

2. Attendance

◦ Make sure you come to every lesson

3. Practice

◦ Complete all the tasks set for you. All of these help prepare you for your final 2 exams!

4. Be Positive and Work Hard

◦ If you can’t get the hang of a concept or an essay, ASK!!

Balance the demands of your subjects!

You will only get out what you put in.

Rene Magritte: ‘This is not a pipe’

David Buckingham (2003)

◦ The media do not offer us a transparent 'window' on the world, but a mediated version of the world. They don't just present reality, they re-present it.

Stuart Hall - Representation◦ What we see is a ‘re-presentation’ of something not

the thing itself

◦ We can interpret a representation of something in similar ways to those who share our cultural background because of a “shared conceptual road map” that guides how we perceive representations.

◦ Stereotypes form a large part of this, reducing people or places to a few simple characteristics or traits.

◦ These groups are normally constructed as ‘different’ or ‘other’ from the norm

What is representation?

Representation is the way in which the media constructs aspects of ‘real life’. This includes:

◦ people,

◦ places,

◦ events,

◦ culture,

◦ ethnicity

◦ and issues

(WJEC, Exploring the Media)

◦ Remember: The media don’t just presentreality they re-present it.

Understanding Representation

◦ To be able to understand representation we need to be aware that part of it is how we see things and this is affected by our own experiences, culture, gender and preconceived expectations.

Same person: one year apart. Consider how Miley Cyrus was representing herself in the first picture, compared to her infamous representation at the VMAs.

Miley Cyrus

Shortly after the VMAs - this was the image on Billboard magazine. Why was this image chosen? What does it represent?

How does this 2017 image compare?Why was this image chosen? What does it represent?

Important Points to Consider!

◦ What kind of world/image is being created by the text?

◦ Is it positive or negative?

◦ How will audiences interpret this?

◦ This will depend on how the person sees the particular

person or celebrity, what their relationship is to a certain

event or issue

◦ It will also depend on the persons age, gender, ethnicity

and situation

Bias

◦What is this?

◦Why is it important to understand when studying the Media?

Start observing…

◦ Start observing how people are being represented. Look at real people around you – how are they representing themselves?

◦ Look at actors in soaps. Read about celebrities. Facebook/Instagram/Twitter.

◦ Representation is everywhere.