Media Paper 1 learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).

WWW: Rubana, very good knowledge of score csp and understanding of historical + social contexts. some developed ideas about ideology in relations to old town road csp. 

EBI: Develop unseen media product analysis and learn media terminology. 

2) Read the mark scheme for this exam carefully, paying particular attention to the 'indicative content' for each question. This is some of the best analysis you can do as it gives you an idea of what the exam board is expecting. For your LR blogpost, identify ONE point you could have added for the first three questions in Section A:

Q1 (unseen text) additional point/theory: 

The visual signifiers also emphasise class, wealth and success. The mise-en-scene in the image connotes both professional success and a slightly youthful appearance (suit but no tie, open-necked shirt, sunglasses, facial hair). The model is positioned to show the product.

Q2 (unseen text and CSP) additional point/theory/CSP reference: 

Swiss Eagle watches advert:

• Hegemonic masculinity – advert suggests patriarchal dominance is still in place despite changes in gender representation over recent years.
• Emphasis on youth (“Now is a good time for your first Swiss Watch”) and mise-en-scene of model perhaps shows an evolution in masculinity with more casual formal attire (suit but no tie, open-necked shirt) plus the sunglasses and facial hair. As Gauntlett says, masculinity is evolving rather than in crisis.

Score hair cream advert:

• The representation of the male as hunter in a foreign jungle setting suggests a reference to the British Empire and the colonial dominance of the 19th century.
• Representation of gender reinforces Judith Butler’s idea of gender as performance –dominant/submissive gender roles clearly reinforced in construction of advert.

Q3 (music video) additional point/theory/CSP reference: 

• The ‘Official Movie’ references the controversy regarding the song being removed from the country chart for not being country enough. In the opening scene, the Billy Ray Cyrus character says: “Don’t worry, you’re with me now.
• The 2019 Old Town Road scene arguably makes an ideological point through its entirely black casting in a scene that perhaps references the ‘white picket fence’ American Dream (residents watering their garden, fixing their car or sitting on the porch). The video’s representations of race perhaps subvert Paul Gilroy’s idea of double consciousness by creating black characters that resonate with genuine lived experiences for black audiences.

3) Now focus on Section B. Section B began with two questions testing your knowledge of industry terminology. Make sure you know the answers to these (get the answers from the mark scheme if you have to):

Benefits of vertical integration: Greater control of the production process and lower costs and higher profits

Definition and benefits of diversification: media company branches out into a different area of the media industries.

4) The Section B CSP focus was on Blinded By The Light. The impact of new technology on distribution was a weaker area in most answers. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you could have included in your answer here.

-Social media posts for the film supported the Black Lives Matter movement which helped tap into the anti-racism narrative in the film.

-New streaming sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are increasingly influential players in the film industry despite their relative youth compared to giants of the entertainment industry such as Disney.

-New technology has reduced the costs of film production, distribution and marketing due to the rise in digital editing, YouTube and social media.

5) Finally, identify three things you plan to revise before your next Media assessment or mock exam (e.g. terminology, particular theories or CSPs etc.) 

Blinded By The Light - distribution