1. AS Media Revision
Textual Analysis question
You will need to have an understanding of the various CODES that are used to
communicate the media texts messages to the AUDIENCE.
TECHNICAL CODES
Camera Shots – Close-up/Mid-Shot/Long Shot etc
Camera Angles – High Angle/Low Angle/Eye level
Editing – Transitions
Camera Movement – Tracking Shots/Zoom/Panning Shot/Tilt Shot
AUDIO CODES
Diegetic – Within the scene
Non- Diegetic – Mainly music or sound that has been added later
Dialogue – mode of address of speaker, use of technical language
Sound effects – help add to realism of the film
Music – conveys narrative information and can help set the scene
Voice-overs – can give extra information and sometimes anchors (anchorage) the
visual images.
VISUAL CODES
Connotations – what is the secondary meaning of the Visual codes
Clothing – What does the clothing communicate about the person wearing it.
Expression – facial expression help communicate a lot of information to the audience
Gesture – gesture can also communicate a lot of information to the audience.
Use of Colour – colours can transmit messages and can be interpreted by the
audience in a number of ways
Iconography – objects or settings. The use of Big Ben in the news at ten signifies we
are in London and the setting of a Lab become iconic in Forensic crime drama
Graphics – graphics can give us ‘other’ information and helps anchor the meaning of
the visuals.
MODE OF ADDRESS

2. Informal mode of address – this is where the text is very informal and the audience
feel like the text is speaking to them on a very personal level.
Formal mode of address – this is where the text is more formal. News programmes
and documentaries adopt this style if they are discussing serious and sophisticated
issues.
Direct mode of address- this is where the presenter communicates directly with the
audience. For example Ant and Dec on ‘Britain’s got Talent’
Indirect mode of address – most films we follow the action, but the characters do not
directly address us as an audience.
GENRE
Narrative – what plot situations are shown, these become iconic to certain genre’s ie
Family argument in a soap opera.
Characters – some programmes use STOCK characters like rebellious teenagers or
nosy OAP, this helps establish the genre and narrative.
Iconography and Setting- CSI New York uses iconic images of New York and crime
laboratories to help establish the setting and the genre of the programme.
Enigma codes- these codes keep the audience interested in the text as they set up
questions, only answered if they keep watching the text.
When answering QUESTION 1 it is important to
IDENTIFY the various codes
AND JUSTIFY why they have been used
Representation Question
You must ensure you have examples of the following
 Gender
 Ethnicity
 Age
 Issues
 Events
 Regional and national identities
You will need 3 examples for each, except Events and Issues where you will need 2
examples.
Your examples should come from different types of media texts, for example 1
newspaper article, 1 Television programme and 1 music video.

3. Your examples need to be contemporary, within 18 months.
Structure your answer and start with an introductory paragraph demonstrating an
understanding of representation.
Make sure your examples are relevant to the question.
Audience Question
The areas related to audience you must prepare for are
Ways of defining and categorizing audience -age, gender, socio-economic model
etc
What affects the way audience responds to media texts. age, gender, ethnicity,
culture and cultural experience
How texts construct audiences – men’s health constructs it reader through the
enigma codes on the front cover, making assumptions about the lifestyle of the
reader
How audiences are positioned by media texts -Preferred/oppositional/negotiated
How media attract and appeal to audiences – through the use of different codes ie
technical and audio codes, language and mode of address, construction, context and
audience positioning.
You will need to apply the Audience theories – Uses and Gratifications/Two Step
Flow and opinion leaders.
You will need to support you answer by referring to three media texts, for example
Men’s Health magazine, Sun sex and suspicious parents and the Daily Mail
newspaper.
Refer to a particular scene or the front cover of a magazine and say how it appeals to
it’s chosen audience.
Using Examples
Watch the trailer for Sherlock Holmes a Game of Shadows.
Target Audience?
 Fans of the stars, Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law

4.  Those intereseted in the original stories of Sherlock Holmes
 Fans of Guy Richie and his other films
 Those who saw the previous Sherlock Holmes film and liked it
 The action elements may attract some audiences
 Categories defined by demographic profiles
How is the audience positioned by the text?
 The camera positions us to empathise with Sherlock Holmes and defines the
villain clearly to the audience
 The humour in the film positions the audience as co-conspirators
 The camera positions the audience as part of the action
Audience Theories?
 The Uses and Gratifications (PIES) theory is useful here as an audience may
watch this film for escapism and diversion.
 If they saw the film when it was released then it may have been subject to
social interaction
Audience responses and what might affect that response?
A younger audience, with no experience of Sherlock Holmes films or stories, may
enjoy the Hollywood treatment and the action elements of the film. The will therefore
accept the preferred reading
A negotiated response may come from an audience that accept the different
depiction of Holmes, but may not like the Hollywood treatment
An oppositional response may come from an older more traditional element of the
audience who may question the casting of Robert Downey Jnr as the lead role. This
section of the audience may be more familiar with older version of the Sherlock
Holmes films.