incl. exam question practise

1. Media AS level revision
Saffron Evans

2. Section A: TV Drama
Questions on social groups are represented I the extract through camera work,
editing, sound and mise-en-scene. It will specify which social group to focus on from
one of the following:
• Gender
• Age
• Sexuality
• Ethnicity
• Social Class and Status
• Regional identity
• Disability/ability
In order to do well I should: Use a wide range of specific and relevant examples from
the extract.
Explain how the examples construct representations of the specified social group.
Use a range of examples from all four technical areas.
Use terminology consistently and accurately.

3. Four technical areas:
Camera work
Can be used to represent characters in a variety of ways:
• High/low angles/tilts to show dominance/inferiority
• Point of view/over the shoulder to encourage the audience to identify with the character.
• Camera movements to suggest the character is fast paced and energetic, or chaotic, anxious,
etc.
• Two shots to emphasise the relationship between characters
• Zooms for emphasis
• Close-ups to show emotions/reactions
• Long/establishing shots to show setting/costume
Establishing shot Shot showing the location the scene is taking place
Master shot Shot showing where characters/objects are positioned
Close - up Showing someone from the shoulders up
Mid- shot Someone from the waist up
Long shot Someone from head to toe
Wide shot Wide view of scene
Two shot A shot showing two people
Aerial shot Shot filmed from the air

4. Point of view Shows the perspective of a character
Over the shoulder shot Typically for a conversation
High angle Looks down on someone
Low angle Looks up at someone
Canted angle At a slanted angle
Pan Moves from side to side
Tilt Moves up and down
Track Follows a person or object
Crane Moves up and down on a crane
Steadicam Strapped to operators body – gliding effect
Hand-held Shaky handheld effect
Zoom Zooms in or out
Reverse-zoom Zooms in or out whilst camera moves in opposite
direction

5. Cutting One shot is replaced immediately by the next
Shot/reverse shot Cutting back and forth between people in a convo
Eyeline match To show what a character is looking at
Graphic match Similar shape or colour linking two shots
Action match To show another angle of the scene
Jump cut cutting out middle section of a shot
Cross cutting Cutting back and forth between two or more scenes
happening simultaneously
dissolve One shot fades out to the next fades in
Fade out/ fade in Fades out to a black screen, fades in from a black screen
superimposition One image is placed on top of another image
Slow motion Slow motion
Long take Single continuous shot that does not cut for a long time
Fast paced / slow paced editing Cut rapidly from shot to shot / limited cutting from
shots
Editing can be used to construct representations by:
• The pace of editing
• Contrasting characters or settings
• Creating links between characters or settings
• Showing what a character is looking at
• What a character is thinking about

6. Sound can represent social groups in a range of ways:
• Language and accent of a character
• Use of music can tell you about the character
• Ambient sounds can tell you about the setting
Diegetic Originating from a source in the scene
Non- Diegetic Added in post production
Sound motif Sound or piece of music associated with a character,
place or theme
Sound bridge Sound linking the end of one scene to the beginning of
the next
Dialogue Words spoken by actors
Voiceover Dialogue spoken by an unseen character over related
images
Direct address When the actor speaks directly to the camera
Sound mix The way in which the different sounds in a scene are
mixed together
Ambient sound Background noise

7. Mise-en-scene is very important to representation:
• What a character wears
• Where the scene is taking place and how it appears
• Props can signify information about characters
• Lighting connotes certain meanings about characters
Location Where the scene takes place
Set design How the setting is designed
Costume Clothes worn by the actors
Make-up
Props Objects used in the scene
High key lighting Bright lighting
Low key lighting Dark lighting

8. Section B: Audiences and Institutions
Need to discuss issues of production, marketing, distribution, and consumption in the film industry
in relation to the following topics:
• Media ownership
• Cross- Media convergence and synergy
• Technology
• Proliferation of hardware and content
• Technological convergence
• Marketing
• Consumption

9. Media ownership, Cross-media convergence and synergy
Concentration of media ownership Over the last 50 years the number of
companies owning media outlets has
decreased, and the media industry is now
dominated by 6 conglomerates
Oligopoly A market that is dominated by a small number
of companies
Cross media ownership A company that owns different types of media
Conglomerate A large parent company that owns a range of
smaller subsidiary companies
Subsidiary A smaller company owner by a conglomerate
Synergy When 2 or more elements of a conglomerate
work together to promote a brand
Ancillary revenue Revenue made from merchandise, DVD sales
etc.

10. Disney are the largest media conglomerate. Their total revenue in 2010 was $38 billion. Disney are made up of four
subsidiary divisions – The Walt Disney Studios (film studios, record labels); Parks and Resorts (theme parks); Disney
Consumer Products (merchandise, publishing), Media Networks (TV, radio, internet).
Disney are an example of cross-media ownership. They own a wide range of different types of media (film, TV, music,
internet, publishing, radio, etc.). The benefits of this for Disney is that allows them to use synergy. Disney have
developed a range of cross-platform brands such as ‘High School Musical’, ‘Hannah Montana’, and The Jonas Brothers.
These brands allow a wide range of products to be produced which make the most of Disney’s broad range of
subsidiaries including television programmes for the Disney Channel, films for theatrical releases, soundtracks which
are released through their record label, merchandise, books, and magazines produced by the consumer products
division, video games and online games developed by the Media networks division. Each of these products works to
promote the other products (constant media synergy), the TV programme promotes the film which promotes the
soundtrack which promotes the merchandise, etc.
Disney used synergy to promote the release of ‘Tron: Legacy’ (2010). The soundtrack by Daft Punk was released
through Disney’s record label. The album generated publicity which encouraged people to see the film, and buy the
album. ElecTRONica dance parties were held at the Disneyland resort before the film was released, which included
previews of the film. This would encourage people visiting the resort to go to see the film, and may encourage fans of
the film to visit the resort.
Synergy was also used in the promotion of ‘Toy Story 3’ (2010). The first 2 Toy Story films were re-released in digital 3D.
These screenings included previews of ‘Toy Story 3’. This would make people aware of the release of ‘Toy Story 3’, and
encourage them to watch the first 2 films. The Blu Ray/DVD release of ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Toy Story 2’ included a ‘Toy
Story 3’ featurette. The Disney owned ABC channel included a dance number from the film during an episode of their
programmes ‘Dancing with the Stars’. Sneak peeks of the film were shown on the Disney Channel. The Disney Channel
had a special Toy Story day prior to the films releases, when they showed the first 2 films and previews of the new film.
This would make people aware of the release of the new film, and encourage them to watch the Disney Channel. Both
elements of the brand are working to promote each other.

11. Technology, Proliferation, and Convergence
Proliferation of Hardware and content The idea that media technologies are now
commonplace, most people own a range of devices
that allow them to access media products. Because of
this there is now a wider range of media content
available.
Technological convergence 2 or more types of media coming together in one
device
New technologies are used by Disney in the production of their films. Tron: Legacy was filmed in
digital 3D. This reflects the popularity of 3D technology with film studios. Studios like 3D for a
number of reasons. Several recent 3D releases have been hugely successful, such as ‘Avatar’ which
made $2.7 billion. Cinemas can also charge more for tickets to see 3D films. 3D also helps to tackle
piracy and encourages people to pay to see the film at the cinema, as pirated copies will not be in
3D. Filming in 3D is more costly than 2D. Tron: Legacy used the Pace Fusion rig, a 2 camera rig
which films the images simultaneously. The size of the camera rig makes it difficult to move around,
meaning camera movement is limited. As a result of that much of the camerawork in Tron: Legacy
is static. Tron: Legacy also used CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) to produce a range of special
effects. Most of the shots are in Tron are 90% CGI. Many of the backgrounds are completely
computer generated. One of the characters in Tron was also completely computer generated.

12. New technologies have benefits and disadvantages for companies like Disney. Proliferation of
hardware and widespread has lead to increased piracy, as well as offering a wider range of
entertainment choices competing for the audience’s attention. A consequence of this has been
declining DVD sales. Disney’s sales of DVDs fell by 15% last year. This is significant as on average
46% of a studio’s revenue from a film’s release comes from DVD sales. In order to combat this
Disney have developed their use of digital distribution and electronic sell-through. Disney
recently launched Studio All Access which allows consumers to purchase a copy of film and then
access it in a variety of formats on a range of devices. The DVD release of ‘Toy Story 3’ came as a
special multi-pack featuring DVD, Blu-ray, streaming, and digital download copies. Disney are also
planning to launch a Video on Demand service to allow consumers to instantly access their films
through cable and digital television. Disney have also developed a product called Second Screen
which allows users who have bought Blu-ray editions of certain films such as Tron: Legacy to
download an app for an iPad, iPod, or computer. Whilst they are watching the film consumers can
sync this app with the film allowing them to access a range of additional content (trivia, games,
storyboards, etc.). This is an example of technological convergence allowing the experience of
the consumer to be more interactive. It also benefits Disney by encouraging consumers to
purchase their products.

13. Marketing
Disney use a range of techniques to promote their products including synergy. When using traditional forms of
marketing Disney use their release of similar products to help target their audience. The first trailer for ‘Toy
Story 3’ was shown at screenings of ‘Up’. This helps Disney to reach their target audience.
New technology has also changed the way in which companies market their products. Viral marketing has
been used very successfully by a range of films to generate publicity, including ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘The
Dark Knight’, and ‘Cloverfield’. Viral marketing is cheap, and is spread from one consumer to the other. It also
makes consumers feel more involved in a film, and can generate word of mouth. Viral marketing was used to
promote the release of Tron: Legacy. A website about the main character flynnlives.com was launched, and
contained information about the film as well as organising events to encourage fans to get involved. Viral
marketing was also used by ‘Toy Story 3’, various viral videos were posted to YouTube, including a fake 1980s
toy advert about one of the characters in the film. These videos were seen by millions of people, generating
interest in the film. Social networking sites such as Facebook are also used by film studios to promote their
films. Before the release of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Disney created Facebook pages for three of the main
characters and encouraged fans to choose which character was their favourite. The most popular character’s
page received a premiere of the first trailer for the film. This encourages people to feel involved, and to
forward on marketing information to their friends. Before the release of ‘Toy Story 3’ Disney organised special
Cliff-hanger screenings of the first hour of the film at college campuses. In order to receive a ticket people had
to sign up to the Disney/Pixar Facebook page. This meant Disney could then send people regular updates
about the film’s release. This type of marketing is usually better targeted (as people have signed up for it) and
much cheaper than traditional marketing.

14. Distribution and consumption
Electronic sell-through Selling a film in digital format
Video on demand Allowing the user to watch a video instantly
Near video on demand Allowing users to have access to content on demand at
certain time
Developments in technology and proliferation of hardware and content have implications for the ways in which
films are distributed. Proliferation means there is now a much wider variety of ways in which films can be
consumed, e.g. cinema, DVD, Blu-ray, Video on Demand, Near Video on Demand, digital download, digital
television. This is one factor in declining DVD sales. To try to boost DVD sales of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Disney
shortened the distribution window between the theatrical release and the DVD release from 17 weeks to 12
weeks. They hoped that the marketing campaign for the theatrical release would still be fresh in people’s minds.
They also hoped it would reduce the number of people who watched illegal copies. In an attempt to tackle piracy
and boost revenue some companies use a day and date release where the film is released at the cinema, on DVD,
on VOD and NVOD simultaneously. Most people expect new technologies to lead to shorter distribution windows.
Digital theatrical distribution allows film companies to distribute films electronically as digital files. This saves
money and resources. It has boosted Disney’s market in China and Russia, as digital distribution has allowed for a
big expansion in the number of cinema screens in those countries.
Despite the emergence of new technologies such as digital downloads most people still do not use internet
platforms to purchase films. In 2009 the biggest source of revenue in the UK was the sale of DVD/Blu-ray (£1.3
billion), followed by cinema (£944 million), Pay-Tv, free to air TV, video rental, and VOD/NVOD (£124 million).

15. How to do well:
• Develop a clear argument about the benefits and disadvantages to film institutions
and audiences of recent developments effecting the film industry
• Include detailed reference to case study material
• Make sure you use relevant and accurate factual information
• Use terminology consistently and accurately
• Refer to your own experience as a consumer