2. Question 1: A
Explain the importance of research and planning to your media production outcomes and how
your skills in this area developed over time. Refer to a range of examples from your media
production process in your answer.
What does this mean: Explain how important research and planning was in producing your
final media products (Music Video or Film opening) and how you got better at it. Referring to
specific examples throughout.
The Examiner Report Said:
• Stronger responses showed the progress from AS to A2 with links to the production
outcomes.
• Many would explain the research and planning undertaken but not what effect this would
have on the productions themselves.
• Higher grade if you include specific textual examples from real media texts and explain how
these informed the decisions you made.
3. How I Would’ve Planned This Essay
Prior to the exam I would’ve planned
answers for all of the possible essay
questions that could come up in Section 1.
Here is my essay plan for this specific
essay on Research and Planning.
4. Here is my plan for
this essay. I would
only choose a few of
these points to talk
about and I would
go into detail on all
of them; providing
specific examples
for each (just as the
Examiner’s report
says you should).
5. What To Do
Introduction: Introduce your two media productions (Music Video and Film Opening) and
explain a little about each of them.
• You can either start with research or planning but I would begin with research because
that’s naturally what we did first- researched our genre.
• I would give a few examples of my research skills in AS and how they developed and
advanced into A2.
• Within these examples (like researching our titles) I would provide the examiner with
specific films we looked at, and in A2 , specific artists or music videos that we
researched and drew inspiration from for our own. This would give me a higher grade
which we know from the examiner’s report.
• You would then go on to look at planning and do the same as you did for research;
providing specific examples and highlighting how your skills developed.
• Throughout these paragraphs, typically at the end, you would need to specify how your
research and planning skills helped you in your final products at both years; how did
they contribute to your music video or film opening?
6. What To Talk About
After planning this question I would only choose a few of the research and
planning points; ideally ones that I could relate to each other. For example; I
would choose to talk about my research of genre conventions at AS so that I
could link it to a paragraph showing how my skills of genre research had
improved into A2.
Of the research and planning points I would choose:
• AS Research- genre conventions and narrative
• AS Planning- shooting schedule and storyboard
• A2 Research- genre research (similar artists and videos) and narrative (more
complex) and being self driven; being more independent than year 12
• A2 Planning- storyboard (more complex and detailed) and shooting schedule
(filmed in multiple locations)
7. Question 1: B
Analyse the ways in which one of your coursework productions
communicates meaning to the audience through media language.
What does this mean: Analyse how one of your productions (music
video or film opening) conveyed meaning to the audience through
mise-en-scene, camera work, editing or sound.
The examiner report said:
A minority of students focused to heavily on theorists at the expense of applying
their ideas to the outcome of their productions.
The question allows for the use of a broad range of theorists so feature different
theorist from different areas e.g. audience and genre etc.
Don’t focus too heavily on audience rather than media language; work out a balance
of the two in which each is talked about in moderation.
8. What To Do
• Firstly, pick one of your production to talk about and introduce it in the first
paragraph/introduction. It will probably be easier to choose your A2 music video as there is more to
talk about but it is up to you.
• You will need to speak evenly about each of the four topics; sound, mise-en-scene, editing and
camera work…but don’t worry if you have more to talk about in mise-en-scene than sound for
example, just ensure you talk about all four.
• Use a wide range of theorists and incorporate these within your paragraphs, do not just do a
theorist paragraph at the end if you’ve forgotten; don’t make your application of theorists an after
thought, feature them throughout to aid your essay.
• Feature specific examples for each section don’t just provide vague statements. For mise-en-scene,
mention key aspects of the environment, hair or costume that helped to convey a certain meaning
to your audience.
• Constantly refer back to the questions (Analyse the ways in which one of your coursework productions
communicates meaning to the audience through media language), talk about how each code/example
conveys meaning to the audience.
• Even if you didn’t really intend to convey meaning, act like you did.
9. Question 2: Collective Identity
For the second question you will be presented with two
questions of which you only choose one.
1. How is the identity of one or more group(s) of people
affected by media representations?
2. How diverse are the contemporary media
representations of one or more group(s) of people you
have studied?
For these options I would choose Question 2 to look at and
answer because in the exam this would make more sense
to me and I would feel more comfortable answering it.
10. What The Examiner Said
• Don’t focus too heavily on historical examples such as Quadrophenia, not
worth wasting time and marks on irrelevant examples.
• Good answers linked examples of youth from the past to the present,
providing specific examples of TV and Film youth representations.
• As well as film and TV, you must incorporate the influence of news
mediation and examples of youth representing themselves (through social
media and YouTube)
• It is essential that you refer to media theorists when discussing a
representation in order to back up your argument or statement.
• “Merely describing representations, how they have changed and expressing
an untheorised personal view –even if related well to own mediated
experience – is insufficient for a mark above Level 2.”
11. What To Do
Question 2: How diverse are the contemporary media representations of one or more
group(s) of people you have studied?
What does this mean: How different are the media representations of British youth?
How many different representations are shown in the media?
For this question you will need to identify the key representations of British Youth;
the most prominent representations which have been shown through the media,
either TV or film etc.
It may be easier to think of the case studies you’ve found through your research and
think of the representations of British youth within those. For example; Ill Manors
shows a representation of teenagers in council estates/Chav (council house and
violence) through its various storylines but it also shows ’why’ they’re like this so
that’s another thing to think about when anaylsing representations; are teenagers
really like this or is this how the media sees them?
12. How Would I Write This?
I would start by saying: ”Contemporary media has the power to shape, reflect
and create different representations of certain groups of people. British youth
is often vilified by the media and so the media does not offer great diversity of
representations of British youth.”
Something along those lines will set you up for your following argument. In
this case I will be arguing that the contemporary media DOES NOT offer a
diverse range of representation of British youth.
The theorists/theories I will be incorporating into my essay are: Hebidge
(representations of youth are limited), Marxist Hegemony (the elite control the
media and the representations that are shown), Liberal Pluralism (counter
argument), Giroux (empty category theory) etc.
I will ensure to include case study examples from news, TV, film and print
thus ensuring diversity and a more interesting essay.
13. Case Studies and Theories
Following the introduction I would begin by reflecting on the different representations of British
youth from the 1950s onwards but I would only do this briefly, maybe 1 or 2 small paragraphs.
Talking about Quadrophenia I would identify the two classic representations/stereotypes of Mods
and Rockers which were so common during the time. I would also talk about a film called London
Town (2016) which shows the representation of punk rockers and the influence music groups had
over British youth; but I would only briefly mention this.
Following on from this history reference I would begin my argument that the media does not offer
a wide range of youth representations.
Case Study: Youngers (2013)
Within this particular case study there are two different representations but one is shown more
prominently and is seen to be more accepted. Whilst talking about this and offering examples of
the negative differences between the two representations I would include Giroux’s theory,
referencing similar genre shows and films such as Attack the Block or Ill Manors- hoodie
youth/council estate representation.
I would then go on to talk about another significant case study from print, online or the news as I
have already featured moving image examples.
Once I have firmly established my argument I would flip it and talk about the counter argument
that states that the media DOES offer a diverse range of representations of British youth.
Case Study: Kids in Love (2016) (Different to the typical hoodie representation)
14. Quick Guideline To This Q
1. Pick a representation
2. Choose a case study that backs it up- offer
specific examples of media language etc
3. Which theory supports this?
4. Is this diverse?
5. Counter argument- there are different
representations
6. Which theory supports this?
7. Keep following this logical structure and the
question will be easier to write!
