This document provides an example response to a past exam question asking students to analyze one of their coursework productions in relation to the concept of audience. The response discusses the student's horror film coursework called "The Sleepover" and analyzes how they took audience into consideration when creating the film. The student demonstrates understanding of several audience theories and relates them to choices made in their film, such as targeting a specific age range and using certain filmmaking techniques aimed at eliciting emotional responses from the audience. Overall, the response shows a clear application of audience theory to the student's own creative work.
This is the theory revision I created for my A2 Media group a couple of years ago. There is some general narrative theory, Media theory Laura Mulvey etc and Racial Representation theory, Stuart Hall, Paul Gilroy, bell hooks etc. This was based on Media and Collective Identity focusing on the representation of black culture in British Film and American Music Videos.
Overview In Final Project Part Two, you will develop a multimedia p.docxhoney690131
Overview: In Final Project Part Two, you will develop a multimedia presentation in which you will have a chance to reflect on what you have learned about your issue or event, yourself, and diversity through analyzing its impact on society. You will also be able to apply your communication skills and integrate multimedia elements to communicate your message to an audience. This milestone is due in Module Five.
In developing this presentation, you will be able to use your analyses from the first part of this project as a starting point. The reflective nature of this activity prompts you to dig deeper and consider the implications posed by the critical analysis of your issue or event in diversity. How does studying diversity affect how you understand yourself, as well as the world around you? You’ll also be challenged to incorporate a dash of creativity to enhance your message.
Multimedia Presentation: For the second part of the project, you will create a multimedia presentation that incorporates audio narration and visuals to articulate how critically analyzing your issue/event in diversity impacts your own framework of perception and ability to constructively engage in society.
PowerPoint: You are required to include a combination of text and visuals in order to support your PowerPoint presentation.
Specifically, the following critical elements (which align to the critical elements required of the presentation in Final Project Part Two) must be addressed:
I. Issue/Event: For this section of your presentation, you will introduce the issue/event and how it relates to issues of diversity and any of the topics that have been discussed in the course.
Using appropriate research strategies, describe a social or global issue/event that is related to issues of diversity. i. What is the origin of the issue?
ii. What is the issue about?
Using appropriate research strategies, describe the impact of the issue/event on society.
i. Who is impacted by the issue?
ii. What is important to know about them?
C. Using relevant research or diverse perspectives, assess how society impacts the chosen issue.
Yourself: This section of your presentation explores how studying diversity influences your individual framework of perception with respect to your discipline of study or profession.
How has critically analyzing your issue/event in diversity informed your individual framework of perception? Consider how it has altered the way you perceive the world.
How can critically analyzing diversity influence your field of study or profession? How can studying diversity inform your understanding of the next big topic of study in your field or profession in the next five to ten years?
Society: This section of your presentation explores how studying diversity enhances your ability to engage constructively in society.
How does critically analyzing diversity add value to how you interact with people and understand social or global issues/events? Supple.
1 Essay #2 Multimodal Analysis In this 4-5 page p.docxoswald1horne84988
1
Essay #2 Multimodal Analysis
In this 4-5 page paper, you will pick an advertisement about The Walking Dead to analyze and
evaluate how it creates an argument through multimodality.
Most media you encounter each day combines modes—news articles include photographs;
television shows include audio, verbal text, and gestures; websites make use of alphabetic text
and spatial arrangement; music contains both lyrics and sound. Even an academic paper has
multimodal elements such as font choice, double-spacing, margins, etc. By analyzing multimodal
texts you can become a more active viewer of the media that surrounds us and understand how
media shapes our understanding of the world.
Ultimately, your goal is to recognize and evaluate different modes in order to discover how the
modes work together to create arguments and how they respond to rhetorical situations. Your
thesis should make an argument for how you interpret the ad’s message and whether the ad is
successful or not (i.e. is it persuasive for its intended audience) based on its use of visual and
rhetorical strategies. In other words, you will take a stance about the piece and make an argument
about its messages and rhetorical strategies. In the body of your essay, you will use rhetorical
appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) and concepts from visual design to specifically focus on HOW the
visual rhetoric works, not simply WHAT it conveys: discuss how the use of rhetorical appeals
determines the effectiveness of the visual argument. To complete the essay successfully, you
will need to discuss specific and concrete elements of the image/commercial as visual and/or
audio evidence.
Assignment Objectives
• To gain the ability to recognize the modes and media elements in a multimodal text.
• To use multimodal evidence to make an argument.
• To improve the ability to describe evidence in specific detail.
• To strengthen critical thinking and analysis skills
• To understand a multimodal text in terms of its rhetorical situation.
• To become an active viewer of multimodal texts.
Assignment Requirements
• 4-5 page essay, double-spaced, 12-point TNR font
• Includes a clear introduction that identifies all elements of rhetorical situation for the ad
(speaker, purpose/message, intended audience, contexts)
• Includes an argumentative thesis that provides an interpretation of the ad’s message and a
claim about its rhetorical effectiveness based on rhetorical and visual/audio strategies
• Includes clear, claim-based topic sentences that organize the essay around analytical
points
• Analyzes evidence from the ad (does not summarize) by interpreting concrete details for
the reader
• A conclusion that summarizes main points and provides some kind of application for
readers
2
Aspects of Multimodality to Consider
The following are the five main modes that can be found in a multimodal text with some
examples of elements .
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology:
Ethnobotany in herbal drug evaluation,
Impact of Ethnobotany in traditional medicine,
New development in herbals,
Bio-prospecting tools for drug discovery,
Role of Ethnopharmacology in drug evaluation,
Reverse Pharmacology.
The Indian economy is classified into different sectors to simplify the analysis and understanding of economic activities. For Class 10, it's essential to grasp the sectors of the Indian economy, understand their characteristics, and recognize their importance. This guide will provide detailed notes on the Sectors of the Indian Economy Class 10, using specific long-tail keywords to enhance comprehension.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
How to Split Bills in the Odoo 17 POS ModuleCeline George
Bills have a main role in point of sale procedure. It will help to track sales, handling payments and giving receipts to customers. Bill splitting also has an important role in POS. For example, If some friends come together for dinner and if they want to divide the bill then it is possible by POS bill splitting. This slide will show how to split bills in odoo 17 POS.
Palestine last event orientationfvgnh .pptxRaedMohamed3
An EFL lesson about the current events in Palestine. It is intended to be for intermediate students who wish to increase their listening skills through a short lesson in power point.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
1. EXAM RESOURCE
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
In Question 1(b) you must write about one of your media coursework
productions.
Audience
Examples
June
2011
Analyse
one
of
your
coursework
productions
in
relation
to
the
concept
of
audience.
How
else
could
the
word
the
question?
Apply
theories
of
audience
to
one
of
your
coursework
productions
Explain
how
one
of
your
coursework
productions
work
could
be
analysed
via
the
use
of
audience
theories.
Apply
the
concept
of
audience
to
one
of
your
coursework
productions.
2. 1 (b) Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of
audience. [25]
Candidates will need to choose one production from either Foundation Portfolio or
Advanced Portfolio.
Examiners are reminded that candidates are asked to relate a media production to a
theoretical concept and they are at liberty to either apply the concept to their production or
explain how the concept is not useful in relation to their production.
Level 1 (0-9 marks)
Candidates at this level attempt to relate the production to the basic concept of audience,
with limited clarity. The account may be incomplete or be only partly convincing. Very few, if
any, examples are offered from the chosen production. The answer offers minimal use of
relevant basic conceptual terms.
Some simple ideas have been expressed. There will be some errors of spelling, punctuation
and grammar which will be noticeable and intrusive. Writing may also lack legibility.
Level 2 (10-15 marks)
Candidates offer a mainly descriptive, basic account of how their production can be
understood in the basic theoretical context of audience. A narrow range of examples are
described, of which some are relevant. The answer makes basic use of relevant conceptual
terms.
Some simple ideas have been expressed in an appropriate context. There are likely to be
some errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar of which some may be noticeable and
intrusive.
Level 3 (16-20 marks)
Candidates demonstrate the ability to relate their own creative outcomes to some ideas
about audience drawn from relevant media theory. Some relevant and convincing examples
from the production are offered and these are handled proficiently. The answer makes
proficient use of relevant conceptual language.
Relatively straightforward ideas have been expressed with some clarity and fluency.
Arguments are generally relevant, though may stray from the point of the question. There
will be some errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar but these are unlikely to be
intrusive or obscure meaning.
Level 4 (21-25 marks)
Candidates demonstrate a clear understanding of audience and relevant media theory and
can relate concepts articulately to the production outcome, describing specific elements in
relation to theoretical ideas about how media texts are produced for and received by
audiences in various ways. Candidates offer a broad range of specific, relevant, interesting
and clear examples of how their product can be understood in relation to relevant theories of
audience and reception.
Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently using a style of writing appropriate
to the complex subject matter. Sentences and paragraphs, consistently relevant, have been
well structured, using appropriate technical terminology. There may be few, if any, errors of
spelling, punctuation and grammar.
3. I found examples of many film posters to complete textual analysis on and created a
moodboard of conventions. I also asked a target audience for their preferences in this
area which I think is essential in order to successfully attract your consumers.
Conventions that I identified were bold, graphic fonts for both mastheads and
straplines (such as a glowing effect) very glamorous photography with fashionable
costume, hair, make up and body attitude, good quality photography, many smaller
framed photographs and barcode and edition information. The language created focus
on the on the film industry. Using these conventions I created my front cover. My
photography was taken on SLR camera in order to make it look better quality, which
was successful. I used a long shot of my main character looking glamorous and
beautiful but scared. This fits the convention of the front cover using the theme of the
main featured film. To follow this I created the masthead with a glowing font and
superimposed it onto the character so that her head appeared to be placed on top of the
text using cutting, cropping, copying tools and different layers. This made my cover
seem professional I think. The glowing font was a deep shade of red to connote blood
and danger and fit in with my horror genre. I used more impressive graphic fonts,
such as ‘cracked’ fonts to stick to my horror genre theme. My barcode and date of
edition were essential touches which I created through scanning in an existing
magazine and copying it into my text. This is extremely conventional as all real media
magazines include a barcode for the sales side of the industry.
Overall, over my 2 year coursework I became more confident in identifying generic
conventions of a product. My technology skills and knowledge of the media both
developed and allowed me to create a more realistic and professional piece in my
Advanced Portfolio.
This is a high level 3 response. There is a real sense of progression and a chosen
theme – genre conventions is sustained in detail, along with a wide range of
examples of creative techniques that led to conventional outcomes. The answer
doesn’t quite meet the criteria for level 4 because conventions are sometimes
dealt with in a reductive way – eg a barcode, as opposed to being opened up to an
analysis of their more symbolic qualities.
1(b) Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of
audience.
The concept of audience is fundamental to the making of a media text. A producer
must take into account the age, social status and gender and interests of a target
consumer in order to adjust the text to make it as appealing to them as possible. For
my A2 coursework I created a horror called ‘The sleepover’. Classification of age
appropriateness is important in audience identification. Films are screened by an
external board and given a minimum age of viewers. Most horror films are rated 18,
due to extreme gore, violence, sex and disturbance – not to mention emotional trauma
which is why I chose to rate my film as 18 as my film was a very conventional slasher
film.
The Hypodermic Needle effect is the first audience theory. It originated in the 1920s
when mass media first began to be popular. This suggests that a producer has an
intended meaning which is definitely understood by the audience. In this theory the
audience are completely passive. If this was applied to my text the audience would
4. view the killing scenes and sex scenes and instantly replicate the actions. This of
course is unrealistic and this theory is often argued to be very simplistic and outdate,
considering how much the media has developed this century.
The uses and gratifications audience theory suggests than an audience consume
particular texts in order to receive something from them. Bulmer and Katz identified
four uses and gratifications as diversion (entertainment and escape from reality),
surveillance (information), personal identity (seeing yourself reflected in the text and
learning new values and personal relationships (seeking emotional interaction and
substituting media relationships for your own). In my coursework, a consumer may
use diversion - the horror trailer is escapist – a route away from reality and they
would be entertained by the mystery and fear of my film. Diversion would also
include catharsis that my trailer would enable, which is using the media as an outlet of
emotion – they would experience horror in the safety of cinema. They would also
experience the ‘personal identity’ stage in seeing themselves in, or, admiring, the
good characters – particularly the ‘final girl’ character and her charming boyfriend,
depending on gender of audience member. They would also have the personal
relationships because they could feel emotion of the fear and sadness of the victims
whilst substituting their emotional relationship with the friendships in my trailer or the
main characters’ romantic relationship with her boyfriend. My audience would not
use the surveillance stage as horror films are not intended to be instructional.
The most modern and developed theory of audience is reception theory. This model
based on Stuart Hall’s encoding model, suggests that a producer will encode a text
and the audience will decode it. Their reading is affected by many contextual and
personal factors such as age, social status, gender, current mood and personal
experiences. I encoded my horror trailer as well as I could using beautiful, edgy,
feminine characters which appeal to the female consumers. I used isolated settings
which suggest to the audience that escape isn’t possible (deserted house, woods) thus
highlighting the experience of fear and panic that one hopes for when watching a
horror film. I used acoustic codes in the form of a deep male voice over and jumpy,
low orchestral score to hope that my audience will feel tension and suspense. My
killer was masked and always appeared silent and in the shadows, connoting evil and
dehumanising him hopefully creating a response of fear from the audience.
My main target audience were males and females aged 18-30. I used attractive actors
to appeal to the audience who would admire / desire them. The ‘cool’ stylish clothing
adds to this. I used the male gaze theory by Laura Mulvey, showing a victim’s
cleavage and the ‘final girl’ theory (hopefully creating a stronger feminist image to
other women) to attract both genders. I used audience research in the form of
questionnaires to find out my audiences preferences and dislikes in order to make my
trailer meet their interests as fully as possible. I also asked for audience feedback on
my first drafts which allowed me to make improvements based on the opinions of 20
18-30 year olds. The told me to exaggerate gore and violence more and use more
threatening music which I then incorporated using iMovie so that me audience was
tempted to watch my piece.
I aimed my piece at a low social status as my trailer was a version of British teenagers
experiencing the American slasher experience. I used strong language, popular music
for soundtrack and fashionable clothing to hopefully attract this group.
This is a level 3 / level 4 borderline response
5. Level 4 qualities –coherence, range of useful examples, ability to answer the
question in sustained manner, relating of theory to practice. The understanding
of Hall’s encoding / decoding model in relation to own work. The discussion of
‘effects’ early on is clear and relevant.
Level 3 qualities – the application of audience theories (insufficiently developed
for level 4 – eg the ‘use of’ Mulvey, in the same paragraph as the use of
questionnaires for feedback).
6. Reflecting
on
Past
Student
Work
Read
through
the
example
thinking
about
the
assessment
criteria
Explanation/analysis/argument (10 marks)
Use of examples (10 marks)
Use of terminology (5 marks).
• Highlight
in
one
colour
every
time
a
technical/
media
term
is
used.
• In
another
colour
highlight
where
they
have
used
an
example
from
their
work
to
illustrate
a
point
• In
a
third
colour
highlight
where
they
explain
the
effect
or
reason,
make
an
evaluative/
judgement
style
statement
and/or
make
a
link
to
a
central
argument/
idea/
theme
that
runs
through
the
essay
Make
a
list
of
all
the
positive
features
of
the
essay:
Based
on
the
assessment
criteria
what
advice
would
you
give
this
student
about
how
to
improve
their
work?
What
aspects,
ideas,
points
could
you
used
from
this
essay
in
your
own?
7. at the advanced stage and they added to the quirky image of Lexi. I watched videos
like The Pharcyde’s ‘Drop’ and Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’ which were great
inspirations as they used the reverse editing so differently.
Furthermore, Lexi wore a Rolling Stones vest which integrated intertextuality which
is a common convention in a lot of music. I also shot test footage and created mood
boards of London as this was key in Lexi’s British image.
Overall, both projects were influenced by conventions of existing media but to
different extents. While the foundation portfolio focussed on rigid conventions, the
advanced one was more towards using subtle ones to construct an image and brand.
Technically, my knowledge has improved as I researched music more thoroughly and
learnt a lot in doing so.
This is a level 4 response. The answer clearly describes, and evaluates
progression over the course (from following rigid conventions to using more
subtle techniques) and combines a theoretical language (intertextuality,
connotation) with specific details of creative choices made and how these were
informed by conventions. A range of examples of both decisions made and
existing media texts provide conviction and substance and the question is
answered throughout the response.
1b) Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of
audience.
The target audience of my music video for debut artist ‘Lexi Grace’ was a huge
consideration as it was important to construct a music video that would entice and
excite them. Lexi is an androgynous artist as she is feminine and can attract male
audiences, yet has short hair and can wear biker boots to represent a ‘girl power’
image.
David Gauntlett addresses ‘fluidity’ in media and Lexi is a prime example of this as
she drifts between sexy red lipstick and girly dresses and yet directly addresses the
camera, subverting traditional stereotypes of passive women which shows her
diversity and appeal to many people. Her target audience is young people of both
genders and her Britishness is a key factor. The video is set in London, with Lexi
walking around different iconic scenes such as Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden.
My aim was that by associating Lexi with iconic places, audiences would associate
her as an icon as well. Also, by incorporating post-modern ides through intertextuality
as Lexi wears a Rolling Stones vest, audiences would recognise this, gratifying their
needs as they would associate Lexi with the band and legendary music in general.
Furthermore, Lexi can be a role model to young people as she is a young person
herself, at 19 years old and audiences can familiarise with her. Laura Mulvey’s idea
on the action of ‘looking’ was an inspiration as Liexi is objectified in someways, for
example through ECUs on her lips or pans across her legs as she walks, yet she
directly addresses the camera and subverts this ‘passive’ role as she almost objectifies
8. those looking at her. This ability to be diverse is key to Lexi’s audience appeal and
again, her fluidity.
Through camerawork, editing, mise en scene and sound I was able to create a brand
image for Lexi to appeal to her audience. Editing was used to emphasise sounds, for
example, jump cuts on lyrics like “things that are inside” to emphasise the importance
of them. The message of the song was important as Lexi needed to attract viewers to
watch repeatedly. The majority of shots were very short and Lexi wore many outfits
and appeared in different locations ranging from central London to North London.
During the audience screening I noticed people talking about places they recognised
and Lexi’s clothes, so this was a positive point as it provided a ‘basis for social
interaction’ which gratifies the needs of the audience.
Moreover Lexi appeals to her audience because she is unlike any other artist. Singers
like Pink and Robyn have similar styles but seem very edgy and artists like Pixie Lott
are extremely feminine and overtly sexualised. Lexi has the right balance, which is
why she can appeal to both males and females. She can embody Winship’s theory of
girl power, but also appeal to males through subtle sexuality through costume and
styling (using dresses and high heels). She is the ultimate icon of post modernism as
she has feminine qualities but isn’t overtly sexualised and subverts stereotypical roles.
This is a level 3 response. The question is answered directly and theories of
audience / reception are coherently and intelligently applied to one chosen text.
There are flaws - Winship’s theories do not relate to ‘girl power’ in this
simplistic sense and at times ‘audience theory’ is reduced to ‘appealing to the
audience’ and these shortcomings prevent the script from accessing the level 4
mark range.
9. Reflecting
on
Past
Student
Work
Read
through
the
example
thinking
about
the
assessment
criteria
Explanation/analysis/argument (10 marks)
Use of examples (10 marks)
Use of terminology (5 marks).
• Highlight
in
one
colour
every
time
a
technical/
media
term
is
used.
• In
another
colour
highlight
where
they
have
used
an
example
from
their
work
to
illustrate
a
point
• In
a
third
colour
highlight
where
they
explain
the
effect
or
reason,
make
an
evaluative/
judgement
style
statement
and/or
make
a
link
to
a
central
argument/
idea/
theme
that
runs
through
the
essay
Make
a
list
of
all
the
positive
features
of
the
essay:
Based
on
the
assessment
criteria
what
advice
would
you
give
this
student
about
how
to
improve
their
work?
What
aspects,
ideas,
points
could
you
used
from
this
essay
in
your
own?
10. 1b) Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of
audience.
‘Spinning Time’ was the teaser trailer I made in A2 media and is what I will eb
analysing in terms of genre.
‘Spinning Time’ is a teen comedy about a teenage girl who has a watch that can
control time. As such it is aimed at teenage girls who can relate and identify with the
protagonist. Subsequently my target audience is girls aged between eleven and
nineteen.
I catered for this audience, firstly by presenting a relatable protagonist in Myles
Brown. She is a student dedicated to her work, though also a bit lazy as depicted by
her hesitance to get out of bed the trailers beginning. The film was intended to be a
Disney family film and as such ‘Funmi Buriamoh’ the actress playing Myles Brown is
the new up and coming teen start like Selena Gomez in ‘Ramona and Beezus’. As
such the casting of Buriamoh would be an aspect to draw in the target audience.
My target audience are predominantly fans of popular music – energetic, exciting, like
stuff from the top 40. Chick flicks which are the sub genre of films that cater to my
audience feature this kind of music throughout teaser trailers and the film. As such I
complied with the conventions of Chick Flicks by incorporating this kind of music to
entice my target audience.
I was in no way trying to create moral panic with my film. It’s Disney-esque vide was
highly considered during its creating, empowering it to be the kind of film the family
can see together.
I think that there are many uses and gratifications to ‘Spinning Time’. The positive
portrayal of an Afro-Caribbean teen is not something that is often seen in big-
budgeted Hollywood films/ As such it breaks stereotypes and challenges conventions,
and subsequently some preconceptions regarding the demographic. Additionally it
provides the target audience with a new role model to look up to and possibly use as
reinforcement for their personal values and beliefs – as Myles is quite a positive
character.
The preferred reading of ‘Spinning Time’ is that audiences will wish they were in
Myles position; having a watch that could control time as it would make life more
exciting, easy and generally more fun. Having the instant opportunity to rewind time
and do things over again (like a test for example) would eliminate the universal fear
of making mistakes. I think eroding that fear would generally make people happier
and less self conscious.
However, an oppositional reading to the film could be that Myles is too lazy and
selfish to be using such an amazing gift for lazy personal gain reasons – like catching
a bus. The audience may expect Myles to do something much more meaningful like
prevent deaths or wars.
In conclusion I provided for my target audience in a number of ways (including
music, casting, mise en scene to give the happy Disney-esque vibe and plot) duting
the creation of ‘Spinning Time’. The piece is for entertainment as opposed to creating
11. moral panic, and hopefully offers audience members the opportunity for self
discovery and social integration through discussing what they’d do if they had a time
controlling watch.
This is a level 3 response. Some elements are proficient and some are competent.
Proficient – the ability to select one piece of work and to relate it to theories of
audience / effects such as moral panics and preferred readings (though these are
not attributed to Cohen or Hall / Morley).
Competent – the examples are clear and the theoretical analysis is
straightforward – in this sense the understanding of audiences’ reading the text
is insufficient for the higher mark level.
12. Reflecting
on
Past
Student
Work
Read
through
the
example
thinking
about
the
assessment
criteria
Explanation/analysis/argument (10 marks)
Use of examples (10 marks)
Use of terminology (5 marks).
• Highlight
in
one
colour
every
time
a
technical/
media
term
is
used.
• In
another
colour
highlight
where
they
have
used
an
example
from
their
work
to
illustrate
a
point
• In
a
third
colour
highlight
where
they
explain
the
effect
or
reason,
make
an
evaluative/
judgement
style
statement
and/or
make
a
link
to
a
central
argument/
idea/
theme
that
runs
through
the
essay
Make
a
list
of
all
the
positive
features
of
the
essay:
Based
on
the
assessment
criteria
what
advice
would
you
give
this
student
about
how
to
improve
their
work?
What
aspects,
ideas,
points
could
you
used
from
this
essay
in
your
own?
13. I found examples of many film posters to complete textual analysis on and created a
moodboard of conventions. I also asked a target audience for their preferences in this
area which I think is essential in order to successfully attract your consumers.
Conventions that I identified were bold, graphic fonts for both mastheads and
straplines (such as a glowing effect) very glamorous photography with fashionable
costume, hair, make up and body attitude, good quality photography, many smaller
framed photographs and barcode and edition information. The language created focus
on the on the film industry. Using these conventions I created my front cover. My
photography was taken on SLR camera in order to make it look better quality, which
was successful. I used a long shot of my main character looking glamorous and
beautiful but scared. This fits the convention of the front cover using the theme of the
main featured film. To follow this I created the masthead with a glowing font and
superimposed it onto the character so that her head appeared to be placed on top of the
text using cutting, cropping, copying tools and different layers. This made my cover
seem professional I think. The glowing font was a deep shade of red to connote blood
and danger and fit in with my horror genre. I used more impressive graphic fonts,
such as ‘cracked’ fonts to stick to my horror genre theme. My barcode and date of
edition were essential touches which I created through scanning in an existing
magazine and copying it into my text. This is extremely conventional as all real media
magazines include a barcode for the sales side of the industry.
Overall, over my 2 year coursework I became more confident in identifying generic
conventions of a product. My technology skills and knowledge of the media both
developed and allowed me to create a more realistic and professional piece in my
Advanced Portfolio.
This is a high level 3 response. There is a real sense of progression and a chosen
theme – genre conventions is sustained in detail, along with a wide range of
examples of creative techniques that led to conventional outcomes. The answer
doesn’t quite meet the criteria for level 4 because conventions are sometimes
dealt with in a reductive way – eg a barcode, as opposed to being opened up to an
analysis of their more symbolic qualities.
1(b) Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of
audience.
The concept of audience is fundamental to the making of a media text. A producer
must take into account the age, social status and gender and interests of a target
consumer in order to adjust the text to make it as appealing to them as possible. For
my A2 coursework I created a horror called ‘The sleepover’. Classification of age
appropriateness is important in audience identification. Films are screened by an
external board and given a minimum age of viewers. Most horror films are rated 18,
due to extreme gore, violence, sex and disturbance – not to mention emotional trauma
which is why I chose to rate my film as 18 as my film was a very conventional slasher
film.
The Hypodermic Needle effect is the first audience theory. It originated in the 1920s
when mass media first began to be popular. This suggests that a producer has an
intended meaning which is definitely understood by the audience. In this theory the
audience are completely passive. If this was applied to my text the audience would
14. view the killing scenes and sex scenes and instantly replicate the actions. This of
course is unrealistic and this theory is often argued to be very simplistic and outdate,
considering how much the media has developed this century.
The uses and gratifications audience theory suggests than an audience consume
particular texts in order to receive something from them. Bulmer and Katz identified
four uses and gratifications as diversion (entertainment and escape from reality),
surveillance (information), personal identity (seeing yourself reflected in the text and
learning new values and personal relationships (seeking emotional interaction and
substituting media relationships for your own). In my coursework, a consumer may
use diversion - the horror trailer is escapist – a route away from reality and they
would be entertained by the mystery and fear of my film. Diversion would also
include catharsis that my trailer would enable, which is using the media as an outlet of
emotion – they would experience horror in the safety of cinema. They would also
experience the ‘personal identity’ stage in seeing themselves in, or, admiring, the
good characters – particularly the ‘final girl’ character and her charming boyfriend,
depending on gender of audience member. They would also have the personal
relationships because they could feel emotion of the fear and sadness of the victims
whilst substituting their emotional relationship with the friendships in my trailer or the
main characters’ romantic relationship with her boyfriend. My audience would not
use the surveillance stage as horror films are not intended to be instructional.
The most modern and developed theory of audience is reception theory. This model
based on Stuart Hall’s encoding model, suggests that a producer will encode a text
and the audience will decode it. Their reading is affected by many contextual and
personal factors such as age, social status, gender, current mood and personal
experiences. I encoded my horror trailer as well as I could using beautiful, edgy,
feminine characters which appeal to the female consumers. I used isolated settings
which suggest to the audience that escape isn’t possible (deserted house, woods) thus
highlighting the experience of fear and panic that one hopes for when watching a
horror film. I used acoustic codes in the form of a deep male voice over and jumpy,
low orchestral score to hope that my audience will feel tension and suspense. My
killer was masked and always appeared silent and in the shadows, connoting evil and
dehumanising him hopefully creating a response of fear from the audience.
My main target audience were males and females aged 18-30. I used attractive actors
to appeal to the audience who would admire / desire them. The ‘cool’ stylish clothing
adds to this. I used the male gaze theory by Laura Mulvey, showing a victim’s
cleavage and the ‘final girl’ theory (hopefully creating a stronger feminist image to
other women) to attract both genders. I used audience research in the form of
questionnaires to find out my audiences preferences and dislikes in order to make my
trailer meet their interests as fully as possible. I also asked for audience feedback on
my first drafts which allowed me to make improvements based on the opinions of 20
18-30 year olds. The told me to exaggerate gore and violence more and use more
threatening music which I then incorporated using iMovie so that me audience was
tempted to watch my piece.
I aimed my piece at a low social status as my trailer was a version of British teenagers
experiencing the American slasher experience. I used strong language, popular music
for soundtrack and fashionable clothing to hopefully attract this group.
This is a level 3 / level 4 borderline response
15. Level 4 qualities –coherence, range of useful examples, ability to answer the
question in sustained manner, relating of theory to practice. The understanding
of Hall’s encoding / decoding model in relation to own work. The discussion of
‘effects’ early on is clear and relevant.
Level 3 qualities – the application of audience theories (insufficiently developed
for level 4 – eg the ‘use of’ Mulvey, in the same paragraph as the use of
questionnaires for feedback).
16. Reflecting
on
Past
Student
Work
Read
through
the
example
thinking
about
the
assessment
criteria
Explanation/analysis/argument (10 marks)
Use of examples (10 marks)
Use of terminology (5 marks).
• Highlight
in
one
colour
every
time
a
technical/
media
term
is
used.
• In
another
colour
highlight
where
they
have
used
an
example
from
their
work
to
illustrate
a
point
• In
a
third
colour
highlight
where
they
explain
the
effect
or
reason,
make
an
evaluative/
judgement
style
statement
and/or
make
a
link
to
a
central
argument/
idea/
theme
that
runs
through
the
essay
Make
a
list
of
all
the
positive
features
of
the
essay:
Based
on
the
assessment
criteria
what
advice
would
you
give
this
student
about
how
to
improve
their
work?
What
aspects,
ideas,
points
could
you
used
from
this
essay
in
your
own?
17.
Section
1B
Essay
Plan
for____________________________________________________________________________________________
Central
Argument
(Define
the
concept,
why
is
this
thing
important,
what
impact
did
it
have,
what
theorists
could
you
talk
about/quote)
First
Example
of
how
you
used
this
idea
and
effect
it
had
(audience
feedback??????)
Second
example
of
how
you
used
this
idea
and
effect
it
had
(audience
feedback??????)
Third
example
of
how
you
used
this
idea
and
effect
it
had
(audience
feedback??????)
Four
example
of
how
you
challenged
this
idea
(audience
feedback??????)