This document provides resources for studying media at A-Level, including: - Advice to begin your critical investigation with a literature review to understand previous research and show how your work relates to or builds upon it. - Suggestions to record findings in a journal by noting sources, ideas, and your responses. - Links to general media studies sites, exam board information, contemporary media news, audience ratings, academic research, and specific topics like advertising, photography, film, and television. - Recommendations to search university media department sites, Amazon, Google Scholar, and your local university library for additional academic articles and resources.

1. Media Studies
Resources

2. What we need to know is how to ask the
questions. Most of us are surrounded by
answers and solutions in our lives. Our
adeptness at asking questions will determine
how we reach the solutions."
(R.S.Wurman, Information Anxiety. 1989, p.152)

3. For the A2 Critical
Investigation
Once you have your topic area begin with a literature review.
This shows that you can.....
• Understand and critically analyse the background research
• Select and source the information that is necessary to
develop a context for your research
It also:
• Shows how your investigation relates to previous research
• Reveals the contribution that your investigation makes to
this field (fills a gap, or builds on existing research, for
instance)
• Provides evidence that may help explain your findings later

4. Record your findings
• Keep a journal on paper
or electronically.
• Jot down all examples,
ideas, articles you come across.
• Note source, date, author, main point or view,
your feeling (gut response) & how it fits in with
your investigation.
• Colour code when you can for quick access to
information.

5. There are many
General Media
Studies sites –
some are linked
here...
http://alevelmedia.co.uk/
•
• http://www.media.edusites.co.uk/
• http://westudymedia.wordpress.com/
• http://mediaknowall.com/blog/

6. Exam Board
Links
• BTEC Creative Media Production Level 2
Extended Certificate
http://www.edexcel.com/quals/firsts10/media/Pa
ges/default.aspx
• AQA GCSE Media Studies
http://www.aqa.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/media
-studies.php
• AQA A Level AS and A2 Media Studies
http://www.aqa.org.uk/qualifications/alevel/media-studies.php

7. Contemporary Media News
•
•
•
•
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/

8. Audience Ratings
• http://www.barb.co.uk/ (for TV viewing figures)
• http://www.rajar.co.uk/ (for radio listening figures)
• http://www.rajar.co.uk/ (for news & magazines)
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/index.asp?navcode=
9 (for news and magazines)
• http://industry.bfi.org.uk/weekendboxoffice
(for UK Box office figures)
• http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ (for audience
reviews of films)

9. • Media Awareness network has some good
articles on media issues such as Media
Violence, Stereotyping, Privacy etc.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/index.cfm
•

10. Academic Articles
• Type your subject area in Amazon
Find what
academic theory
books have been
published on your
subject area
Use the Look
Inside function to
check contents

11. • Once you know the chapter title try typing it
into Google
• The full chapter or an extract from it may
come up in Google Scholar or Google Books

12. University Media Departments
• Theoretical articles and links
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/
• glossary of key terms
http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/navig
ation.htm
• Dan Laughey has a site for his university
students with theory, key theorists, opinion
and debate
http://danlaughey.com/date/2012/01/

13. Advertising
• Advertising Education Foundation
http://www.aef.com/index.html
• Creative Advertising examples
http://storecrowd.com/blog/creativeadvertising/
• Ads of the world – Global ad examples
comprehensive site http://adsoftheworld.com/
• Thinkbox – on British Television and advertising
http://www.thinkbox.tv/

14. Photography
• Magnum Photographers
http://www.magnumphotos.com/
• Life and Time Magazine Photographers
http://life.time.com/photographers/
• National Geographic photography
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/p
hotography/?source=NavPhoHome

15. Film
• Internet Movie Database IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/
• Analysing Moving Image Texts PDF
http://www.englishbiz.co.uk/downloads/filmanal
ysis.pdf
• Research into Film
http://nickredfern.wordpress.com/
• Some great examples of types of shots from real
cinema examples
http://www.youtube.com/user/mdfilmmakingvid
eos#p/u

16. Television
• Thinkbox UK based site with research into
television
• http://www.thinkbox.tv/

17. Other resources for Media
• Slideshare and Prezi for presentations on just
about anything
• Scribd for articles and extracts
• Youtube for how to info on practical
productions as well as loads of examples of
real texts and student produced texts
• Vimeo as another video sharing site
• Media magazine in library or sign up online

18. Not to mention....
• Your local University library may have a Media section – they
may need a letter that you are an A level student but are often
very helpful and you can copy single articles that are useful.
• Our very own department site media-radar
• PLUS the articles, books and resources in the MEDIA ROOM
K McCabe 2012