The course outline document describes the assessments for an A2 Media Studies course, including coursework and exam components. Coursework consists of creating opening minutes for a documentary, a radio trailer, and magazine listings, along with research and evaluation. The exam has two sections: a theoretical evaluation of previous coursework productions and an analysis of how the working class is represented in British film and TV.

1. A2 Media Studies: Introduction
Reflection

2. Course Outline
• Coursework: Documentary, Magazine Spread, Radio Advert (50%)
– Create the opening five minutes of a TV documentary about an issue of you choice (40
marks)
– Radio Trailer for the documentary (10 marks)
– Magazine listings on your documentary (10 marks)
– Research and Planning (20 marks)
– Followed by evaluation answering the four questions (20 marks)
• Exam: Critical Perspectives in Media (50%)
– Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production – evaluate the previous coursework you
completed at AS and A2 coursework, assessing the skills development over the course,
and then select then to select one of your media products and evaluate them. (50
marks)
– Section B: Contemporary Media Issues – Media and collective identity: how are the
working class represented within British Film and TV (50 marks)
– 2 Hour Exam

3. What have we answered?
• Who or what is being represented?
– The British working class
• How is the representation created?
– Mise-en-scene, camera angles and movements, sound and editing
• Who has created the representation?
– Director – Matthew Warchus (wasn’t working class)
– Script Writer – Stephen Beresford (wasn’t working class)
– Cast – Bill Nighy, Andrew Scott, Ben Schnetzer (none are working class and one isn't
British)
• Why is the representation created in that way?
– Ideologies: to portray the ideologies of the mining community and shows and active
audience through the mediated film contrasting with archival footage
• What is the effect of the representation?
– Hypodermic syringe theory suggests the audience is so passive they will accept
everything they see

4. What have we created?
For the introductory task, we have created a radio review show based around
the movie ‘Pride’. To do this, we had to watch the movie and answer
questions, including what happens in the movie, and what was the audience
reception of the movie through doing independent research on the movie, as
well working as a group. To create the radio clip, we had to learn how to
download royalty free music and sound off of the internet, to use in the radio
show, so we could have an music bed at the beginning and the end of the clip,
so it follows the conventions of a radio show. We also learnt how to use
various equipment to record the sound for the radio clip. We used the
microphones, and learnt how to use them to make sure the sound levels are
as stable as they can be. Finally, we learnt how to use garage band, which we
used to compile all of our sound clips and edit them to make sure they fit the
conventions. We learnt how to fix the sound levels, cut clips up, and layer
clips to make and echo, so the clip is aesthetically pleasing to the listener and
the content is clear for the audience.

5. Questionnaire analysis from radio
show…
Does the radio show follow
the codes and conventions of
radio shows?
Yes
No
• These results clearly
show that everyone
included within the
survey agreed that the
radio show we created
followed the codes and
conventions as they
were meant to.

6. Questionnaire analysis from radio
show…
• Majority suggested the
sound levels were even
and those who said
they wasn’t said there
was only minor things
that would be need to
be changed therefore
this could be improved
in the future.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Yes No
Are the sound levels even?