This document outlines the summer tasks for a Media Studies course covering four subject areas: language, industries, audience, and representation. Students are asked to complete four tasks over the summer break: 1) Analyze how a magazine cover or film poster targets a specific audience; 2) Analyze the techniques used in a film trailer; 3) Examine how the media represents social groups through newspaper covers and advertising campaigns; 4) Research the major film studios known as the "Big Six" and their recent media productions. Completing these tasks will give students practice in key media analysis skills required for the two-year A Level course.

1. Media Studies
Summer Tasks 2018
Introductiontothe course:
Welcome to Media Studies! Over the 2 years of A Level Media Studies course you will be
studying the following subject areas:
 Language
 Industries
 Audience
 Representation
Each of these areas covers a range of different skills. You will be looking at these areas and
learning how:
 The media represents events, issues, individuals and social groups in different ways.
 To create your own media products, using industry standard software.
 To develop your research and analysis skills through the study of a range of media
forms such as magazines, posters, film and television.
 To analyse how the media uses conventions and techniques to create meaning for an
audience.
 Different media are targeted to specific audiences.
 To evaluate professional media to understand how the producers and directors aim
to make an audience think or feel.

2. Summer Tasks:
Summer Task 1 - Audience (how the media forms target, reach and address audiences, how audiences
interpret and respond to them and how audiences become producers themselves)
Choose any magazinefront cover or film poster - annotate and analyse how the product is tailored and
targetedfor a particular audience.
Summer Task 2 - Media Language (how the media through their forms, codes, conventions and techniques
communicate meanings)
Analysis of why a director/producer has made certain decisions in creating a product is a key part of
Media Studies. Write a 500 words analysis of ONE aspect of the Deutschland ‘83 trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb0yFr2jVAU and discuss the director’s use of camera, editing,
sound and mise en scene (costumes, lighting, actors, makeup, props, setting) etc
Summer Task 3 - Representation (how media forms portray events, issues, individuals and social groups)
One of the key principles underpinning the A Level Media Studies course is the concept of representation
and the role the media plays in shaping our understanding of the world. Media theorist David Gauntlett
argues that:
"Popular media has a significant but not entirely straightforward relationship with people's sense of
gender and identity." ('Media, Gender and Identity', 2002)
 Find a front cover of the Guardian and the Daily Mail from a major event, for eg the Trump visit,
that show the role the media plays in shaping our views and opinions on any one group in our
society. Is this representation positive or negative? https://www.thepaperboy.com/uk/uk-top-
10-newspapers.cfm
 Look at advertising analyse the banned Are you beach body ready and compare with This Girl
Can advertising campaign.
(e.g. specific groups within gender, age, disability, regional identity, ethnicity, sexuality, class/status etc.)
Summer Task 4 - Media Industries (how the media industries’ processes of production, distribution and
circulation affect media forms and platforms)
Research Task:
1. When talking about the film industry, what do we mean by the 'Big Six'? Why might this become
the Big 5.
2. Who are the 'Big Six'? What other companies do they own?
3. Find an example of a major media product that each of the 'Big Six' have produced within the last
year, and research key information about these productions (budget, cast (if relevant),
advertising campaign, release dates etc.)
REMINDERS:
 If you need help – there are countless tutorials on the internet, and the research skills you
develop whilst finding information will also be invaluable for your Media A Level! Feel free to
email with any questions kbr@gbhs.co.uk