2.  This examination has two sections.
 Section A: candidates – Action Adventure
unseen film clip
 Section B: TV Comedy

3.  40% of final marks
 1 Hour 45 minutes
 Sections A and B are worth equal marks
making the sitcom section of the exam worth
20% of your final mark.

4.  AO1 Recall, select and communicate
Recall, select and communicate their
knowledge and understanding of media
products and the contexts in which they are
produced and consumed.
 AO2 Analyse and respond
 Analyse and respond to media texts/topics
using media key concepts and appropriate
terminology.

5.  Audience
 Media Language
 Institution

6.  Audience enjoyment
 Target audience
 Comparison of the sitcoms
 Consider a range of different points – at least
6!

7.  Intro- who are the target audiences?
 Types of humour
 Characterisation
 Narrative structures
 Scheduling/institution
 Opening credits
 Conclusion

8.  Linguistic: Innuendo/pun/sarcasm
 Physical: farce/ physical humour
 Situation comedy
 Exaggeration / hyperbole

9.  Stereotypes
 Main characters – allows audience to bond
 Cameo roles – celebrities as transient
characters
 Supporting characters may appear
occasionally.

10. A celebrity playing a
transient character
encourages the audience
to watch.
A core of main characters
allows the audience to bond
and emotionally engage with
the characters.
Stereotyping of
characters allows for
humour and
encourages the
audience to identify
with characters.

11. NSync in the
Simpsons
Russell Brand in
the Simpsons
Danny Devito in
Friends

12. The BBC tend to use famous actors/ Actress’ as their main
characters
Zoe Wanamaker and
Robert Lindsay in ‘My
Family’
Dawn French in ‘The
Vicar of Dibley’
Joanna Lumley and Jennifer
Saunders in ‘Absolutely
Fabulous’

13.  Main character – usually 4 – 6 main
characters
 Supporting characters – in occasional
episodes such as Phoebe’s brother or Gunther
 Transient characters – in one off episodes
 Cameo – celebrities who have a one off part
in a show.
 Use of well known actors to attract audience
(mainly BBC)

14.  Arc plot
 Episodic plot
 Cliffhangers
 Use of flashbacks
 Narrative strands
 Dramatic Irony – audience as omniscient (all
seeing)

15.  Flashbacks give background to the storyline
 Episodic plots allow ‘casual’ audience
members to watch occasionally.
 Arc plots engage the audience and ‘hook’
their interest.
 Cliff-hangers at the end of an episode or a
series again ‘hook’ the audience.

16.  Prime Time?
 After the watershed?
 Channel?
 British or American?
 Types of character?
(friends/colleagues/family)
 Repeats? Still being made?
 How is the institution funded? Effect?

17.  Theme tune (lyrics and tune)
 Introduces characters to the audience (how?)
 Sets the tone
 Typography used
 Introduces arc plots

18.  Just run through the characters in the sit
com
 Forget to compare the two
 Forget to use media terms
 Forget what you are being marked on!

19.  Candidates should be prepared to analyse
and discuss the following:
 • Mass and niche audiences
 • How a text addresses its audiences
 • The pleasures a text offers its audiences

20.  Targeting audiences
 • Placement between texts
 • Scheduling (eg stripping schedules)
 • Competition between institutions
 • Repeating texts on related
channels/stations
 • Releasing in different formats
 • Offering texts on demand

21.  Niche audience Types of Humour
 Mass audience Arc plot
 Institution episodic plot
 Prime time representation
 Watershed stereotypes
 Transient character audience
engagement
 Cameo supporting
character
 Narrative strand/structure