War Themed Music Videos

Here are some examples to study in advance of approaching the RESEARCH INVESTIGATION:


World War Z, Music Video (Muse) 2013.



Letters From War (Mark Schultz) 2009.



Army Dreamers, (Kate Bush) 1980.

Welcome to MS4

MS 4: MEDIA – TEXT, INDUSTRY AND AUDIENCE

This unit focuses on developing both the knowledge students have gained in other areas of the course and their understanding of the links between texts, the industries that have produced them and the different audiences that respond to them.

Key Features:

Centres select three industries to study. Centres then select three main texts from each industry to focus on. 

Two of the three selected texts per industry must be contemporary (made within the previous five years)

One text per industry must be British

We have chosen to focus on:

Music Industry:

Nirvana, Olly Murs, Britney Spears

Television:

The Big Bang Theory, Walking Dead, Life on Mars

Advertising Industry:

Halo, Gola, Dove

For each text selected, students will need to consider the following and the links between them, as relevant to the texts selected.

Selected Text

Industry Issues

Production

Background/ Context 

Marketing/ Promotion

Regulation

Global Implications

Distribution/ Exhibition

Genre

Signifiers, Conventions, Iconography

Narrative

Structure, Conventions, Key codes

Representation

 People, Places, Events/issues

Audience/ Users

Targeting

Positioning

Debates

Responses

What will students be required to do in the examination?

Students will be required to answer three questions: one question (from a choice of two) from Section A and two questions (from a choice of four) from Section B. They will be required to select a different industry for each answer and to make reference in their answer to their three key texts.

Section A will be based on the texts themselves and questions will be based on the areas of genre, narrative and representation. Section B will be based on industry and audience.

Sample approach:

MAGAZINES:

Big Issue: Skeleton outline

TEXT

Genre

How is Big Issue different to other magazines? Compare and contrast with other magazines studied and its front cover and contents page with a range of other front covers and contents pages

Narrative

Analyse at least 3 editions to ascertain typical structure, special and regular features, with a particular focus on contents pages.Representations

To what extent are representations of social issues, especially homelessness and poverty, realistic? How might this compare to representations in newspapers and other media forms?

Investigate positive representations of homeless people: students may wish to focus on the Street Talk feature, usually on the last page, or on Streetlights and Mr Big Issue Man, usually found on p.6.

INDUSTRY Production

Who owns The Big Issue? Introduction: a rare example of a successful independent magazine. Read the about us and how we work sections on the website.

Context

Research background and history: http://www.bigissue.com/magazinesite/introduction.html

Marketing

Discuss the magazine’s house style with particular reference to the Badger feature on the contents page and the editorial overview on the website.

Read http://www.bigissueonline.com/cgi-bin/foundation/info.html?domain=info&name=mission

How are the advertisements carried in Big Issue different to those in other magazines you have studied? How does Big Issue advertise itself?

Find and print off the magazine’s rate card and compare it to the rate card for another magazine you have studied. How can you explain these differences?

Regulation

Search the Press Complaints Commission website for any adjudications against The Big Issue. (there aren’t any. Why?)

Global Implications

Research the International Network of Street Papers:

Distribution

How does Big Issue distribution differ from that of any other magazine? Students may wish to use the website or to chat to a vendor.

AUDIENCE Target Audience Who they? Ways of classifying the Big Issue audience Discuss demographic and psychometric profiles and apply audience theories, then look at

the reader profile on the website. http://www.bigissue.com/profile.html

How does this magazine attract different groups within the target audience? (e.g. editorial content, Big Scene “what’s on” feature, film, book, music and art reviews, featured subscriber, competitions, letter, crossword..)

Investigate the magazine’s use of stars and celebrities with a particular focus on covers and the This Is Me feature usually found on p.20.

Positioning

What assumptions does this magazine make about its audience that set it apart from other magazines ?

Debates

Given stereotypes about the homeless, how do the students feel about Big Issue vendors? Look at the Big Issue code of conduct. http://www.bigissue.com/magazinesite/conduct.pdf To what extent is The Big Issue a “pro-social” text? Discussion of the idea of positive effects.

Responses

Look at the ABC data on the magazine and at the blurb which is usually found on page 4 to establish how many copies it sells. http://abcpdfcerts.abc.org.uk/pdf/certificates/13993353.pdf

Resources:

International Network of Street Papers: http://www.bigissue.com/intl.html (links to the excellent Big Issue website.) http://www.bigissue.com/magazinesite/ Vendors’ Code of Conduct: http://www.bigissue.com/magazinesite/conduct.pdf Audit Bureau of Circulations: http://www.abc.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=nav/abc&noc=y National Readership Survey: http://www.nrs.co.uk/open_access/open_topline/GeneraMagazines/index.cfm Press Complaints Commission Code of Practice: http://www.pcc.org.uk/assets/111/Code_aug_06.pdf

Getting Started

WJEC examiner Jonathan Nunns takes

you through the essential steps to

success.

Fifty percent. That’s how much this piece of

work contributes to your A Level grade. Now, I

can’t claim that this will be the funkiest, most

fun article you will ever read, but should you

happen to be an A2 Media student looking down

the business end of this particular task, then I’m

hoping that it might give you a bit of help.

To start with, here’s some context. The task has

three parts,

1. An investigative research essay – 1400-1800

words.

2. A production piece – up to four minutes of AV

or a minimum of three pages for a magazine or

website.

3. The inevitable evaluation – 500-750 words.

For you to do well, you will need to do lots

of work and preparation before you even start.

You will need to develop skills you may not

currently have and, above all, you will need to be

well-organised. It’s best not to be complacent

with this one. Near enough probably isn’t good

enough and lack of organization will show in a

ropey end product and a lousy grade.

Scheme of Work

Here is a rough timetable of what we'll be covering.

Prior to Summer break, we'll be doing an in depth revision of the key concepts of Genre, Representation and Narrative.

Read week two as your first week back after Summer.

Welcome to MS3

 Students are required to demonstrate: 

• Individual and independent research skills 
• The ability to use their research to inform a media product 
• Technical and creative skills 
• The ability to evaluate the product exploring the validity of the research undertaken 

Students will submit three pieces of linked work comprising: 

• A research investigation focused on one or more of the following concepts: genre, narrative, representation. (1400 – 1800 words) 
• A production which arises out of the research 
• An evaluation which explains how the research has informed the production (500 – 750 words) 

 The Research Investigation: 

This piece of work will be done individually. Students will formulate their own research field of study that is focused on one or more of the concepts of genre, narrative or representation. The teacher should have an instrumental role in negotiating the title for their assignments, reminding students that there must be clear potential for the development of the investigation into a production piece. 

 The Production: 

Digital media such as web sites and print based productions must be undertaken individually; audio and audio-visual productions may be undertaken either individually or in small groups of no more than 4 students. Students working in groups must all have a clearly defined production role which allows them to demonstrate a significant and definable contribution to the production. 

The production should reflect what the student has learnt through their research and should demonstrate creative and technical skills. 

 Digital media productions should be 3 – 4 pages in length, with the majority of the images being generated by the student. 

 Audio and audio-visual productions should be 3 – 4 minutes in length. (Shorter ones, in the case of animation may be agreed in consultation with the Principal Moderator. 

 In the case of campaigns, students may combine audio-visual and print. Print-based material must be produced individually. The audio-visual product only may be produced individually or by a small group. 

Please note: Students must present their productions in a different media form than to used at MS2 

Evaluation: 

The main purpose of the evaluation is to explore how the research undertaken informed the production. 
This is marked against AO 2
Apply knowledge and understanding when analysing media products and processes and evaluating their own practical work, to show how meanings and responses are created.

Evaluation
The production must be accompanied by an individual evaluation which
explores how the production has been informed by the research undertaken
into the relevant media concept.
The evaluation can be produced in any appropriate form such as:
 a discursive essay (with or without illustrations)
 a digital presentation with slide notes (such as a PowerPoint)

 a suitably edited blog.

Planning a discursive essay