The question could be:
-Audience -Genre -Narrative -Representation -
Media Language
You must show:
-Understanding of concept
-Relate concepts and examples from your coursework.
-Range of specific, clear relevant examples.
-Use conceptual throughout.
-Reference to the theorists
-Evaluation of usefulness of concept/theory to your
production
Worth 25 marks- spend 30 minutes
on it!
Every time we encounter a media text, we are not seeing
reality, but someone’s version of it.
Selection: Whatever ends up on the screen is selected, much
more will have been left out.
Organisation: Elements will be organised carefully in ways that
real life is not.
Stereotype: A stereotype is a standardised and usually
oversimplifies mental picture or attitude that is held in
common by members of a group.
It is a simplification used to make sense of a real person or
group, which, in reality, is much more complicated.
Genre’s are categories or types of media text.
Genre’s are recognisable through the repeated
use of generic codes and conventions.
-Iconographies
-Narrative
-Representations
-Ideologies
How did you use these codes?
All genre’s are instances of repetition and
difference. No pleasure without difference.
Films have to conform to audience
expectations about narrative.
Douglas Pye
Conventions, narrative themes, characters/stereotypes
and iconography.
He proposes the theory that the types of conventions
found in genres can be grouped in the following
categories: Iconographies: Symbols associated with the
genre.
Narrative: Structure
Representations: Characters/stereotypes.
Ideologies: Beliefs and ideas of the ideal concept themes.
Conventional definitions of genres tend to be
based on the notion that they constitute
particular conventions of context which are
shared by the texted which are regarded as
belonging to them.
Media institutions use genres as it allows for
product differentiation.
This means different genres of products are
produced to appeal to different target
audiences.
Tempo of music drives the editing. Genre
might be reflected in types if mise-en-scene,
themes, performance, camera and editing
style.
Camera work impacts meaning, movement,
angle and short distance all play a part in
representation.
Denotations: The literal meaning of something. E.g. if
you look for snake in the dictionary, one of its denotative
meanings is ‘scaly, legless, reptiles.’
Connotations: Associations that are connected to a
certain word or emotional suggestions. Anchorage: attach
meaning to something through either the matching of
words to images or the juxtaposition between them.
You made a lot of decisions regarding:
-Camera
-Editing
-Lighting
-Sound
-Mise-en-scene
-Special effects.
What codes and conventions have been used?
Identify and describe the meanings generated.
Media language is the way in
which the meaning of a text is
conveyed to the audience.
Signs and symbols in media texts are
polysemic which means they are open to many
interpretations.
For film and television, seeing the character in
a moving image text allows meaning to come
across as non-verbal communication.
Illustrate: Images used to represent the
meanings to the lyrics and genre, often very
literal.
Disjuncture: When the meaning of the song is
completely ignored.
Amplify: Meanings and effects are
manipulated and constantly shown throughout
the video and shown to the audience.
Came up with the term semiotic which is the
study of meaning making. Including the study
of signs and signification.
Arnheim critiques the assumption that language
goes before perception and that the words are
more of a stepping stone of thinking.
Arnheim believes that sensory knowledge allows
for the possibility of language since the only
access to reality we have is through our senses.
Visual perception is what allows us to have a true
understanding of experience.
Bergson commented on the need for new ways
of thinking about movement and come up with
the terms ‘the movement image’ and ‘the
time image’. The movement image: he argues
that cinema immediately give us movement
image. Figures are not described in motion;
rather the continuity of movement describes
the figure.
Looks at how the audience will interpret
meaning from a particular media text.
The denotation is an object placed within
media texts.
E.g. A poppy. It is then up to the audience to
draw their own cultural, social and historical
knowledge to interpret its connotations.
Hall’s theory thinks about the preferred meaning of text. If something is encoded it is
what is written within a media text. An image has been placed in the text by the
producer and will challenge or promote dominant ideologies. Decoding is when the
audience reads into his piece of media and makes their own interpretations of what
the image means.
Hall thinks the media circulated dominant ideas and his theory says that producers
place dominant ideas in different media.
There are ways in which the audience decodes texts:
-The audience fully accepts the preferred meaning, showing they agree with dominant
values.
-The audience takes a negotiated position, meaning that they only agree with some
preferred meaning.
-The audience takes an oppositional position.
● All media texts tell stories. The structure of these stories is
called a narrative.
● A story must appear to be real in order to engage us- how
does your coursework do this?
● It might seem obvious on how to apply a narrative structure
to your film, but think carefully if you have created a
magazine.
-How is your magazine structured?
-How does the font lead the reader into the
magazine.
-Consider enigma codes (Barthes and Torodov).
Conventions, iconography, codes, product
differentiation, genre’s, relationship,
character relationship, media texts, structure,
audience, engage, enigma, narrative.
How do these things relate to your
coursework?
Torodov or Todorov- Narrative Theory
Torodov’s narrative theory basically states
that most stories follow the same pattern.
Equilibrium~Disruption~Realisation~Restored
Order~ New Equilibrium
You can use this to relate to your own trailer
or music video and how you have used and
show your storyline to appeal to certain
audiences and provoke certain emotions.
Propp believes that all movies have 8 main
characters and they are always the same.
These characters are:
1. The Villain 6. Her Father
2.The Hero 7. The Dispatcher
3. The Donor 8. The False Hero
4. The Helper
5. The Princess
Barthes suggested that there will be one or more of the
five codes that describe the meaning of the text.
Enigma Codes: mystery within the text.
Action Codes: Sequential elements of action in the
text.Semantic Codes: The part of the text that suggests
or refers to additional meanings.
Symbolic Codes: Symbolism within the text.
Referential Codes: Anything in the text that refers to
things such as scientific, historical and cultural
knowledge.
He believed that the way we understand certain
words that depends on our understanding between
the world and its opposite (binary opposites).
An example of this is our understanding of the word
‘villain’ depends on the difference between that and
the opposing word ‘hero’. Binary opposites are used
frequently in horrors to show things such as good and
evil.
-To introduce characters: Propp
-Establish narrative structure: Torodov
-Get audience’s interest
-Establish core themes: Levi
-Introduce iconography
-Establishes audience expectation
-Leaves enigma codes: Barthes
-Significance of soundtrack- establishing moods
-Narrative conventions of opening sequences: Barthes
-Use of titles/credits event signifiers.
Audience
Who was your product aimed at?
How did you target this audience?
What was their reaction?
What type of audience are you aiming your product at?
-Niche
-Mainstream
Every media text is made with a view of pleasing and audience in
some way- how did you try to please your audience?
Make sure you consider: age, gender, demographic profile, socio-
economic group, welfare, lifestyle, values and attitudes.
The Hartley Classification: There are 7 socially grouped
categories when it comes to identifying audience:
-Self (ambitions and interests of the audience)
-Age -Ethnicity
-Gender -Family
-Class -Nation
The creator must know their audiences to be able tp
identify them correctly.
Texts need audiences in order to realise their potential
for meaning.
David Morley- Representation Theory
The Nationwide Project:
Morley is primarily known as being one of the principal researchers at TCCC’s.
The Nationwide Project was a research task which looked at the BBC’s show
Nationwide to study the encoding- decoding models.
Morley conducted qualitative research with a wide range of participants from
different backgrounds and observed their responses to the show.
People in management groups produced dominant readings, students
negotiated readings and trade union groups proved oppositional readings.
Morley concluded that decoding cannot be traced solely to socioeconomic
position as members of the same sample produced different meanings.
Stereotype has come to be defined as a
negative representation or over simplification
of a category of the people in a group.
Dyer explains that stereotypes reinforce ideas
of differences between people which are
natural.
HOWEVER:
Perkins argues stereotypes are not actually
negative and are not always about minority
groups.
As well as this, she commented on the fact
that stereotypes are not always fake. For
example the stereotype of being a mother.
Implies that the media has a direct impact on
the audiences and the norms, values and
morals are injected into them, giving them
the correct messages that they should live by.
Everything in the media is a representation,
everything we see is being represented.
Questions to ask when analysing representation:
Who or what is being represented?
How is the representation being created?
Who has created the representation?
Why is the representation created in that way?
What is the intention?
What is the effect of the representation?
The male gaze occurs when the audience is
put into the perspective of a hetrosexual man.
A sense may focus on the curves of a woman’s
body, putting the viewer in the eyes of a man.
The theory suggests that the male gaze denies
women's human identity and regulates them to
objects admired for their appearance.
Baudrillard is a postmodern theorist that argues
representation no longer refers to real things. The
representation has become more real tp us than reality
and has actually replaced it.
Simulacrum- when a copy replaces the original. For
Baudrillard, images are now hyperreal- they have no
relation to the real celebration.
Baudrillard would question the concept of representation
as a process which represents the real.
Institution->mediated->Consumer

A level media- A2- Section 1B

  • 3.
    The question couldbe: -Audience -Genre -Narrative -Representation - Media Language You must show: -Understanding of concept -Relate concepts and examples from your coursework. -Range of specific, clear relevant examples. -Use conceptual throughout. -Reference to the theorists -Evaluation of usefulness of concept/theory to your production Worth 25 marks- spend 30 minutes on it!
  • 4.
    Every time weencounter a media text, we are not seeing reality, but someone’s version of it. Selection: Whatever ends up on the screen is selected, much more will have been left out. Organisation: Elements will be organised carefully in ways that real life is not. Stereotype: A stereotype is a standardised and usually oversimplifies mental picture or attitude that is held in common by members of a group. It is a simplification used to make sense of a real person or group, which, in reality, is much more complicated.
  • 6.
    Genre’s are categoriesor types of media text. Genre’s are recognisable through the repeated use of generic codes and conventions. -Iconographies -Narrative -Representations -Ideologies How did you use these codes?
  • 7.
    All genre’s areinstances of repetition and difference. No pleasure without difference. Films have to conform to audience expectations about narrative. Douglas Pye
  • 8.
    Conventions, narrative themes,characters/stereotypes and iconography. He proposes the theory that the types of conventions found in genres can be grouped in the following categories: Iconographies: Symbols associated with the genre. Narrative: Structure Representations: Characters/stereotypes. Ideologies: Beliefs and ideas of the ideal concept themes.
  • 9.
    Conventional definitions ofgenres tend to be based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of context which are shared by the texted which are regarded as belonging to them.
  • 10.
    Media institutions usegenres as it allows for product differentiation. This means different genres of products are produced to appeal to different target audiences.
  • 12.
    Tempo of musicdrives the editing. Genre might be reflected in types if mise-en-scene, themes, performance, camera and editing style. Camera work impacts meaning, movement, angle and short distance all play a part in representation.
  • 13.
    Denotations: The literalmeaning of something. E.g. if you look for snake in the dictionary, one of its denotative meanings is ‘scaly, legless, reptiles.’ Connotations: Associations that are connected to a certain word or emotional suggestions. Anchorage: attach meaning to something through either the matching of words to images or the juxtaposition between them.
  • 14.
    You made alot of decisions regarding: -Camera -Editing -Lighting -Sound -Mise-en-scene -Special effects. What codes and conventions have been used? Identify and describe the meanings generated. Media language is the way in which the meaning of a text is conveyed to the audience.
  • 15.
    Signs and symbolsin media texts are polysemic which means they are open to many interpretations. For film and television, seeing the character in a moving image text allows meaning to come across as non-verbal communication.
  • 16.
    Illustrate: Images usedto represent the meanings to the lyrics and genre, often very literal. Disjuncture: When the meaning of the song is completely ignored. Amplify: Meanings and effects are manipulated and constantly shown throughout the video and shown to the audience.
  • 17.
    Came up withthe term semiotic which is the study of meaning making. Including the study of signs and signification.
  • 18.
    Arnheim critiques theassumption that language goes before perception and that the words are more of a stepping stone of thinking. Arnheim believes that sensory knowledge allows for the possibility of language since the only access to reality we have is through our senses. Visual perception is what allows us to have a true understanding of experience.
  • 19.
    Bergson commented onthe need for new ways of thinking about movement and come up with the terms ‘the movement image’ and ‘the time image’. The movement image: he argues that cinema immediately give us movement image. Figures are not described in motion; rather the continuity of movement describes the figure.
  • 20.
    Looks at howthe audience will interpret meaning from a particular media text. The denotation is an object placed within media texts. E.g. A poppy. It is then up to the audience to draw their own cultural, social and historical knowledge to interpret its connotations.
  • 21.
    Hall’s theory thinksabout the preferred meaning of text. If something is encoded it is what is written within a media text. An image has been placed in the text by the producer and will challenge or promote dominant ideologies. Decoding is when the audience reads into his piece of media and makes their own interpretations of what the image means. Hall thinks the media circulated dominant ideas and his theory says that producers place dominant ideas in different media. There are ways in which the audience decodes texts: -The audience fully accepts the preferred meaning, showing they agree with dominant values. -The audience takes a negotiated position, meaning that they only agree with some preferred meaning. -The audience takes an oppositional position.
  • 23.
    ● All mediatexts tell stories. The structure of these stories is called a narrative. ● A story must appear to be real in order to engage us- how does your coursework do this? ● It might seem obvious on how to apply a narrative structure to your film, but think carefully if you have created a magazine. -How is your magazine structured? -How does the font lead the reader into the magazine. -Consider enigma codes (Barthes and Torodov).
  • 24.
    Conventions, iconography, codes,product differentiation, genre’s, relationship, character relationship, media texts, structure, audience, engage, enigma, narrative. How do these things relate to your coursework?
  • 25.
    Torodov or Todorov-Narrative Theory Torodov’s narrative theory basically states that most stories follow the same pattern. Equilibrium~Disruption~Realisation~Restored Order~ New Equilibrium You can use this to relate to your own trailer or music video and how you have used and show your storyline to appeal to certain audiences and provoke certain emotions.
  • 26.
    Propp believes thatall movies have 8 main characters and they are always the same. These characters are: 1. The Villain 6. Her Father 2.The Hero 7. The Dispatcher 3. The Donor 8. The False Hero 4. The Helper 5. The Princess
  • 27.
    Barthes suggested thatthere will be one or more of the five codes that describe the meaning of the text. Enigma Codes: mystery within the text. Action Codes: Sequential elements of action in the text.Semantic Codes: The part of the text that suggests or refers to additional meanings. Symbolic Codes: Symbolism within the text. Referential Codes: Anything in the text that refers to things such as scientific, historical and cultural knowledge.
  • 28.
    He believed thatthe way we understand certain words that depends on our understanding between the world and its opposite (binary opposites). An example of this is our understanding of the word ‘villain’ depends on the difference between that and the opposing word ‘hero’. Binary opposites are used frequently in horrors to show things such as good and evil.
  • 29.
    -To introduce characters:Propp -Establish narrative structure: Torodov -Get audience’s interest -Establish core themes: Levi -Introduce iconography -Establishes audience expectation -Leaves enigma codes: Barthes -Significance of soundtrack- establishing moods -Narrative conventions of opening sequences: Barthes -Use of titles/credits event signifiers.
  • 30.
  • 31.
    Who was yourproduct aimed at? How did you target this audience? What was their reaction? What type of audience are you aiming your product at? -Niche -Mainstream Every media text is made with a view of pleasing and audience in some way- how did you try to please your audience? Make sure you consider: age, gender, demographic profile, socio- economic group, welfare, lifestyle, values and attitudes.
  • 32.
    The Hartley Classification:There are 7 socially grouped categories when it comes to identifying audience: -Self (ambitions and interests of the audience) -Age -Ethnicity -Gender -Family -Class -Nation The creator must know their audiences to be able tp identify them correctly. Texts need audiences in order to realise their potential for meaning.
  • 33.
    David Morley- RepresentationTheory The Nationwide Project: Morley is primarily known as being one of the principal researchers at TCCC’s. The Nationwide Project was a research task which looked at the BBC’s show Nationwide to study the encoding- decoding models. Morley conducted qualitative research with a wide range of participants from different backgrounds and observed their responses to the show. People in management groups produced dominant readings, students negotiated readings and trade union groups proved oppositional readings. Morley concluded that decoding cannot be traced solely to socioeconomic position as members of the same sample produced different meanings.
  • 34.
    Stereotype has cometo be defined as a negative representation or over simplification of a category of the people in a group. Dyer explains that stereotypes reinforce ideas of differences between people which are natural.
  • 35.
    HOWEVER: Perkins argues stereotypesare not actually negative and are not always about minority groups. As well as this, she commented on the fact that stereotypes are not always fake. For example the stereotype of being a mother.
  • 36.
    Implies that themedia has a direct impact on the audiences and the norms, values and morals are injected into them, giving them the correct messages that they should live by.
  • 38.
    Everything in themedia is a representation, everything we see is being represented. Questions to ask when analysing representation: Who or what is being represented? How is the representation being created? Who has created the representation? Why is the representation created in that way? What is the intention? What is the effect of the representation?
  • 39.
    The male gazeoccurs when the audience is put into the perspective of a hetrosexual man. A sense may focus on the curves of a woman’s body, putting the viewer in the eyes of a man. The theory suggests that the male gaze denies women's human identity and regulates them to objects admired for their appearance.
  • 40.
    Baudrillard is apostmodern theorist that argues representation no longer refers to real things. The representation has become more real tp us than reality and has actually replaced it. Simulacrum- when a copy replaces the original. For Baudrillard, images are now hyperreal- they have no relation to the real celebration. Baudrillard would question the concept of representation as a process which represents the real. Institution->mediated->Consumer