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ocr.org.uk/alevelmediastudies
A LEVELSpecification
MEDIA STUDIESH409For first assessment in 2019
A LEVEL Media Studies
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1© OCR 2017 A Level in Media Studies
Contents
1 Why choose an OCR A Level in Media Studies? 21a. WhychooseanOCRqualification? 21b. WhychooseanOCRALevelinMediaStudies? 31c. Whatarethekeyfeaturesofthisspecification? 41d. WhatisnewinOCR’sALevelinMediaStudies? 41e. HowdoIfindoutmoreinformation? 5
2 Thespecificationoverview 62a. OCR’s A Level in Media Studies (H409) 62b. Content of A Level in Media Studies (H409) 122c. ContentofMediamessages(H409/01) 142d. ContentofEvolvingmedia(H409/02) 192e. SubjectcontentforcomponentsH409/01andH409/02 232f. Contentofnon-examassessment:Makingmedia(H409/03/04) 282g. Priorknowledge,learningandprogression 31
3 Assessment of A Level in Media Studies 323a. Formsofassessment 323b. AssessmentObjectives(AO) 343c. Assessmentavailability 353d. Retakingthequalification 353e. Assessmentofextendedresponse 353f. Internalassessmentofnon-examassessment(NEA) 363g. Synopticassessment 443h. Calculatingqualificationresults 44
4 Admin:whatyouneedtoknow 454a. Pre-assessment 454b. Specialconsideration 464c. Externalassessmentarrangements 464d. Adminofnon-examassessment 464e. Resultsandcertificates 504f. Post-resultsservices 504g. Malpractice 50
5 Appendices 515a. Accessibility 515b. Overlapwithotherqualifications 515c. Acceptedfileformats 515d. Accessingthesetmediaproduct 525e. Academicideasandargumentstobestudied 54
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1 Why choose an OCR A Level in Media Studies?
1a. WhychooseanOCRqualification?
ChooseOCRandyou’vegotthereassurancethatyou’reworkingwithoneoftheUK’sleadingexamboards. Our new A Level in Media Studies course has beendevelopedinconsultationwithteachers,employersandHigherEducationtoprovidelearnerswithaqualificationthat’srelevanttothemandmeetstheir needs.
We’repartoftheCambridgeAssessmentGroup,Europe’slargestassessmentagencyandadepartmentoftheUniversityofCambridge.CambridgeAssessmentplaysaleadingroleindevelopinganddeliveringassessmentsthroughouttheworld,operatinginover150countries.
Weworkwitharangeofeducationproviders,includingschools,colleges,workplacesandotherinstitutionsinboththepublicandprivatesectors.Over13,000centreschooseourALevels,GCSEsandvocationalqualificationsincludingCambridgeNationalsandCambridgeTechnicals.
OurSpecifications
Webelieveindevelopingspecificationsthathelpyoubringthesubjecttolifeandinspireyourstudentstoachievemore.
We’vecreatedteacher-friendlyspecificationsbasedonextensiveresearchandengagementwiththeteachingcommunity.They’redesignedtobestraightforwardandaccessiblesothatyoucantailorthedeliveryofthecoursetosuityourneeds.Weaim
toencouragelearnerstobecomeresponsiblefortheirownlearning,confidentindiscussingideas,innovativeandengaged.
Weprovidearangeofsupportservicesdesignedtohelpyouateverystage,frompreparationthroughtothedeliveryofourspecifications.Thisincludes:
• Awiderangeofhigh-qualitycreativeresourcesincluding:• DeliveryGuides• TransitionGuides• TopicExplorationPacks• LessonElements• …andmuchmore.
• AccesstoSubjectAdvisorstosupportyouthroughthetransitionandthroughoutthelifetimeofthespecification.
• CPD/Trainingforteachersincludingwebinarsandregionalmeetingstointroducethequalificationsandprepareyouforfirstteaching.
• ActiveResults–ourfreeresultsanalysisservicetohelpyoureviewtheperformanceofindividual learners or whole schools.
AllAlevelqualificationsofferedbyOCRareaccreditedbyOfqual,theRegulatorforqualificationsofferedinEngland.TheaccreditationnumberforOCR’sALevelinMediaStudiesisQN:603/2339/5.
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1Thiscontemporary,accessibleandcreativecoursehasbeendesignedwithteachersandlearnersinmindfollowingextensiveconsultations.Thisspecificationwillallowlearnerstostudythemediainanacademiccontextandapplytheknowledgeandunderstandinggainedtotheprocessofcreatingtheirownmediaproductions.
OCR’sALevelinMediaStudiesisdesignedtowidentheintellectualhorizonsofthelearnerthroughtheanalysisofbothglobalandhistoricalmedia.Thisspecificationwillfosterthedevelopmentofcriticalandreflectivethinkingtoencourageengagementinthecriticaldebatessurroundingcontemporarymedia.
Theapproachthatwehavetakeninthisspecificationwillallowteachersandlearnerstoengageconfidently
withcriticalandtheoreticalapproachesfromtheperspectivesofbothanalyticalconsumersandproducersofmediaproducts.
ItisourstrongdesirethatOCR’sALevelinMediaStudies should inspire learners and develop an aspirationwithinthemtocontinuelearningbeyondtheconfinesoftheclassroomaswellasdevelopingpersonalandinterpersonalskillsthatwillservethemwellbothinHigherEducationandintheworkplace.
TheOCRALevelinMediaStudiesoffersabroad,coherentandrigorouscourseofstudyandhasbeencreatedtoensurethatalltypesoflearnerscanfulfiltheirpotential.
1b. Why choose an OCR A Level in Media Studies?
Aimsandlearningoutcomes
OCR’sALevelinMediaStudieswillenablelearnersto:
• demonstrateskillsofenquiry,criticalthinking,decision-makingandanalysis
• demonstrateacriticalapproachtomediaissues
• demonstrateappreciationandcriticalunderstandingofthemediaandtheirrolebothhistoricallyandcurrentlyinsociety,culture,politicsandtheeconomy
• developanunderstandingofthedynamicandchangingrelationshipsbetweenmediaforms,products,mediaindustriesandaudiences
• demonstrateknowledgeandunderstandingoftheglobalnatureofthemedia
• applytheoreticalknowledgeandspecialistsubjectspecificterminologytoanalyseandcomparemediaproductsandthecontextsinwhichtheyareproducedandconsumedinordertomakeinformedarguments,reachsubstantialjudgementsanddrawconclusionsaboutmediaissues
• engageincriticaldebateaboutacademictheoriesusedinmediastudies
• appreciatehowtheoreticalunderstandingsupportspracticeandpracticesupportstheoreticalunderstanding
• demonstratesophisticatedpracticalskillsbyprovidingopportunitiesforcreativemediaproduction.
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1ThekeyfeaturesofOCR’sALevelinMediaStudiesforyouandyourlearnersare:
• anengagingandworthwhilespecificationthatmeanslearnerswillbenefitfromstudyingmedia
• acontemporarycross-mediaNEAproductionwith a choice of briefs
• interestingandrelevantspecifiedmediaproducts for study
• supportfromadedicatedmediastudiesadvisorwho can directly answer any queries
• excitingresourceswithdetailedideasfortheclassroom
• guidancetosupportdelivery
• synopticlearningthatcomprehensivelytiesintherelationshipsbetweenmediaproductsand
thetheoreticalframeworkofmedialanguage,mediarepresentation,mediaindustriesandmediaaudiences
• anemphasisontextualanalysisthatenableslearnerstomakejudgementsonmediaproducts,fosteringanunderstandingofcontextandtheuseofacademicideasandarguments
• adeeperunderstandingofmediathatareencountered by learners on a daily basis
• anopportunitytoengagewithhistoricalandglobalmediaproductsthatshouldextendthelearners’knowledgeofthemedialandscape
• itengageswiththeacademicideasandargumentsthatsurroundthemodernworldofmedia
• co-teachabilitywithOCR’sASLevelinMediaStudies.
1c. Whatarethekeyfeaturesofthisspecification?
1d. WhatisnewinOCR’sALevelinMediaStudies?
ThissectionisintendedforteachersusingOCR’sALevel in Media Studies (H540).
IthighlightsthedifferencebetweenthisALevelandthenewALevelinMediaStudies(H409)forfirstteachinginSeptember2017:
What stays the same? What’schanging?
• Thetheoreticalframeworkremainsatthecoreofthespecification.
• Themarksforconstructingmediaproducts(NEA)remainsat30%.
• Achoiceofbriefforthemediaproduction(NEA).
• Useofunseenmaterialsinexamswherelearnersareawareofthemediaformsbeingused.
• Specifiedmediaproductswhichhavebeenchosenbecausetheyhavecultural,socialandhistoricalsignificance.
• Inclusionofnon-Englishlanguagemediaproductsandanunderstandingofhowmediaproductshavedevelopedsince1970.
• Useofacademicideasandargumentstoindicateaspecificconceptualunderstanding.
• IndividualproductionintheNEA.Non-assessedlearnerscanbepartoftheproductionteam.
• NEAbriefsthatwillchangeeveryyear.
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1IfyouarealreadyusingOCRspecificationsyoucancontactusat:www.ocr.org.uk.
IfyouarenotalreadyaregisteredOCRcentrethenyoucanfindoutmoreinformationonthebenefitsofbecomingoneat:www.ocr.org.uk.
If you are not yet an approved centre and would like tobecomeonegoto:www.ocr.org.uk.
Wanttofindoutmore?
ContactaSubjectAdvisor:Email:[email protected]:01223553998
Exploreourteachersupport:http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/by-subject/media-and-communication/
Joinourcommunities:Twitter:@OCR_Media_FilmOCRCommunity: http://ocr.org.uk/qualifications
CheckwhatCPDeventsareavailable:www.cpdhub.ocr.org.uk
1e. HowdoIfindoutmoreinformation?
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2a. OCR’sALevelinMediaStudies(H409)
2 Thespecificationoverview
LearnerstakeallComponents01,02and03tobeawardedtheOCRALevelinMediaStudies.
ContentOverview AssessmentOverview
SectionA:NewsandOnlineMediaThissectionconsistsoftwolinkedin-depthstudies that focus on contemporarynewsintheUK,requiringlearnerstoexplorehowandwhynewspapersandtheironlinecounterpartsareevolvingasmediaproductsandtherelationshipbetweenbothonlineandofflinenews.LearnersmustselectfromalistsetbyOCR.
SectionB:MediaLanguageandRepresentationLearnerswillexploremedialanguageandrepresentation,throughmediaproductssetbyOCRinthefollowingmediaforms:
• magazines• advertisingandmarketingand• musicvideos
Mediamessages(01)
70marks
2 hours
Writtenpaper
35% of total
A level
SectionA:MediaIndustriesandAudiences
Learnerswillexploremediaindustriesandaudiences,throughmediaproductssetbyOCRfor:
• radio• videogames• film*
*Film to be studied in relation to media industry only.
SectionB:LongFormTelevisionDrama
Learnerswillengageinone in-depthstudy of television as an evolving,globalmediaform.LearnersmuststudyonecompleteepisodeofacontemporaryEnglishlanguagelongformTVdramaandonecompleteepisodeofanon-EnglishlanguagelongformTVdramatoinformtheirstudy.Learnersmustselectfromlistsset by OCR.
Evolvingmedia(02)*
70marks
2 hours
Writtenpaper
35% of total
A level
Learnerswillcreateacross-mediaproductinresponsetoanOCRset brief.
Makingmedia*(03/04)
60marks
(NEA)
30% of total
A level
*Indicatesinclusionofsynopticassessment(seeSection3g).
Learnerswhoareretakingthequalificationmaycarryforwardtheirresultforthenon-examassessmentcomponent.Learnerswhowishtore-takethenon-examassessmentcomponentmustundertakethebriefsetfortheyearofassessment.
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Mediaformsandspecifiedproductsinthespecification
Learners are required to study ninemediaformsandassociatedsetproductsasspecifiedbyOCR.Learnerswillstudyallninemediaformsusingthetheoreticalframeworkwhichconsistsofmedialanguage,
mediarepresentations,mediaindustriesandmediaaudiences(seeSection2bformoredetail)andalsoconsiderthesocial,cultural,economic,politicalandhistoricalcontextsofmediaproducts.
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Contentandproductsataglance
Mediaform Setproduct Areaofsubjectcontent to be studied
To be studied in
Film The Jungle Book (1967) ANDThe Jungle Book (2016)Extractsofthefilmsonlytobeconsideredinrelationtothemediacontextsandindustriesissuesexemplified.
Media industriesEconomicandhistorical contexts
Component02,SectionA
Advertisingandmarketing
Posteradvertisementsfor:Old Spice (aftershave),Lucozade (soft-drink),Shelter (charity).
MedialanguageMediarepresentationsSocial and cultural contexts
Component01,SectionB
Radio OnecompleteepisodeofThe BBC Radio One Breakfast Show.
Media industriesMedia audiencesEconomic,politicaland cultural contexts
Component02,SectionA
Magazines Two front covers of The Big Issue. MedialanguageMediarepresentationsSocial,culturalandpoliticalcontexts
Component01,SectionB
Videogames Minecraft Extractsofthevideogameonlytobeconsideredinrelationtothemediacontexts,industriesandaudienceissuesexemplified.
Media industriesMedia audiencesEconomicandsocialcontexts
Component02,SectionA
Music video TwomusicvideosfromthelistsspecifiedinSection2cofthisspecification.
MedialanguageMediarepresentationsSocial and cultural contexts
Component01,SectionB
Television Twocompleteepisodes(specifiedinSection2dbyOCR)fromthefollowinglongformtelevisiondramas:onefromList A and one fromListB.
OnefromListA(Englishlanguage)
OnefromListB(non-Englishlanguage)
Mr Robot The Killing
House of Cards Borgen
Homeland Trapped
Stranger Things Deutschland 83
All(synoptic)(In-depth study)
Component02,SectionB
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Mediaform Setproduct Areaofsubjectcontent to be studied
To be studied in
Newspapers TwofrontcoversfromtheDaily Mail and twofrontcoversfromThe Guardian ANDOnecompleteeditionofthe Daily Mail and onecompleteeditionofThe Guardian
All (In-depth study)
Component01,SectionA
Online,socialandparticipatorymedia
TheMail Online and The Guardian websites (mediaindustriesandaudiences)ANDat least twoarticlesfromtheMail Online website and at least twoarticlesfrom The Guardianwebsites(Medialanguage andrepresentation)plusrelevantFacebook,TwitterandInstagramfeedsfromeachnewsorganisation.
All(In-depth study)
Component01,SectionA
Component01(SectionA)–News
• Newspapers LearnersmuststudytheDaily Mail and The Guardiantoinformtheirstudies,asspecifiedinSection2c.
• Onlinesocialandparticipatorymedia LearnersmuststudytheMail Online and The Guardianwebsites,includingsocialandparticipatorymediatoinformtheirstudies,asspecifiedinSection2c.
ThissectionrequireslearnerstostudymediaproductssetbyOCRagainstallfourareasofthetheoreticalframeworkandthecontextssurroundingthemediaproducts.
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Component01(SectionB)–MediaLanguageandRepresentations
MediaForms AdvertisingandMarketing
Music Videos Magazines
SetMediaProducts • Old Spice (UKaftershaveadvert)
• Lucozade (UKsoft-drinkadvert)
• Shelter (UKcharityadvert).
Learnersmustchooseone video fromlistA:
• Corinne Bailey Rae – Stop Where You Are
• Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
• Emeli Sandé – Heaven
AND
OnevideofromlistB:
• Fatboy Slim – Ya Mama
• Radiohead – Burn the Witch
• David Guetta – Titanium
The Big Issue.
MediaLanguage ü ü ü
MediaRepresentations ü ü ü
Media Contexts Social and Cultural Social and Cultural Social,CulturalandPolitical
Component02(SectionA)–MediaIndustriesandAudiences
MediaForms Film Radio Video Games
SetMediaProducts The Jungle Book (2016).Disney.USA.PG.
AND
The Jungle Book(1967).Disney.USA.U.
The BBC Radio One Breakfast Show.
BBC,UK.
Minecraft.
DevelopedbyMojang.SwedenPEGI7.
MediaIndustries ü ü ü
Media Audiences ü ü
Media Contexts EconomicandHistorical Economic,PoliticalandCultural
EconomicandSocial
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Component02(SectionB)–LongFormTelevisionDrama
Learnersmuststudytwocompleteepisodesofthesetlongformtelevisiondramaslistedbelowtoinformtheirstudies.
OnefromlistA(USEnglishLanguageLongFormTelevisionDramas):
• Mr Robot(Season1,Episode1,June2015)BBFC15
• House of Cards(Season1,Episode1,January2013)BBFC15
• Homeland(Season1,Episode1,October2011)BBFC15
• Stranger Things(Season1,Episode1,July2016)BBFC12.
AND
OnefromlistB(Europeannon-EnglishlanguageLongFormTelevisionDramas):
• The Killing/Forbrydelsen (Season1,Episode1,October2007)BBFC15
• Borgen (Season1,Episode1,October2010)BBFC15
• Trapped (Season1,Episode1,December2015)BBFC15
• Deutschland 83 (Season1,Episode1,October2015)BBFC15.
ThissectionrequireslearnerstostudymediaproductssetbyOCRagainstallfourareasofthetheoreticalframeworkandthecontextssurroundingthemediaproducts.
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TheOCRALevelinMediaStudiesintroduceslearnerstotheroleandinfluenceofthemedia.Themainfocusofthisspecificationisthemediatoday,bothnationallyandglobally.
However,toensurelearnersunderstandthecontextoftoday’sfastmovingmedia,theywillalsoberequiredtostudythebroaderhistoryofmediaanditsroleandimpactonsociety,culture,politicsandtheeconomyinbothdomesticandglobalspheres.
Theoreticalframework
Learnerswilldeveloptheirunderstandingofthemediathroughtheconsistentapplicationofthefourareasofthetheoreticalframework:
• medialanguage:howthemediathroughtheirforms,codes,conventionsandtechniquescommunicatemeanings
• mediarepresentationshowthemediaportrayevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroups
• mediaindustries:howthemediaindustries’processesofproduction,distributionandcirculationaffectmediaformsandplatforms
• media audiences:howmediaformstarget,reachandaddressaudiences,howaudiencesinterpretandrespondtothemandhowmembersofaudiencesbecomeproducersthemselves.
Contextsandskills
Thisspecificationwillgivelearnerstheopportunitytoundertakecloseanalysisandcomparisonofmediaproductsinrelationtorelevantkeysocial,cultural,economic,politicalandhistoricalcontexts.
Learnersshouldhavealsodevelopedtheskillsto:
• analysecriticallyandcomparehowmediaproducts,includingproductsoutsidethecommercialmainstream,constructandcommunicatemeaningsthroughtheinteractionofmedialanguageandaudienceresponseuse
keytheoriesofmediastudiesandspecialistsubject-specificterminologyappropriately
• useandcriticallyreflectuponarangeofcomplextheoriesofmediastudiesandusespecialistsubject-specificterminologyappropriately
• debatekeyquestionsrelatingtothesocial,cultural,politicalandeconomicroleofthemediathroughsustaineddiscursivewriting.
Throughthisapplicationofthetheoreticalframework,thisspecificationrecognisesthefundamentalrelationshipbetweentheoryandpractice,requiringlearnerstoapplyanddeveloptheirunderstandingofthemediathroughbothanalysingandproducingmediaproducts.
Mediamessages(Component01)offerslearnerstheopportunityto:
• considertherelationshipbetweenofflineandonlinemediaproductsbycompletingtwolinkedin-depthstudiesintocontemporarynewspapers,andtheironlinecounterparts,includingsocialandparticipatorymedia.
• developknowledgeandunderstandingofacademicideasandargumentsinrelationtothe two in-depth studies.
• developknowledgeandunderstandingofmediacontexts,medialanguageandrepresentationsthroughthestudyofadvertisingandmarketing,magazines,andmusicvideo.
Evolvingmedia(Component02)offerslearnerstheopportunity to
• developknowledgeandunderstandingofmediacontexts,mediaindustriesandaudiencesthroughthestudyofradio,videogamesandfilm
2b. ContentofALevelinMediaStudies(H409)
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• drawtogetherknowledgeandunderstandingfromthewholecoursewhilstconsideringtelevisionasanevolvingmediaformthroughanin-depthstudycentredaroundglobalcontemporarylongformtelevisiondrama
• developknowledgeandunderstandingofacademicideasandargumentsinrelationtothe in-depth studies.
Makingmedia(Component03/04)offerslearnerstheopportunitytoapplytheirknowledgeandunderstandingofthetheoreticalframeworkintheproductionoftheirownindividualcross-mediaproductfromachoiceofsetbriefsissuedbyOCR.
SetMediaProducts
OCRwillreviewallthespecifiedmediaproductseverythreeyearsandupdatethemifnecessarytoensurethatallthespecifiedproductsremainrelevantandavailabletocentres.Wheremediaproductsarereplaced,centreswillbenotifiedatleastoneyearinadvancepriortoteachingatwoyearcourse.
Academicideasandarguments
Appendix5eoutlinestheacademicideasandargumentstobestudiedwithreferencetothefourareasofthetheoreticalframework.ThisinformationshouldbeusedincombinationwiththecontentlistedinSection2e.
Resources
Beforeacentrebeginsthisqualification,thereisaneedforsuitablemediafacilitiesandtechnologiesto
beavailableandforlearnerstobetaughthowtousethembeforeembarkingonassessedwork.Thenon-examassessmentcomponent(NEA)requireslearnerstodeveloppracticalproductionskillsandtoengagewithcontemporarymediatechnologies.Therefore,theminimumresourcingrequirementsthat a centre would be expected to have for the deliveryofOCR’sALevelinMediaStudiesaredigitaltechnologysuitablefortheconstructionofmediaproductions(e.g.appropriatecameras,eithercamcordersordigitalSLRsandsoundrecordingequipment)andsoftwareforediting,imagemanipulationandpagelayout.Alsoareliableinternetconnectionisrequiredforresearchandplanningoftheproduction,aswellaswherenecessary,thepresentationoflearner’swork.
Terminology
Throughoutthespecificationthereisreferencetothefollowing:
• ‘academicideasandarguments’ refers to the collectivewritingaboutthemediabyanumberofwritersonmedia
• ‘mediaproduct’referstomediatexts,suchastelevisionprogrammes,newspapers,radioprogrammesetc.,aswellastoonline,socialandparticipatorymediaplatforms
• ‘intertextuality’ refers to the way aspects of a particularmediaproductrelatetoanotherandthusaccrueadditionalsignificance.
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SectionAconsistsoftwolinked,comparativein-depthstudiesthatfocusoncontemporarynewsintheUK,requiringlearnerstoexplorehowandwhynewspapers and their online counterparts are evolvingasmediaproductsandtherelationshipbetweenbothonlineandofflinenews.Asin-depthstudies,newspapersandonline,socialandparticipatorymediamustbestudiedinrelationtoall
fourareasofthemediatheoreticalframework,includingallrelatedtheoriesandallrelevantcontexts(thesubjectcontenttabledetailingalloftheabovefollowstheendofComponent02).
Inthissection,learnersmuststudythefollowingsetproducts.
2c. ContentofMediamessages(H409/01)
SectionA–News
MediaIndustriesandMediaAudiences
MediaForm SetProduct Guidancetoaidcomparison
Newspapers OnecompleteeditionoftheDaily Mail and onecompleteeditionofThe Guardian selected by the centre.
Each pair of newspapers selected shouldbepublishedonthesamedate.
Online The Mail Online and The Guardian websites.
Keypagesfromeachnewspaper’swebsite,includingthehomepageandatleasttwootherpageswhichhelpillustratethescope,scaleandcontentand appeal of each website.
Socialandparticipatorymedia1 The Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feedslinkedtofromthemainMail Online and The Guardian websites.
Aconsiderationofhowactiveeachnewspaper’ssocialandparticipatorymediafeedsare,includingwhicharticlesarefeaturedandwhichgeneratethemostaudienceparticipation.
NB: All set products selected for study in this section must be from the September onwards of the first year of teaching a two-year course. For example, from September 2017 onwards for a candidate entering for assessment in June 2019.
Pleaseturnoverforanindicativecontentlist.
1Itistheteacher’sresponsibilitytoensurethatthesocialandparticipatorymediafeedsstudiedareageappropriateandsuitableforconsumptionbytheirlearners.
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Thefollowingindicativelistisgivenasguidanceandisnotexhaustive.
Forexample,inrelationtomediaindustriesandaudienceslearnersshouldconsider:
• theoverarchingrelationshipbetweentechnologicalchangeandnewspaperproduction,distributionandcirculation
• theimpactofdigitalconvergenceontheproduction,distributionandcirculationofnewsorganisations’offlineandonlineofferings
• thesignificanceofissuesofownershipandeconomicfactors,includingtherangeofeachnewspaper’sprintandonlinecontent,theuse
ofonlinemonetizationfeaturessuchaspaywalls,subscriptionsandgames
• thecontentandappealofeachofthesetproductsandhowthisisusedtotarget,reachandaddressdifferentaudiences
• howaudiencemayuseandinterpretthesamemediaindifferentways
• howaudiencescanbereachedthroughdifferentmediatechnologiesandplatforms
• theimpactoftheregulatoryframeworkonthenewspaperindustryandtheimpactofonlinenewsandsocialandparticipatorymediaonregulation.
MediaLanguageandMediaRepresentation
MediaForm SetProduct Guidancetoaidcomparison
Newspapers TwofrontcoversfromtheDaily MailandtwofrontcoversfromThe Guardian selected by the centre.
Eachofthetwo‘pairs’offrontcoversshouldbepublishedonthesamedateandfeatureasimilarleadarticlethatisofnationalorinternationalsignificance,forexamplethiscouldbeapolitical,economicorsportingeventoraleadarticlerelatedtoconflict,crimeor health.
Online AtleasttwoarticlesfromtheMail Online website and at least twoarticlesfromThe Guardian websites.
Eachchosenwebsitearticleandtheassociatedsocialandparticipatorymediafeedsshouldlinktothethemesor issues represented in the front covers chosen.
Forexample,ifaGuardian frontcoverleadarticleisa‘Brexit’relatedstorythenlearnersshouldstudytheassociated Guardian Online articleand Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds for this story and consider how medialanguageandrepresentationsinthosefeedspositiontheaudienceandengageparticipation.
Social and participatorymedia1
TheassociatedTwitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds for the onlinearticleschosenbythecentrefromtheMail Online website and The Guardian websites.
NB: All set products selected for study for this section must be from the September onwards of the first year of teaching a two-year course. For example, from September 2017 onwards for a candidate entering for assessment in June 2019.
Pleaseturnoverforanindicativecontentlist.
1Itistheteacher’sresponsibilitytoensurethatthesocialandparticipatorymediafeedsstudiedareageappropriateandsuitableforconsumptionbytheirlearners.
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Thefollowingindicativelistisgivenasguidanceandisnotexhaustive.Forexample,inrelationtomedialanguageandrepresentations,learnersshouldconsider:
• thewayevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroupsarerepresentedthroughprocessesofselectionandcombination,includingaconsiderationofthechoicesnewsmediamake
• theimpactofindustrycontexts(forexampleownership) on the choices news producers makeabouthowtorepresentevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroups
• thewaysinwhichrepresentationsconstructedbynewsmediamakeclaimsaboutrealism
• thepositiveandnegativeuseofstereotypesbynewsmediaandhowrepresentationsmay
invokediscoursesandideologiesandpositionaudiences
• thewaysinwhichtheuseofmedialanguagebynews producers incorporates viewpoints and ideologies
• howmultiplemeaningscanbecommunicatedacrossdifferentnewsplatformsandtheimpactoftechnologyonmedialanguage(forexample,postproductioneditingofphotos)
• theelementsofmedialanguageusedinnewspaperfrontcovers,onlinewebsitesandsocialandparticipatorymediasuchaslocations,lighting,choiceofcamerashot,angle,typography,layout,addressofcontenttotheaudienceandeditingandsoundasappropriate.
SectionB–MediaLanguageandRepresentation
SectionBfocusesonmedialanguageandrepresentationandrequireslearnerstoconsiderhowandwhymedialanguageisusedbymediaproducerstocreatemeaningandconstructvariousrepresentationsofevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroups.
Inthissection,learnersarerequiredtostudythefollowingmediaformsandproductssetbyOCR.
MediaForms AdvertisingandMarketing
Music Videos Magazines
Set Media Products
• Old Spice (UKaftershaveadvert)
• Lucozade (UKsoft-drinkadvert)
• Shelter (UKcharityadvert).
LearnersmustchooseonevideofromlistA:
• Corinne Bailey Rae – Stop Where You Are
• Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
• Emeli Sandé – Heaven
AND
OnevideofromlistB:
• Fatboy Slim – Ya Mama
• Radiohead – Burn the Witch
• David Guetta – Titanium
The Big Issue.
MediaLanguage ü ü ü
Media Representations
ü ü ü
Media Contexts Social and Cultural Social and Cultural Social,CulturalandPolitical
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AdvertisingandMarketing:Old Spice (Aftershave), Lucozade (Softdrink)and Shelter (Charity)
Advertisingandmarketingmustbestudiedinrelationtomedialanguageandmediarepresentations,includingaconsiderationofthesocialandculturalcontextsthatinfluencehowmedialanguageisusedtoconstructrepresentations.
Learnersmuststudyallthreesetadvertisingandmarketingproductsinthissection.
ThemediaproductswillbemadeavailablebyOCR.Threecontrastingpostershavebeenselected.
TheOld Spice ‘Smell Like A Man’ campaignposterfrom2010wasatransformativemassmarketcampaignfortheaftershavebrand.Priorto2010theOld Spicebrandwasassociatedwithamucholder,morematuremaleaudience.Thismagazineadvertwasacontinuingpartofacampaignthatsoughttorepositionthebrandandmakeitmoreaccessibletoyoungeraudiences.
TheLucozade ‘I believe’ campaignposterfrom2013waspartofa£4mmassmarketcampaigntoeducateconsumersabouthowthesoftdrinkbrandcanhelpimprovepeople’ssportsperformance,andfeaturesfootballerGarethBaleasakeybrandambassador.
Shelter,theUKbasedhousingandhomelessnesscharitylaunchedanadvertisingcampaignin2011thatwasproducedforthoseatriskofhomelessnesstopointthemtoShelter’sfreeservicesandguidethemtoseekadviceonissuesaroundhomelessnessearlier.
Learnersneedtostudythesetadvertisingandmarketingproductsinrelationtoall the subject contentbulletpointslistedunderthe‘medialanguage’and‘mediarepresentations’topicsinthesubjectcontenttablefollowingtheendofComponent02toestablishthecodesandconventionsofeachcategoryofadvert.
Theoriesofmedialanguageandrepresentationdo not need to be studied.
Considerationshouldbemadeofmedialanguageelementsspecifictoadvertisingandmarketingsuchaslocations,costumes,props,makeup,lighting,choiceofcamerashot,angle,typography,layoutandaddressofwrittencontenttotheaudience.
Magazines:The Big Issue
Magazinesmustbestudiedinrelationtomedialanguageandmediarepresentations,includingaconsiderationofthesocial,culturalandpoliticalcontextsthatinfluencehowmedialanguageisusedtoconstructrepresentations.
The Big Issueisanichemagazineoutsidethecommercialmainstreamthatlearnersmaynotnormallyengagewith.Itprovidesacontrastingexampleofhowtheelementsofthetheoreticalframeworkformedialanguagecanbeusedtoconstructalternativerepresentationsthatappealtoparticularaudiences,includingaconsiderationoftheinfluenceofthesocial,culturalandpoliticalcontexts.
Learnersmuststudytwofrontcoversof The Big Issue, fromtheSeptemberofthefirstyearofteachingatwoyearcourse,(e.g.fromSeptember2017onwardsforacandidateenteringforassessmentinJune2019),chosenbythecentre. Thefrontcoversselectedshoulddemonstraterepresentationsthatarealternativetothemainstreamandofnationalsignificance,intermsofthe events or issues they portray.
Learnersneedtostudythemagazineproductsinrelationtoall the subject content bullet points listed underthe‘medialanguage’and‘mediarepresentations’topicsinthesubjectcontenttableattheendofComponent02.
Theoriesofmedialanguageandrepresentationdo not need to be studied.
Considerationshouldbemadeofmedialanguageelementsspecifictomagazinessuchaslocations,costumes,props,makeup,lighting,choiceofcamerashot,angle,typography,layoutandaddressofwrittencontent to the audience.
ThestudyofThe Big Issue does not extend to online.
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MusicVideos:Onepairofmainstreamandalternativemusicvideos
Musicvideomustbestudiedinrelationtomedialanguageandmediarepresentations,includinga
considerationofthesocialandculturalcontextsthatinfluencehowmedialanguageisusedtoconstructrepresentations.
Forthestudyofmusicvideo,learnersarerequiredtostudytwomusicvideos.
Learners must study onemusicvideofromList A ANDonemusicvideofromListBbelow:
ListA–MainstreamMusicVideos ListB–AlternativeMusicVideos
Corinne Bailey Rae – Stop Where You Are Fatboy Slim – Ya Mama
Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy Radiohead – Burn the Witch
Emeli Sandé – Heaven David Guetta – Titanium
CentresarefreetochooseanypairingfromListAandListB.
ThemusicvideosarefreelyaccessibleviaYouTubeandVimeo.
ThemusicvideosinListAcouldberegardedas‘mainstream’astheycomefromcommercialartistswhohavebeensignedby‘major’recordlabels.Thethreemusicvideosallfeaturetheirrespectiveartist(s)andareamixtureofperformanceandnarrative,andraiseanumberofsimilarrepresentationalissuessurrounding‘streetlife’.
ThemusicvideosinListBarefromalternativeorlesscommercialartists.Thesethreemusicvideosdonotfeaturetheirrespectiveartist(s)atall,instead,witheachmusicvideocelebratingthepowerofnarrativeandsignificationandapostmodernemphasisonintertextuality.ThevideosinListBeachuseverydifferentrepresentationstoeachother,buteachcontrastsclearlywiththerepresentationsfeaturedinthemusicvideosinlistA.
Learnerswillexplorethedifferencesinmedialanguageandrepresentationbetweenexamplesfromthetwolists.Alloftheartistsselectedforbothlistsarewellknown,andthelistsincludearangeofartists(consideringbothgenderandethnicity)andgenresaswellasensuringthateverymusicvideoonthelistisageappropriateforanAlevelprogrammeofstudy.
Theoriesofmedialanguageandrepresentationdo not need to be studied.
Learnersshouldinvestigatehowtheelementsofthetheoreticalframeworkformedialanguageareusedtoconstructrepresentationsthatappealtoparticularaudiences,includingaconsiderationoftheinfluenceofhistorical,socialandculturalcontexts.Considerationshouldbemadeofmedialanguageelementsspecifictomusicvideossuchascamerashots,angles,lighting,settings,locations,costumes,props,makeup,editingandsoundasappropriate.
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SectionAfocusesonmediaindustriesandaudiencesandrequireslearnerstoconsiderhowandwhymediaproductsareconstructedacrossdifferentmediaformstoreachandaddressanumberofaudiences.
Inthissection,learnersarerequiredtostudythefollowingmediaformsandproductssetbyOCR.
2d. ContentofEvolvingmedia(H409/02)
SectionA–MediaIndustriesandAudiences
MediaForms Film Radio Video Games
SetMediaProducts The Jungle Book (2016).Disney.USA.PG.
AND
The Jungle Book(1967).Disney.USA.U.
The BBC Radio One Breakfast Show.
BBC,UK.
Minecraft.
DevelopedbyMojang.SwedenPEGI7.
MediaIndustries ü ü ü
Media Audiences ü ü
Media Contexts EconomicandHistorical Economic,PoliticalandCultural EconomicandSocial
Film:The Jungle Book (2016)andThe Jungle Book (1967)
Filmmustbestudiedinrelationtomediaindustriesonly,includingtheeconomiccontextsofthefilmindustry.Learnersneedtostudythesetfilmsinrelationtoall the subject content bullet points listed underthe‘mediaindustries’topicinthesubjectcontenttableattheendofthiscomponent.
The Jungle Book(2016)hastakenover1billionUSdollarsalreadyatthecinemaboxofficealone(andwillgeneratemoreincomeasaDVD/Blu-raydiscandonline).Thefilmhasaclearpatternofproduction,distributionandcirculationthatcanbeeasilydistinguishedandisafilmproductionfromamajorstudio.
The Jungle Book (1967)isahistoricallysignificantmediaproduct.The1967filmiscurrentlyoneofthe
mostsuccessfulfilmsofalltime(ithastakenover 100billionUSdollars)andfollowedatraditionalpatternofproduction,distributionandcirculation,althoughitenjoyeda‘secondlife’onvideoandDVD.
Providingbothfilmsforthefocusofanindustrystudywillallowlearnerstoconsiderhowthefilmindustryhaschangedfrom1967topresentdayinrelationtohowbothsetfilmswereproduced,distributedandcirculated,includingconsiderationsoftechnologicalchange,regulationandthesignificanceofpatternsofownershipandeconomicfactors.
Extractsofbothfilmsmayonlybeconsideredinrelationtothemediaindustryissuesexemplified.Textualanalysisisnot arequirementofthestudyorassessmentofFilmasamediaform.
Theoriesofmediaindustriesdo not need to be studied.
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Radio: The BBC Radio One Breakfast Show
Radiomustbestudiedinrelationtomediaindustriesandmediaaudiences,includingaconsiderationoftheeconomic,politicalandculturalcontextsthatinfluencetheradioindustryanditsaudiences.
The BBC Radio One Breakfast Show is currently the mostlistenedto‘show’onBBCRadioOneandformspartofBBCRadioOne’soverallpublicservicebroadcasting(PSB)remitto‘entertain,educateandinform’andisrequiredtodemonstratea‘distinctive’outputofcontentcomparedtocommercialradio.
Learnersmuststudyone complete episode of The BBC Radio One Breakfast Show,fromSeptember2017onwards,chosenbythecentre.Learnersneedtostudythesetradioproductinrelationtoall the subjectcontentbulletpointslistedunderthe‘mediaindustries’and‘mediaaudiences’topicsinthesubjectcontenttableattheendofthiscomponent.Theselectedradioprogrammeshouldbeastandardepisode(notafeatureoronlocationepisode)andincludearangeofBritishmusicandcontentpromotingBritishmusic,celebrityinterviews,newsitemsandquizzes/games.Itistheteacher’sresponsibility to ensure the content selected is appropriate to their learners.
Theoriesofmediaindustriesandaudiencesdo not need to be studied.
LearnersshouldconsiderthesignificanceofpublicservicebroadcastingandhowThe BBC Radio One Breakfast Showfitsintotheoverarchingethosof‘informing,educatingandentertaining’,includingconsiderationofthe‘distinctiveness’ofthecontentoftheprogrammecomparedtocommercialbreakfastshowsandwhichaudience(s)arebeingtargetedand
why.Theinfluenceoffundingshouldalsobeconsideredinrelationtocontent,production,marketinganddistributionandthereshouldalsobeaconsiderationoftechnology,forexample,theuseoftechnologytodistributetheshowacrossanumberofplatformsotherthan‘traditional’radio.
Video Games: Minecraft
Videogamesmustbestudiedinrelationtomediaindustriesandmediaaudiences,includingaconsiderationoftheeconomicandsocialcontextsthatinfluencethevideogameindustry.
Minecraftisanexampleofanoriginallyindependently-producedvideogamethathasgrownexponentiallyinpopularityandhassincebeentakenoverbyanindustrygiant,Microsoft.
Learnersmuststudythesetvideogameproductinrelationtoall the subject content bullet points listed underthe‘mediaindustries’and‘mediaaudiences’topics in the subject content table at the end of this component.
Theoriesofmediaindustriesandmediaaudiencesdo not need to be studied.
LearnersshouldconsidertheelementsofthetheoreticalframeworkformediaindustriesandaudiencesandexaminehowtheproducersofMinecraft haveengagedwithandconstructedtheiraudienceandexamineissuesofownershipandtheinfluenceoftechnologyonproductionanddistribution.
Extractsofthevideogameshouldonlybeconsideredinrelationtothemediaindustryandaudienceissuesexemplified.
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SectionBconsistsofanin-depthstudyrequiringlearnerstoexploretelevisionasamediaform.Thissectionalsogiveslearnerstheopportunitytodrawtogetherelementsfromtheirfullcourseofstudy,includingdifferentareasofthemediatheoreticalframeworkandmediacontexts.
Asanin-depthstudy,televisionmustbestudiedinrelationto:
• allfourareasofthemediatheoreticalframework(includingallrelatedtheories)
• allrelevantcontexts.
Inthissection,learnerswillberequiredtocompleteacomparativestudyoftwocontemporarylongformtelevisiondramas:
• one of which must befromthesetUSlongformtelevisiondramalistbelow;
AND
• one of which mustbefromthesetEuropean(non-Englishlanguage)longformtelevisiondramalistbelow.
SetUSLongFormTelevisionDramaList
• Mr Robot (Season1,Episode1,June2015) BBFC15
• House of Cards (Season1,Episode1,January2013)BBFC15
• Homeland (Season1,Episode1,October2011)BBFC15
• Stranger Things (Season1,Episode1,July2016)BBFC12
SetEuropean(non-Englishlanguage)LongFormTelevisionDramaList
• The Killing/Forbrydelsen(Season1,Episode1,October2007)BBFC15
• Borgen(Season1,Episode1,October2010)BBFC15
• Trapped(Season1,Episode1,December2015)BBFC15
• Deutschland 83(Season1,Episode1,October2015)BBFC15.
Centresshouldchoosethemostappropriatelongformtelevisiondramasfortheirlearners.
Each of the set episodes of the television programmesisanexampleofacontemporaryUSandEuropeanlongformtelevisiondrama.
Thefollowingindicativelistisgivenasguidanceandisnotexhaustive.
Learners should use alltheareasofthemediatheoreticalframework(includingtheory)inrelationtotheirchosensettelevisionprogrammestoconsider,forexample:
• theinfluenceoftechnologicalchange,includingdigitallyconvergentmediaplatformsontheproduction,marketing,distributionandexhibitionoflongformtelevisiondramainaglobalcontext(includingtheimpactsofdigitaldistributionplatformsonthecontemporaryglobaltelevisionindustry)
• howaudiencesconsumeandinterpretlongformtelevisiondramasindifferentways,includingaconsiderationofdemographicandtechnologicalfactorsrelatedtoconsumption
• howmedialanguagecanbeusedtosubvertorchallengegenreconventionsandaconsiderationofotherfactorssuchasgenrehybridity,intertextuality,multiplenarrativestrandsandfandom
• themediaformspecificelementsofmedialanguageusedtocreatemeaningsuchascamerashots,angles,lighting,settings,locations,costumes,props,makeup,editingand sound
• thevalues,attitudesandbeliefsconveyedbyrepresentationsandthesocialandculturalcontext of these
• howrepresentationsmayinvokediscourseandideologiesandpositionaudiences
SectionB–LongFormTelevisionDrama
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• howaudiencesresponsetoandinterpretationsofmediarepresentationsreflectsocialandculturalcircumstances
• allrelevantcontexts,forexample,aconsiderationoftheeconomiccontextbehindthelargebudgetscurrentlygiventocontemporaryUSlongformtelevisiondramas.
Ageappropriatenessandcontextualisation
AllofthesettelevisionepisodesareageappropriateforanALevelprogramme(BBFCcertificated12or15),whereitisexpectedthatlearnerswillbeaged15oroverwhenstudyingtheseproducts.Itistheteacher’s responsibility to ensure this and to contact OCR should it present any issues.
AssessmentofLongFormTelevisionDramawillalwaysfocusonthesetepisodes.However,ifcentreswishtogainawiderunderstandingofthechosensettelevisionprogrammeandanunderstandingofhowmultiplenarrativestrandsarcandconvergeacrosstheseries,teachersshouldchoose suitable ageappropriateextractsfromotherepisodesacrossseason one.Viewingadditionalmaterialisoptional.
Itistheresponsibilityoftheteachertomonitorthecontent of the selected extracts to ensure that any extractsstudiedareageappropriatefortheirlearners.
Pleasebeawarewhenchoosingsuitableageappropriate extracts that House of Cards, Season1,Chapter5hasaBBFCratingof18.
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Thefollowingsubjectcontentoutlinestheknowledgeandunderstandingthatunderpinsthisqualification.Thesubjectcontentwillbeassessedacrossallcomponents.
Fortheexaminedcomponents(01and02),thiswillbeassessedinrelationtotherelevantsetmediaproducts as indicated.
2e. SubjectcontentforcomponentsH409/01andH409/02
Subject Content
Topic KeyIdea Learnersmusthavestudied
Contexts of Media
Social,cultural,political,economicand historical contexts.
l howthemediaproductsstudieddifferininstitutionalbackgroundsanduseofmedialanguagetocreatemeaningandconstructrepresentationstoreachdifferentaudiences,andcanactasameansof: - reflectingsocial,culturalandpoliticalattitudestowardswider issues and beliefs - constructingsocial,culturalandpoliticalattitudestowardswider issues and beliefs
l howmediaproductsstudiedcanactasameansofreflecting historical issues and events
l howmediaproductsstudiedcanpotentiallybeanagentinfacilitatingsocial,culturalandpoliticaldevelopmentsthroughtheuseofmedialanguagetoconstructmeaningthroughviewpoints,messagesandvaluesandrepresentationsofeventsandissues
l howmediaproductsstudiedareinfluencedbysocial,cultural,politicalandhistoricalcontextsthroughintertextualreferences
l howmediaproductsstudiedreflecttheireconomiccontextsthroughproduction,financialandtechnologicalopportunitiesandconstraints.
Media Language
Howthemediathroughtheirforms1,codes,conventionsand techniques communicatemeanings.
l howthedifferentmodes2andlanguage3 associated with differentmediaformscommunicatemultiplemeanings
l howthecombinationofelementsofmedialanguageinfluencemeaning
l howdevelopingtechnologiesaffectmedialanguage
1Formsofthemedia:television,film,radio,newspapers,magazines,advertisingandmarketing,online,socialandparticipatorymedia,videogamesandmusicvideo.
2Modes:images,sound,speechandwriting.
3Language:medialanguageassociatedwithaudio-visual,audio,printandonlinemedia.
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Subject Content
Topic KeyIdea Learnersmusthavestudied
l thecodesandconventionsofmediaformsandproducts,includingtheprocessesthroughwhichmedialanguagedevelopsasgenre
l thedynamicandhistoricallyrelativenatureofgenre
l theprocessesthroughwhichmeaningsareestablishedthroughintertextuality
l how audiences respond to and interpret the above aspectsofmedialanguage.
l howgenreconventionsaresociallyandhistoricallyrelative,dynamicandcanbeusedinahybridway
l thesignificanceofchallengingand/orsubvertinggenreconventions
l thesignificanceofthevarietiesofwaysinwhichintertextualitycanbeusedinthemedia
l thewaymedialanguageincorporatesviewpointsandideologies.
Theoriesofmedialanguage.
l semiotics,includingBarthes
l narratology,includingTodorov
l genretheory,includingNeale
l structuralism,includingLévi-Strauss
l postmodernism,includingBaudrillard.
Media Representations
Howthemediaportrayevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroups.
l thewayevents,issues,individuals(includingself-representation)andsocialgroups(includingsocialidentity)arerepresentedthroughprocessesofselectionandcombination
l thewaythemediathroughre-presentationconstructsversions of reality
l theprocesseswhichleadmediaproducerstomakechoicesabouthowtorepresentevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroups
l theeffectofsocialandculturalcontextonrepresentations
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Subject Content
Topic KeyIdea Learnersmusthavestudied
l howandwhystereotypescanbeusedpositivelyandnegatively
l howandwhyparticularsocialgroups,inanationalandglobalcontext,maybeunder-representedormisrepresented
l howmediarepresentationsconveyvalues,attitudesandbeliefsabouttheworldandhowthesemaybesystematicallyreinforcedacrossawiderangeofmediarepresentations
l howaudiencesrespondtoandinterpretmediarepresentations
l thewayinwhichrepresentationsmakeclaimsaboutrealism
l theimpactofindustrycontextsonthechoicesmediaproducersmakeabouthowtorepresentevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroups
l theeffectofhistoricalcontextonrepresentations
l howrepresentationsmayinvokediscoursesandideologiesandposition4 audiences
l howaudienceresponsestoandinterpretationsofmediarepresentationsreflectsocial,culturalandhistoricalcircumstances.
Theoriesofmediarepresentation
l theoriesofrepresentation,includingHall
l theoriesofidentity,includingGauntlett
l feministtheories,includingBellHooksandVanZoonen
l theoriesofgenderperformativity,includingButler
l theoriesaroundethnicityandpostcolonialtheory,includingGilroy.
4Howaudiencesareencouragedtoadoptaparticular‘position’orpointofviewinrelationtowhatisbeingrepresented.
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Subject Content
Topic KeyIdea Learnersmusthavestudied
MediaIndustries Howthemediaindustries’ processes ofproduction,distributionandcirculationaffectmediaformsandplatforms.
l processesofproduction,distributionandcirculationbyorganisations,groupsandindividualsinaglobalcontext
l thespecialisedandinstitutionalisednatureofmediaproduction,distributionandcirculation
l therelationshipofrecenttechnologicalchangeandmediaproduction,distributionandcirculation
l thesignificanceofpatternsofownershipandcontrol,includingconglomerateownership,verticalintegrationanddiversification
l thesignificanceofeconomicfactors,includingcommercialandnot-for-profitpublicfunding,tomediaindustries and their products
l howmediaorganisationsmaintain,includingthroughmarketing,varietiesofaudiencesnationallyandglobally
l theregulatoryframeworkofcontemporarymediaintheUK
l theimpactof‘new’digitaltechnologiesonmediaregulation,includingtheroleofindividualproducers
l howprocessesofproduction,distributionandcirculationshapemediaproducts
l theimpactofdigitallyconvergentmediaplatformsonmediaproduction,distributionandcirculation,includingindividual producers
l theroleofregulationinglobalproduction,distributionandcirculation
l theeffectofindividualproducersonmediaindustries.
Theoriesofmediaindustries.
l powerandmediaindustries,includingCurran and Seaton
l theoriesofregulation,includingthoseofLivingstone and Lunt
l theoriesofculturalindustries,includingthoseofHesmondhalgh.
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Subject Content
Topic KeyIdea Learnersmusthavestudied
Media Audiences Howmediaformstarget,reachandaddressaudiences,how audiences interpret and respondtothemandhowmembersofaudiencesbecomeproducers themselves.
l howaudiencesaregroupedandcategorisedbymediaindustries,includingbyage,genderandsocialclass,aswell as by lifestyle and taste
l howmediaproducerstarget,attract,reach,addressandpotentiallyconstructaudiences
l howmediaindustriestargetaudiencesthroughthecontentandappealofmediaproductsandthroughthewaysinwhichtheyaremarketed,distributedandcirculated
l theinterrelationshipbetweenmediatechnologiesandpatternsofconsumptionandresponse
l howaudiencesinterpretthemedia,includinghowtheymayinterpretthesamemediaindifferentways
l howaudiencesinteractwiththemediaandcanbeactivelyinvolvedinmediaproduction
l howspecialisedaudiencescanbereached,bothonanationalandglobalscale,throughdifferentmediatechnologiesandplatforms
l howmediaorganisationsreflectthedifferentneedsofmassandspecialisedaudiences,includingthroughtargeting
l howaudiencesusemediaindifferentways,reflectingdemographicfactorsaswellasaspectsofidentityandcultural capital
l theroleandsignificanceofspecialisedaudiences,includingnicheandfan,tothemedia
l thewayinwhichdifferentaudienceinterpretationsreflectsocial,culturalandhistoricalcircumstances.
Theoriesofmediaaudiences.
l mediaeffects,includingBandura
l cultivationtheory,includingGerbner
l receptiontheory,includingHall
l theoriesoffandom,includingJenkins
l theoriesof‘endofaudience’,includingShirky.
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Makingmedia(Component03/04)isanon-examassessment(NEA)componentthatgiveslearnerstheopportunity to work independently and develop expertisethatbuildsonareasofstudyfromelsewhere in the course. Learners create a cross-mediaproductinresponsetoabriefsetbyOCR.Makingmedia(Component03/04)allowslearnerstocreatemediaproductsforanintendedaudience,byapplyingknowledgeandunderstandingofthetheoreticalframeworkofmediatocommunicatemeaning.
Thiscomponentprovidestheopportunityforthelearnertodemonstratethattheycanapplyknowledgeandunderstandingofthetheoreticalframeworktoconstructtheirmediaproductsby:
• applyingknowledgeandunderstandingofmedialanguagetoexpressandcommunicatemeaningtoanintendedaudience
• applyingknowledgeandunderstandingtoconstructrepresentationsthatportrayevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroupsasappropriate to the brief set by OCR
• applyingknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediaindustriesrequirementstocreateaproductthatisappropriatetothemediaindustry context of their chosen brief
• useofmedialanguagetocreatemeaningfortheintendedaudience,inlinewiththeintentionsoutlinedintheirStatementofIntent.
2f. Contentofnon-examassessment:Makingmedia(H409/03/04)
RespondingtoanNEAbrief
1PreparatoryActivities(non-assessed)
Eventhoughtherearenomarksattachedtothepreparatoryactivities,itisessentialforlearnerstocarryouttheseactivitiesinpreparationfortheirproductiontasksothateachindividuallearner’sworkcanbeauthenticated.Failuretocarryoutsufficientresearchintorelevantgenresandmediaformsaswellasadequatelyplanachosenproductionisalsolikelytorestrictalearner’sabilitytomeetthehigherlevelsofthemarkingcriteria.
1(a)Research
Inpreparationfortheproductiontask,learnersshould carry out research into professionally producedmediaproductsthataresimilaringenre,styleandformtothemediaproductsproposedintheirchosenproductionbrief.Learnersshoulddeconstruct,analyseandmakenotesontheseprofessionallyproducedmediaproductssothattheycanfurtherdevelopknowledgeandunderstandingoftheirchosenmediaform’sdistinctivemedialanguage,forexample:
• howgenreconventionsareemployed• howandwhyintertextualityisemployed• howcombinationsofmedialanguageelements
areusedtocreatemeaningandconstructrepresentationsthataddressanintendedaudience.
Learners should be prepared to analyse the distinctivemedialanguageelementsappropriatetothebriefchosen,listedbelow:
Movingimage(television/musicvideo)aspartofacross-mediabrief:
• camerawork• editing• soundtrack• miseenscène.
Radioaspartofacross-mediabrief:
• useofmusic• useofvoice• useofsoundeffects.
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Magazinesaspartofacross-mediabrief:
• layout• typography• useoflanguage• useofimages.
Onlinemediaaspartofacross-mediabrief:
• layout• navigation• useoflanguage• useofimages/text/audio/video.
1(b)Planning
LearnersshouldproduceplanningmaterialsfortheirindividualNEAcross-mediaproductionwhichoutlinetheintentionsoftheirfinalproduction.Centresareencouragedtoexploreappropriatewaysofproducingrelevantplanningmaterialsbasedupontheirownstrengthsandresources.
Thefollowinglistofplanningmaterialsispurelyindicative:
• draftscript• storyboard• locationreport(s)• notesoncastingandmise-en-scène
considerations• mock-upofaprintadvertlayoutormock-upof
awebpage• roughcuts/drafts• audienceresearchandfeedback.
2TheNEAbrief
Learnersmustchooseonefromachoiceoffourproductionbriefs.Centresareadvisedtoconsidertheresourcesandequipmentthattheyhaveavailableforlearnerstoemployinthiscomponentwhendecidinguponchoiceofproductionbriefs.
Learnersmustchooseoneofthefollowing:
• atelevisionandonlinecross-mediabrief• amagazineandonlinecross-mediabrief
• aradioandonlinecross-mediabrief• amusicvideoandonlinecross-mediabrief.
ThesetNEAbriefswillbepublishedontheOCRwebsite on the 1stMarcheachyearforsubmissioninthefollowingacademicyear.
StatementofIntent
Learners mustcompleteaStatementofIntent fortheircross-mediaproductionwhichmust be submittedwiththeirproduction.ThisStatementofIntentisusedwithinthemarkscheme.Apenaltywillbe applied if it is not supplied to the teacher with a learner’sfinalproduction(seeSection3fofthisspecificationformoredetails).TheStatementofIntent needs to outline the ways in which the learner proposestolinktheirmediaproductstodemonstratetheirknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureoftheirproduction.TheStatementof Intent also needs to outline the ways in which the learner proposes to use the four areas of the mediatheoreticalframeworktocommunicatemeaningandmeettherequirementsoftheir chosenbrief,setbyOCR.
LearnersmustcompletetheStatementofIntentusingapproximately500words.AtemplatewillbeprovidedontheOCRwebsiteforguidance.
Lengthofindividualproductionwork
Thelengthsspecifiedinthe‘Requirementsofthebrief’sectionforeachindividualproduction(e.g.3minutesforatelevisionextractandahomepageandthreelinkedwebpagesfortheonlineproductetc.)aresufficienttogivelearnerstheopportunitytofullyaddressallofthemarkingcriteria.Learnersshouldaimtoproduceworkofthespecifiedlength.Ifworkissubmittedthatislongerthanthespecifiedlength,onlythepartupto(andincluding)thespecifiedlengthcanbecredited.Anyworkbeyondthismustnotbeconsideredforcreditagainstthemarkingcriteria.Workthatisshorterthanthespecifiedlengthshouldbemarkedagainstthemarkingcriteriabutmaynotallowlearnerstoaccessthefullrangeofmarkingcriteria.SeeSection3fofthisspecificationformoredetails.
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Individualproductionrules
TheresponsestotheOCRsetbriefsmustbeundertaken by learners as individuals and all materialsmustbeassessedindividually.
However,alearnermaymakeuseofunassessedstudentsandothersaslongastheoutcomecanbeassessed as the work of an individual learner.
Forexample,othersmayactin,orappearin,themediaproduct.Inaddition,unassessedstudentsandothersmayoperatelighting,sound,recordingandotherequipmentunderthedirectionoftheassessedlearnerifrequired.Thelearnermust,however,havecreativecontrol,asdirector,andcreatethefinaleditofanymovingimageorradioproductionpieceoreditthe photos and write all copy for the print productions.ThecontributionofanyunassessedlearnersshouldbeclearlyindicatedontheNEAcoversheet.
Learnersarerecommendedtobegivenapproximately30hoursoflessontimeinwhichtocompletetheirNEAproductions(thistotaldoesnotincludepreparatoryresearchandplanning).ItshouldbenotedthatexcessivetimespentonthiscomponentintheclassroomcouldbedetrimentaltotheoverallattainmentofthelearnerandteachersshouldbemindfulofstrikingabalancebetweenthecompletionoftheNEAandpreparationfortheexaminedcomponents.
WhereNEAbriefsrequirea‘workingwebsite’,learnersarenotrequiredtocreatewebsitesthroughprogramminglanguagessuchasHTMLandcanusewebdesignsoftwareortemplates.However,learnersmustberesponsibleforthedesignofthewebsiteandallcontent(suchastext,imagesandaudio-visualmaterial)mustbeoriginal.Learnersmustacknowledgeanysoftwareortemplatestheyhaveused on the cover sheet.
NEAportfoliorequirements
Insummaryeachindividuallearner’scompletedNEAportfoliowillconsistofthefollowing:
1. non-assessedresearchnotesandplanningmaterialstoaidtheauthenticationofwork
2. StatementofIntent3. ateacherassessedcross-mediaproduction4. anon-examassessmentcoversheetthat
clearlyindicatesthecontributionofanyunassessedlearnersused.Thisshouldbecompletedbytheteacher.
Inaddition,centrescompletetheCCS160form,seeSection4dforfurtherdetails.
Assistancewithproductions
It is expected that teachers will train learners in the useoftechnologyfortheirNEAproductionsandthatcentreswillprovidethenecessaryequipmentforlearnerstoproducetheirNEAproductions.
FurtherGuidance
Furtherguidanceonauthenticationoflearners’work,includingdetailsoflevelofsupervisionandallowablefeedbackcanbefoundinSection4dofthisspecification.
MarkingNEAProductions
ThemarkingcriteriaforthiscomponentcanbefoundinSection3fofthisspecification.
SuitabilityofNEAProductions
Teachersshouldusetheirprofessionaljudgementtodeterminethesuitabilityofthecontentoflearners’NEAproductions.
Learners’NEAproductionsmay not contain:
• gratuitousviolence• frequentuseofstronglanguageandswearing• nudity• imitationofdangerousbehaviour• scenesdemonstratingorpromotingdrugtaking• materialthatcouldbeconsideredoffensiveon
thegroundsofraceorgender.
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SubmittingNEAProductions
Movingimage,radioandprintproductionworkshouldbesubmittedinuniversaldigitalformatsthatareplayableonallPCsandMacs.WorkshouldbecheckedonauniversalmediaplayersuchasVLCmediaplayerorAdobePDFReaderbeforesubmissiontoensurecompatibility.
Healthandsafetyisnotanassessmentrequirementofthisqualification,however,therewillalwaysbearequirementofhealthandsafetystandardstobemetinanycreativeenvironmentanditisthecentre’sresponsibility to ensure learners are fully aware of relevantregulationsandrequirements.
2g. Priorknowledge,learningandprogression
NopriorqualificationisrequiredinorderforlearnerstoenterforanALevelinMediaStudies,norisanypriorknowledgeorunderstandingrequiredforentryonto this course.
ThisspecificationprovidesastrongfoundationforlearnerstoprogresstoHigherEducationandalsoequipslearnersforprogressionintotheworkplace.
Findoutmoreatwww.ocr.org.uk.
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OCR’sALevelinMediaStudiesisalinearqualificationwith70%externalassessmentbyexaminationand30%non-examassessment(NEA).Thisqualificationconsistsoftwocomponentsthatareexternallyassessed(Components01and02)andone
componentthatisassessedbythecentreandexternallymoderatedbyOCR(Component03/04).Learnersmusttakeallthreecomponentstobeawarded the OCR A Level in Media Studies.
3 Assessment of A Level in Media Studies
3a. Formsofassessment
Mediamessages(01)writtenexamination
Thiscomponentisworth70marksand35%ofthemarksforthetotalAlevel.Thisisanexternallyassessedwrittenexamination.
Learnerswillberequiredtocompleteanexaminationlasting2hours.
Thisexamwillconsistoftwosections.Learnerswillbe required to answer allquestions.
SectionA:News(45marks)SectionB:MediaLanguageandRepresentation (25marks).
SectionA:News
SectionB:MediaLanguageandRepresentation
Learners are required to study two mediaformsin-depth:• newspapers• online,socialandparticipatory
media.
Learners are required to study threemediaforms:• advertisingandmarketing• magazines• musicvideos.
Total:45marks• AO1:15marks• AO2:30marks.
Total:25marks• AO1:10marks• AO2:15marks.
Learnersmustanswer:
three10markquestions
one15markquestion
Somequestionswillrelatetounseensourcesonnewspapersand/oronline,socialandparticipatorymedia.
Learnersmustanswer:
one10markquestion
one15markquestion.
Somequestionswillrelatetounseensourcesonadvertisingandmarketing,and/ormagazines.
Learnersmayhavetocomparethesetadvertisingandmarketingproductstheyhavestudiedwiththeunseensources.
Questionswillfocuson:
• medialanguage• mediarepresentations• mediaindustries• mediaaudiences• mediacontexts• academicideasandarguments.
Questionswillfocuson:
• medialanguage• mediarepresentations• mediacontexts.
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Thiscomponentisworth70marksand35%ofthemarksforthetotalAlevel.ThisisanexternallyassessedwrittenpaperassessingAO1andAO2.
Learnerswillberequiredtocompleteanexaminationlasting2hours.
Thisexamwillconsistoftwosections.
SectionA:MediaIndustriesandAudiences (30marks)SectionB:LongFormTelevisionDrama (40marks).
Evolvingmedia(02)writtenexamination
SectionA:MediaIndustriesandAudiences
SectionB:LongFormTelevisionDrama
Learners are required to study threemediaforms:
• radio• videogames• film*.
Learners are required to study onemediaform:
• television
Total:30marks• AO1:30marks
Total:40marks• AO1:10marks• AO2:30marks.
Learnersmustanswer:
two15markquestions
Learnersmustanswer:
one30markquestion
one10markquestion.
Questionswillfocuson:
• mediaindustries• mediaaudiences*• mediacontexts.
*notapplicableforFilm
Question3issynoptic.
Thequestioninthissectionwillallowlearnerstodrawontheirknowledgeandunderstandingfromthewholecourseofstudy.
Questionswillfocuson:
• medialanguage• mediarepresentations• mediaindustries• mediaaudiences• mediacontexts• academicideasandarguments.
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Makingmedia(03/04)non-examassessment(NEA)
Makingmediaisanexternallyset,internallyassessedandexternallymoderatedcomponentassessingAO3.Itisworth60marksand30%ofthetotalAlevel.Learnersareexpectedtocompletebothelementsofthecross-mediaproduction.
ThecontenttobecoveredinthiscomponentisoutlinedinSection2f.
Guidanceonassessment,includingthemarkingcriteriaisoutlinedinSection3f.
AdministrationrequirementsforcompletingtheNEAareoutlinedinSection4d.
Learnerswillberequiredtoproduceacross-mediaproduction(60marks).
3b. AssessmentObjectives(AO)
TherearethreeAssessmentObjectivesinOCR’s ALevelinMediaStudies.Thesearedetailedinthetable below.
Learnersareexpectedtodemonstratetheirabilityto:
AssessmentObjective Weighting
AO1 Demonstrateknowledgeandunderstandingof:
1. thetheoreticalframeworkofmedia
2. contextsofmediaandtheirinfluenceonmediaproductsandprocesses.
20%
12.5%
AO2 Applyknowledgeandunderstandingofthetheoreticalframeworkofmediato:
1. analysemediaproducts,includinginrelationtotheircontextsandthroughtheuseofacademictheories
2. evaluateacademicideasandarguments
3. makejudgementsanddrawconclusions.
17.5%
10%
10%
AO3 Createcross-mediaproductsforanintendedaudience,byapplyingknowledgeandunderstandingofthetheoreticalframeworkofmediatocommunicatemeaning.
30%(NEAonly)
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AOweightingsinOCR’sALevelinMediaStudies
TherelationshipbetweentheAssessmentObjectivesandthecomponentsareshowninthefollowingtable:
Component
%ofoverallALevelinMediaStudies(H409)
AO1 AO2 AO3
Mediamessages(H409/01) 12.5 22.5 0
Evolvingmedia(H409/02) 20 15 0
Makingmedia(H409/03/04) 0 0 30
Total 32.5 37.5 30
3c. Assessment availability
TherewillbeoneexaminationseriesavailableeachyearinMay/Junetoall learners.
Allexaminedcomponentsmustbetakeninthesameexaminationseriesattheendofthecourse.
ThisspecificationwillbecertificatedfromtheJune2019examinationseriesonwards.
3d. Retakingthequalification
Learnerscanretakethequalificationasmanytimesastheywish.Theymustretakeallexaminedcomponentsofthequalification.
Learners can choose either to retake or to carry forwardtheirmarkforthenon-examassessment
componentbyusingthecarryforwardentryoption(seeSection4d).
Learnerswhowishtore-takethequalificationmustundertakethebriefsetfortheyearofassessment.
3e. Assessmentofextendedresponse
Theassessmentmaterialsforthisqualificationprovidelearnerswiththeopportunitytodemonstratetheir ability to construct and develop a sustained line
ofreasoningthatiscoherent,relevant,substantiatedandlogicallystructured.Marksforextendedresponsesareintegratedintothemarkingcriteria.
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Markingshouldbepositive,rewardingachievementratherthanpenalisingerrorsoromissions.Theawardingofmarksmustbedirectlyrelatedtothemarkingcriteria.
Teachersshouldusetheirprofessionaljudgementtoselectthebest-fitleveldescriptorthatbestdescribesthelearnerswork,takingintoconsiderationthegeneraldescriptorofthatbandintheprocess.
Teachersshouldusethefullrangeofmarksavailabletothemandawardallthemarksinanylevelforwhichworkfullymeetsthatdescriptor.
Thereshouldbeclearevidencethatworkhasbeenattemptedandsomeworkhasbeenproduced.Ifalearnersubmitsnoworkforthecomponentthenthelearnershouldbeindicatedasbeingabsentfromthecomponent.Ifalearnercompletesanyworkatallforthecomponentthentheworkshouldbeassessed
accordingtothemarkingcriteriaandtheappropriatemarkawarded,whichmaybezero.
Teachersmustclearlyshowhowthemarkshavebeenawardedinrelationtothemarkingcriteriaonthenon-examassessmentcoversheet.
Acombinationofthefollowingapproachestoindicatehowmarkshavebeenawardedshouldbeadopted:
• beclearandunambiguous• be appropriate to the set brief• facilitatethestandardisationofmarkingwithin
thecentretoenablethemoderatortochecktheapplicationoftheassessmentcriteriatothemarking.
Thenon-examassessmentcoversheetforindividuallearners can be found on the OCR website.
3f. Internalassessmentofnon-examassessment(NEA)
Internalassessment
Finalsubmission
WorksubmittedfortheALevelNEAcomponentshouldreflectthestandardexpectedforalearnerafterafullAlevelcourseofstudy.
Centresmustcarryoutinternalstandardisationtomakesurethatmarksawardedbydifferentteachersare accurate and consistent across all learners enteredbythecentre.Tohelpsetthestandardofmarking,centresshoulduseexemplarmaterialprovidedbyOCR,and,whereavailable,workfromthatcentrefromthepreviousyear.Whereworkhasbeenmarkedbymorethanoneteacherinacentre,standardisationofmarkingshouldnormallybecarriedoutaccordingtooneofthefollowingprocedures:
• eitherasampleofworkthathasbeenmarkedbyeachteacherisre-markedbytheteacherwhoisinchargeofinternalstandardisation
• oralloftheteachersresponsibleformarkingacomponentexchangesomemarkedwork(preferablyatameetingledbytheteacherinchargeofinternalstandardisation)andcomparetheirmarkingstandards
• orteacherscollaboratewhenmarkingtheworkandawardamarkagreedthroughdiscussionsduringmarking.
Wherestandardsarefoundtobeinconsistent,therelevantteacher(s)shouldmakeadjustmentstotheirmarksorre-markalllearners’workforwhichtheywere responsible.
Ifcentresareworkinginaconsortiumtheymustcarryoutinternalstandardisationofmarkingacrosstheconsortium.Centresshouldretainevidencethatinternalstandardisationhasbeencarriedout.
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Oncethefinalpieceofworkissubmittedbythelearnerforassessmentitmustnotberevised.Addinganymaterialtotheworkorremovinganymaterialfromitafterithasbeenpresentedbyalearnerforfinalassessmentwouldconstitutemalpractice.
Thecentreshouldstorelearners’workinasecureareaonthecentrenetwork.Theworkshouldbe
savedusingthecandidate’snameandcentrenumberas reference.
Forfurtherguidanceonhowtosubmitwork,refertoSection4d.
Examsdirectory:www.ocr.org.uk.
Fileformats
Inordertominimisesoftwareandhardwarecompatibilityissuesitwillbenecessarytosavelearners’workusinganappropriatefileformat.
Learnersmustuseformatsappropriatetotheevidencetheyareprovidingandappropriatetoviewingforassessmentandmoderationpurposes.
Toensurecompatibility,allfilessubmittedmustbeintheformatslistedinAppendix5c.
Wherenewformatsbecomeavailablethatmightbeaccepted,OCRwillprovidefurtherguidanceonthesubjectwebpage.
Useof‘bestfit’approachformarkingcriteria
Theassessmenttask(s)foreachcomponentshouldbemarkedbyteachersaccordingtothegivenmarkingcriteriausinga‘bestfit’approach.Foreachofthemarkingcriteria,teachersselectoneofthebanddescriptorsprovidedinthemarkinggridthatmostcloselydescribesthequalityoftheworkbeingmarked.
Markingshouldbepositive,rewardingachievementratherthanpenalisingfailureoromissions.Theawardofmarksmustbedirectlyrelatedtothemarkingcriteria.Teachersusetheirprofessionaljudgementinselectingthebanddescriptorthatbestdescribesthework of the learner.
Toselectthemostappropriatemarkwithinthebanddescriptor,teachersshouldusethefollowingguidance:
• where the learner’s work convincinglymeetsthestatement,thehighestmarkshouldbeawarded
• where the learner’s work adequatelymeetsthestatement,themostappropriatemarkinthemiddlerangeshouldbeawarded
• where the learner’s work justmeetsthestatement,thelowestmarkshouldbeawarded.
Teachersshouldusethefullrangeofmarksavailabletothemandawardfullmarksinanybandforworkthatfullymeetsthatdescriptor.Thisisworkthatis‘thebestonecouldexpectfromlearnersworkingatthatlevel’.Formarkbandswiththreemarksthemarksoneithersideofthemiddlemark(s)for‘adequatelymet’shouldbeusedwherethestandardisthehighestorlowestmarkintheband.
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Makingmedia(H409/03/04)–markingcriteria
Thelearner’scross-mediaproductionshouldbemarkedasthreeseparateelementsagainsttheappropriatemarkingcriteriaasshownbelow,andatotalmarkawardedoutof60.
Elementofproduction Markingcriteria Maximummark
Thetelevision/radio/magazine/musicvideomediaproduct
1 Applicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreateamediaproduct
25
Theonlinemediaproduct 1 Applicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreateamediaproduct
25
Thedigitallyconvergentnatureofthecross-mediaproducttocreatemeaning
2 Applicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureofcontemporarymediatocreatemeaning
10
Total: 60
Eachelementofthecross-mediaproductionshouldbejudgedindividuallyagainsttherelevantsetofmarkingcriteria.Marksshouldbecreditedaccordingtothelevelattainedforeachsetofcriteria.Itshouldbenotedthatitispossibleforalearnertoachieveadifferentlevelforeachelementoftheproduction.Forexample,alearnermaydemonstrateanexcellentapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreatetheironlineproduct(Level5)butonlydemonstrateadequateapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreatetheirtelevision/radio/print/musicvideomediaproduct(Level3).
Over-lengthwork
Ifworkissubmittedthatislongerthanthespecifiedlength,onlythepartupto(andincluding)thespecifiedlengthcanbecredited.Anyworkbeyondthismustnotbeconsideredforcreditagainstthemarkingcriteria.Teachersshouldstopwatchingorreadingworkbeyondthespecifiedlength.Thismeansthat:
• Brief1 Forthetelevisionproductionanyworksubmittedbeyondthe3minuterequirementmust not beconsideredforcredit;Fortheonlineproductionany worksubmittedbeyondthe2-pagerequirementmust not beconsideredforcredit.Teachersshouldmarkthefirsthomepageandlinkedpagepresented.
• Brief2 Fortheradioproductionanyworksubmittedbeyondthe3minuterequirementmust not beconsideredforcredit;Fortheonlineproductionany work submittedbeyondthe2-pagerequirementmust not beconsideredforcredit.Teachersshouldmarkthefirsthomepageandlinkedpagepresented.
• Brief3 Forthemagazineproductionanyworksubmittedbeyondthe4-front-pagerequirementmust not beconsideredforcredit;Teachersshouldmarkthefirstfourfrontcoverspresentedonly.Fortheonlineproductionanyworksubmittedbeyondthe2-pagerequirementmust not be considered for credit. Teachersshouldmarkthefirsthomepageandlinkedpagepresented.
• Brief4 Forthemusicvideoproductionanyworksubmittedbeyondthe3minuterequirementmust not beconsideredforcredit;
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Fortheonlineproductionanyworksubmittedbeyondthe2-pagerequirementmust not beconsideredforcredit.Teachersshouldmarkthefirsthomepageandlinkedpagepresented.
Workthatisshorterthanthespecifiedlengthshouldbemarkedagainstthemarkingcriteriabutmaynotallowlearnerstoaccessthefullrangeofmarkingcriteria.
Candidateswhodonotuseoriginalfootage,imagesortextintheirproduction(s)mustnotbeawardedmarksabovelevel1fortheproduction(s).Forclarity,ifoneproductioncontainsoriginalfootage,imageandtextandoneproductiondoesn’tthenonlytheproductionthatdoesn’tcontainoriginalfootage,imagesortextmustnotbeawardedmarksabovelevel1.Ifbothproductionsdonotuseoriginalfootage,imagesortextthenbothproductionsmustnotbeawardedabovelevel1.
AStatementofIntentmust besuppliedbythelearnertoeachteacherwiththemediaproduction.IfaStatementofIntentisnot supplied then a penalty of 10marksmustbedeductedfromthelearners’overalltotaloutofamaximumof60.Ifalearner’soutcomepriortothepenaltyis10marksorless,theiroutcomeshouldbemovedtozeromarks.ThepurposeoftheStatementofIntentistounderstandwhatcandidateshaveintendedtodointhecreationoftheirmediaproduct.Whetherornotcandidateshavemetthebrieftoasuitablestandardwillbeassessedbythemarkingcriteria,asindicatedinthelevels,theStatementofIntentiscorroboratingevidence.
If a learner only produces one ofthetworequiredproductsthatmakeupthecross-mediaproductionthentheymustonlybecreditedagainstthemarkingcriteriaforthe product supplied and cannot becreditedanymarksinmarkingcriteria2:applicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureofcontemporarymediatocreatemeaning.
Thenon-examinedassessmentmarkingcriteriaassessAssessmentObjectiveAO3:Createmediaproductsforanintendedaudience,byapplyingknowledgeandunderstandingofthetheoreticalframeworkofmediatocommunicatemeaning.
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1. Applicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreateamediaproduct(25marksx2)
Level 5
21–25marks
Thelearnerdemonstratesexcellentapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreateamediaproduct.• Asophisticateduseofawiderangeofappropriatemedialanguagetechniquesthatdeliversanaccomplisheddemonstrationofknowledgeand
understandingofthedistinctivemedialanguageofthemediaform,including:• ahighlydevelopeduseofcodesandconventionsthatcommunicatesmeaningthatishighlyappropriatetothemediaform• ahighlyappropriateuseofcontentandappealwhichcreatessophisticatedmeaningfortheintendedaudience• asophisticatedconstructionofrepresentationswhichcreatewell-selectedandhighlydevelopedinsightsintotheportrayalofevents,issues,
individualsandsocialgroupsasappropriatetothemediaform.• Highlydevelopedapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediaindustrydemonstratedthroughasophisticateduseofthemediaform
thatishighlyappropriatetothemediaindustrycontextofthesetbrief.• Anexcellentrealisationofthechosenbriefthataddressesalltherequirementsofthebriefandincludesallelementsoftheproductiondetail.
Level 4
16–20marks
Thelearnerdemonstratesgoodapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreateamediaproduct.
• Agooduseofarangeofappropriatemedialanguagetechniques,thatdeliversagooddemonstrationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedistinctivemedialanguageofthemediaform,including:• awell-developeduseofcodesandconventionsthatcommunicatesmeaningthatisappropriatetothemediaform• anappropriateuseofcontentandappealwhichcreateseffectivemeaningfortheintendedaudience• agooduseofrepresentationswhichcreatewell-selectedandwell-developedinsightsintotheportrayalofevents,issues,individualsandsocial
groupsasappropriatetothemediaform.• Well-developedapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediaindustrydemonstratedthroughagooduseofthemediaformthatis
appropriatetothemediaindustrycontextofthesetbrief.• Agoodrealisationofthechosenbriefthataddressesallrequirementsofthebriefandincludesalmostallelementsoftheproductiondetail.
Level 3
11–15marks
Thelearnerdemonstratesadequateapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreateamediaproduct.
• Anadequateuseofarangeofmostlyappropriatemedialanguagetechniques,thatdeliversacompetentdemonstrationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedistinctivemedialanguageofthemediaform,including:• acompetentuseofcodesandconventionsthatcommunicatesmeaningthatisreasonablyappropriatetothemediaform• areasonablyappropriateuseofcontentandappealwhichcreatesconsistentmeaningfortheintendedaudience• anadequateuseofrepresentationswhichcreatemainlywell-selectedinsightsintotheportrayalofevents,issues,individualsandsocial
groupsasappropriatetothemediaform.• Anadequateapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediaindustrydemonstratedthroughacompetentuseofthemediaformthatis
inthemost-partrelevanttothemediaindustrycontextofthesetbrief.• Anadequaterealisationofthechosenbriefthataddressesmostoftherequirementsofthebrief,althoughsomeelementsoftheproduction
detailmaybemissing.
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Level 2
6–10marks
Thelearnerdemonstrateslimitedapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreateamediaproduct.
• Abasicuseofalimitedrangeofappropriatemedialanguagetechniques,thatdeliversapartialdemonstrationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedistinctivemedialanguageofthemediaform,including:• aninconsistentuseofcodesandconventionsthatcommunicatesmeaningthatisnotalwaysappropriatetothemediaform• anotalwaysappropriateuseofcontentandappealwhichcreatesinconsistentmeaningfortheintendedaudience• abasicuseofrepresentationswhichcreatelimited-selectedinsightsintotheportrayalofevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroupsas
appropriatetothemediaform.• Limitedapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediaindustrydemonstratedthroughbasicuseofthemediaformthatmaynot
alwaysberelevanttothemediaindustrycontextofthesetbrief.• Alimitedrealisationofthechosenbriefthataddressessomeoftherequirementsofthebrief;notallelementsoftheproductiondetailare
completedandthosethataremaybebelowstipulatedlengths/quantityand/ormaybereliantonsoftwarepackagesorpre-existingtemplates.
Level 1
1–5marks
Thelearnerdemonstratesminimalapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreateamediaproduct.
• Apooruseofmedialanguagetechniques,thatdeliversaninadequatedemonstrationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedistinctivemedialanguageofthemediaform,including:• aminimaluseofcodesandconventionsthatcommunicateslittleornomeaningthatisrelevanttothemediaform• aminimalorinappropriateuseofcontentandappealwhichcreatesinadequatemeaningfortheintendedaudience• apooruseofrepresentationswhichcreateminimal-selectedinsightsintotheportrayalofevents,issues,individualsandsocialgroupsas
appropriatetothemediaform.• Minimalapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediaindustrydemonstratedthroughaninadequateuseofthemediaformthatmay
notberelevanttothemediaindustrycontextofthesetbrief.• Aminimalrealisationofthechosenbriefthataddressesfewoftherequirementsofthebrief;productiondetailsarelikelytobeincompleteand
substantiallybelowthestipulatedlengths/quantityand/ormaybeover-reliantonsoftwarepackagesorpre-existingtemplates.
0 Noworksubmittedorworkthatdemonstratesnoknowledgeandunderstandingofthemediatheoreticalframeworktocreateamediaproduct.
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2. Applicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureofcontemporarymediatocreatemeaning(10marks)
Level 5
9–10marks
Thelearnerdemonstratesexcellentapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureofcontemporarymediatocreatemeaningacrossthecross-mediaproduction.
• Sophisticatedandcoherentlinksbetweenthetwocross-mediaproductsthatdemonstratesahighly-developedawarenessofhowtousedigitalconvergencetocreatemeaningandengageanintendedaudience.
• Sophisticateduseoftechniquestocreateahighly-developedsenseofbrandingacrossthetwocross-mediaproductsthatdemonstrateshighlyappropriate,sustainedandinsightfulmeaningfortheintendedaudience.
Level 4
7–8marks
Thelearnerdemonstratesgoodapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureofcontemporarymediatocreatemeaningacrossthecross-mediaproduction.
• Clearandconsistentlinksbetweenthetwocross-mediaproductsthatcreateanappropriateandattimesinsightfulawarenessofhowtousedigitalconvergencetocreatemeaningandengageanintendedaudience.
• Agooduseoftechniquestocreateawell-developedsenseofbrandingacrossthetwocross-mediaproductsthatdemonstratesappropriateandattimesinsightfulmeaningfortheintendedaudience.
Level 3
5–6marks
Thelearnerdemonstratesadequateapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureofcontemporarymediatocreatemeaningacrossthecross-mediaproduction.
• Consistentlinksbetweenthetwocross-mediaproductsthatcreateareasonablyappropriateawarenessofhowtousedigitalconvergencetocreatemeaningandengageanintendedaudience.
• Anadequateuseoftechniquestocreateasenseofbrandingacrossthetwocross-mediaproductsthatdemonstratesreasonablyappropriatemeaningfortheintendedaudience.
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Level 2
3–4marks
Thelearnerdemonstrateslimitedapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureofcontemporarymediatocreatemeaningacrossthecross-mediaproduction.
• Inconsistentlinksbetweenthetwocross-mediaproducts,whichmaynotalwaysberelevant,demonstratingapartialawarenessofhowtousedigitalconvergencetocreatemeaningandengageanintendedaudience.
• Alimiteduseoftechniquesthatcreatesaninconsistentsenseofbrandingacrossthetwocross-mediaproductsthatmaylackrelevanceattimesbutdemonstratessome,limitedmeaningfortheintendedaudience.
Level 1
1–2marks
Thelearnerdemonstratesminimalapplicationofknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureofcontemporarymediatocreatemeaningacrossthecross-mediaproduction.
• Linksbetweenthetwocross-mediaproductsmaybeincompleteornotpresentatall,demonstratinglittle,ifany,awarenessofhowtousedigitalconvergencetocreatemeaningandengageanintendedaudience.
• Aminimaluseoftechniquesthatcreateslittle,ifanysenseofbrandingacrossthetwocross-mediaproductsanddemonstrateslittleornomeaningfortheintendedaudience.
0 Noworksubmittedorworkthatdemonstratesnoknowledgeandunderstandingofthedigitallyconvergentnatureofcontemporarymediatocreatemeaning.
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Synopticassessmentisthelearners’understandingoftheconnectionsbetweendifferentelementsofthesubject.Itinvolvestheexplicitdrawingtogetherofknowledge,skillsandunderstandingwithindifferentparts of the A Level course.
TheemphasisofsynopticassessmentistoencouragetheunderstandingofMediaStudiesasadiscipline.
SynopticassessmentrequireslearnerstomakeanduseconnectionswithinandbetweenalldifferentareasofALevelMediaStudies,forexample:
SectionBofComponent02(Evolvingmedia)offersopportunitiesforlearnerstodrawontheirknowledge
andunderstandingfromthewholecourseofstudyincomparingmediaproducts:
• inrelationtotheircontexts;and
• throughtheuseofallfourareasofthetheoreticalframework.
Component03/04(Makingmedia)offerslearnerstheopportunitytoapplytheirknowledgeandunderstandingfromthewholecourseofstudytoapracticalcross-mediaproduction.
3g. Synopticassessment
3h. Calculatingqualificationresults
Alearner’soverallqualificationgradeforOCR’s ALevelinMediaStudieswillbecalculatedbyaddingtogethertheirmarksfromthethreecomponentstakentogivetheirtotalweightedmark.Thismarkwill
thenbecomparedtothequalificationlevelgradeboundariesfortherelevantexamseriestodeterminethelearner’soverallqualificationgrade.
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Theinformationinthissectionisdesignedtogiveanoverviewoftheprocessesinvolvedinadministeringthisqualificationsothatyoucanspeaktoyourexamsofficer.AllofthefollowingprocessesrequireyoutosubmitsomethingtoOCRbyaspecificdeadline.
Moreinformationabouttheprocessesanddeadlines involvedateachstageoftheassessmentcyclecanbe foundintheAdministrationareaoftheOCRwebsite.
OCR’s Admin overview is available on the OCR website at http://www.ocr.org.uk/administration.
4 Admin:whatyouneedtoknow
4a. Pre-assessment
Estimatedentries
Estimatedentriesareyourbestprojectionofthenumberoflearnerswhowillbeenteredforaqualificationinaparticularseries.
EstimatedentriesshouldbesubmittedtoOCRbythespecifieddeadline.Theyarefreeanddonotcommityour centre in any way.
Finalentries
FinalentriesprovideOCRwithdetaileddataforeachlearner,showingeachassessmenttobetaken.Itisessentialthatyouusethecorrectentrycode,consideringtherelevantentryrulesandensuringthatyouchoosetheentryoptionforthemoderationyouintend to use.
FinalentriesmustbesubmittedtoOCRbythepublished deadlines or late entry fees will apply.
AlllearnerstakinganALevelinMediaStudiesmustbeenteredforoneofthefollowingentryoptions:
Entryoption Components
Entrycode
Title Code Title Assessment type
H409 A Media Studies(OCR Repository)
01 Mediamessages Externalassessment
02 Evolvingmedia Externalassessment
03 Makingmedia(Repository) Non-examassessment
H409B Media Studies(Postalmoderation)
01 Mediamessages Externalassessment
02 Evolvingmedia Externalassessment
04 Makingmedia(Postal) Non-examassessment
H409C* Media Studies (Carried forward)
01 Mediamessages Externalassessment
02 Evolvingmedia Externalassessment
80 Makingmedia(Carriedforward)
Non-examassessment
*EntryoptionH409Cshouldonlybeselectedforlearnerswhoareretakingthequalificationwhowanttocarryforwardtheirmarkforthenon-examassessment.
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Specialconsiderationisapost–assessmentadjustmenttomarksorgradestoreflecttemporaryinjury,illnessorotherindispositionatthetimetheassessmentwastaken.
DetailedinformationabouteligibilityforspecialconsiderationcanbefoundintheJCQpublication A guide to the special consideration process.
4b. Specialconsideration
4c. Externalassessmentarrangements
RegulationsgoverningexaminationarrangementsarecontainedintheJCQpublicationInstructions for Conducting Examinations.
4d. Adminofnon-examassessment
RegulationsgoverningarrangementsforinternalassessmentsarecontainedintheJCQpublicationInstructions for conducting non-examination assessments.
TheNEAbriefsaresetbyOCReveryyearforthisqualificationandwillbepublishedonOCR’swebsite.
Thebriefswillbepublishedon1Marcheveryyearforcertificationinthefollowingacademicyear.Thefirstbriefswillbeavailablefrom1March2018.TheNEAbriefs will not be posted to centres.
Itshouldbemadecleartolearnersthatoncethefinalproductionshavebeensubmittedforassessment,nofurtherworkmaytakeplace.
Authenticationoflearners’work
Centresmustdeclarethattheworksubmittedforassessmentisthelearner’sownbycompleting acentreauthenticationform(CCS160).ThisinformationmustberetainedatthecentreandbeavailableonrequesttoeitherOCRortheJCQcentreinspectionservice.
ItmustbekeptuntilthedeadlinehaspassedforcentrestosubmitanEnquiryAboutResults(EAR).Once this deadline has passed and centres have not requestedanEAR,thisevidencecanbedestroyed.
Authenticationcontrol
Research(limitedsupervision–non-assessed)
Thenon-assessedresearchelementforComponent03/04canbecompletedunderlimitedsupervision.Limitedsupervisionmeansthatlearnerscanundertake this part of the process without direct teacher supervision and outside the centre as required.
Duringtheresearchphase,learnerscanbegivensupportandguidance.
Teacherscan:
• explainthebrief• adviseonhowthebriefcouldbeapproached• adviseonresources• alertthelearnertokeythingsthatmustbe
includedintheirfinalpieceofwork.
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Teachersmust not:
• practisethelearner’schosenbriefwiththem.
Research mustinclude:
• learners’notesonprofessionallyproducedmediaproductsthataresimilaringenre,styleandformtothemediaproductsproposedintheirchosenbrief(seeSection2fofthisspecification).
Researchmayalsoinclude:
• fieldwork(e.g.alocationrecceforfilmingordigitallyphotographedstills)andinternetorpaper-based research as appropriate to the chosen brief.
Learnersmustbeguidedontheuseofinformationfromothersourcestoensurethatconfidentialityandintellectualpropertyrightsaremaintainedatalltimes.
Planning(formalsupervision–non-assessed)
Formalsupervisionmeansworkshouldbecompletedwithinthecentreundernormalteachersupervisioninclassroomconditions.Thisensuresthattheworkofthe individual learner is recorded accurately and that plagiarismdoesnottakeplace.Thisformspartoftheauthenticationprocess.Candidatesmustalsobeguidedonappropriatehealthandsafetyconsiderationswhenplanningandcarryingouttheirproductiontasks.
Originalmaterials
AnymaterialsubmittedbythelearneraspartoftheirNEAproductionmusthavebeenproducedbythelearnerthemself.
Theexceptionstothisrulearetheallowableuseofcopyrightfreemusicinthetelevisionandradiobriefs.Inthemusicvideobrief,learnersareexpectedtouseanexistingartist’strackratherthancreatetheirown.
Duringtheplanningphaselearnerscanbegivensupportandguidanceincluding:
• explainthepurposeofplanningmaterials• adviseonapproachestoplanningmaterials• adviseonresourcesforplanningmaterials• adviseonhealthandsafetyconsiderationsto
takeintoaccountwhenplanningaproduction.
Teachersmust not:
• makecreativeplanningdecisionsforlearners.
Productions(formalsupervision)
Allelementsofthemediaproductionmustbecompletedunderformalsupervisionwithinthecentre,withtheexceptionoffilming,digitalstillphotographyandaudiorecording,whichmaytakeplaceoff-site,whereappropriate.However,alloff-siteactivitiesmustbeagreedinadvancewithteachingstaffandparentalpermissionsmustbesoughtwhererequiredfromthelearnerandcastmembers.Teachersmustbesatisfiedlearnershavecarriedoutsufficienthealthandsafetychecksbeforeallowingoff-siteworkandlearnersmustsubmitcopiesoftheirpre-shootingshotlistsandstoryboardstoteachers.
Duringtheproductionphase,learnerscanbegivensupportandguidance.
Teacherscan:
• explainthepurposeoftheirchosenmediabrief• adviseonresourcesforindividualproductions• trainlearnerstouseanynecessarytechnology
orsoftwareneededfortheproduction.• alertthelearnertokeythingsthatmustbe
includedintheirfinalproduction• reviewlearners’workbeforeitishandedinfor
finalassessment(thisincludesroughcutedits)butadvicemustremainatthegenerallevel,enablinglearnerstotaketheinitiativeinmakingamendments.Onereviewshouldbesufficienttoenablelearnerstounderstandthedemandsoftheassessmentcriteria.
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Teachersmust not:
• practisethelearner’schosenmediabriefwiththem
• givedetailedadviceandsuggestionsastohowtheworkmaybeimprovedinordertomeettheassessmentcriteria;thisincludesindicatingerrorsoromissions
• personallyintervenetoimprovethepresentationorcontentofthework
• personallyintervenetoimprovethepresentationorcontentofthework;providingthatadviceremainsatthegenerallevel,enablingthelearnertotaketheinitiativein
makingamendments,thereisnoneedtorecord this advice as assistance or deduct marks.
Firstdrafts
What teachers cando:
Teacherscanreviewlearners’workbeforeitishandedinforfinalassessment.Advicemustremainatthegenerallevel,enablinglearnerstotaketheinitiativeinmakingamendments.Onereviewshouldbesufficienttoenablelearnerstounderstandthedemandsoftheassessmentcriteria.
Headofcentreannualdeclaration
TheHeadofCentreisrequiredtoprovideadeclarationtotheJCQaspartoftheannualNCNupdate,conductedintheautumnterm,toconfirmthatthecentreismeetingalloftherequirementsdetailedinthespecification.
Any failure by a centre to provide the Head of Centre annualdeclarationwillresultinyourcentrestatusbeingsuspendedandcouldleadtothewithdrawalofour approval for you to operate as a centre.
Privatecandidates
PrivatecandidatesmayenterforOCRassessments.
Aprivatecandidateissomeonewhopursuesacourseofstudyindependentlybuttakesanexaminationorassessmentatanapprovedexaminationcentre. Aprivatecandidatemaybeapart-timestudent,someonetakingadistancelearningcourse,orsomeonebeingtutoredprivately.Theymustbe basedintheUK.
ALevelMediaStudiesrequireslearnerstocompletenon-examinedassessment.Thisisanessentialpartof
the course and will allow learners to develop skills for furtherstudyoremployment.
PrivatecandidatesneedtocontactOCRapprovedcentres to establish whether they are prepared to hostthemasaprivatecandidate.ThecentremaychargeforthisfacilityandOCRrecommendsthatthearrangementismadeearlyinthecourse.
Furtherguidanceforprivatecandidatesmaybefoundon the OCR website www.ocr.org.uk.
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Centresmustcarryoutinternalstandardisationtoensurethatmarksawardedbydifferentteachersareaccurate and consistent across all learners entered for
thecomponentfromthatcentre.ThisprocessisoutlinedfurtherinSection3funder‘FinalSubmission’.
Internalstandardisation
Moderation
Thepurposeofmoderationistobringthemarkingofinternally-assessedcomponentsinallparticipatingcentrestoanagreedstandard.Thisisachievedbycheckingasampleofeachcentre’smarkingoflearners’ work.
Followinginternalstandardisation,centressubmitmarkstoOCRandthemoderator.Iftherearetenorfewerlearners,alltheworkshouldbesubmittedformoderationatthesametimeasmarksaresubmitted.
OncemarkshavebeensubmittedtoOCRandyourmoderator,centreswillreceiveamoderationsamplerequest.Sampleswillincludeworkfromacrosstherangeofattainmentofthelearners’work.
Therearetwowaystosubmitasample:
ModerationviatheOCRRepository–Whereyouupload electronic copies of the work included in the sampletotheOCRRepositoryandyourmoderatoraccessestheworkfromthere.
Postalmoderation–Whereyoupostthesampleofworktothemoderator.
Themethodthatwillbeusedtosubmitthemoderationsamplemustbespecifiedwhenmakingentries.Therelevantentrycodesaregivenin Section4a.
Alllearners’workmustbesubmittedusingthesameentryoption.Itisnotpossibleforcentrestousebothoptionswithinthesameseries.
Centreswillreceivetheoutcomeofmoderationwhentheprovisionalresultsareissued.Thiswillinclude:
ModerationAdjustmentsReport–Listinganyscalingthat has been applied to internally assessed components.
ModeratorReporttoCentres–Abriefreportbythemoderatorontheinternalassessmentoflearners’work.
Carryingforwardnon-examassessment
Learnerswhoareretakingthequalificationcanchooseeithertoretakethenon-examassessmentortocarryforwardtheirmarkforthatcomponentfromthepreviousexamseries.
Ifalearnerdecidestocarryforwardtheirmark,theymustbeenteredintheretakeseriesusingtheentrycodeforthecarryforwardoptioninSection4a.
Learnersmustdecideatthepointofentrywhethertheyaregoingtocarryforwardthenon-examassessment,oriftheyaregoingtoretakeittocount
towards their result. It is not possible for a learner to retakethenon-examassessmentandthenchoosewhether the retake result or a carried forward result isusedforcertification.
Learnerscanonlycarryforwardfromoneyearintothefollowingyear.Wherethegapbetweentheinitialqualificationandtheretakeismorethanoneyear,carryforwardisnotpermitted.
Aresultforanon-examassessmentcomponentcanonly be carried forward once.
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Alevelqualificationsaregradedonthescale:A*,A,B,C,D,E,whereA*isthehighest.LearnerswhofailtoreachtheminimumstandardforEwillbe
Unclassified(U).OnlysubjectsinwhichgradesA*toEareattainedwillberecordedoncertificates.
4e. Resultsandcertificates
GradeScale
Results
Results are released to centres and learners for informationandtoallowanyqueriestoberesolvedbeforecertificatesareissued.
Centreswillhaveaccesstothefollowingresultsinformationforeachlearner:
• thegradeforthequalification• therawmarkforeachcomponent• thetotalweightedmarkforthequalification.
Thefollowingsupportinginformationwillbeavailable:
• rawmarkgradeboundariesforeachcomponent
• weightedmarkgradeboundariesforeachentryoption.
Untilcertificatesareissued,resultsaredeemedtobeprovisionalandmaybesubjecttoamendment.
Alearner’sfinalresultswillberecordedonan OCRcertificate.Thequalificationtitlewillbeshownonthecertificateas‘OCRLevel3AdvancedGCEinMedia Studies’.
4f. Post-resultsservices
Anumberofpost-resultsservicesareavailable:
• Enquiriesaboutresults–Ifyouarenothappywiththeoutcomeofalearner’sresults,centresmaysubmitanenquiryaboutresults.
• Missingandincompleteresults–Thisserviceshould be used if an individual subject result foralearnerismissing,orthelearnerhasbeenomittedentirelyfromtheresultssupplied.
• Accesstoscripts–Centrescanrequestaccesstomarkedscripts.
4g. Malpractice
Anybreachoftheregulationsfortheconductofexaminationsandnon-examassessmentworkmayconstitutemalpractice(whichincludesmaladministration)andmustbereportedtoOCRassoon as it is detected.
DetailedinformationonmalpracticecanbefoundintheJCQpublicationSuspected Malpractice in Examinations and Assessments: Policies and Procedures.
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Reasonableadjustmentsandaccessarrangementsallowlearnerswithspecialeducationalneeds,disabilitiesortemporaryinjuriestoaccesstheassessmentandshowwhattheyknowandcando,withoutchangingthedemandsoftheassessment.Applicationsfortheseshouldbemadebeforetheexaminationseries.DetailedinformationabouteligibilityforaccessarrangementscanbefoundintheJCQpublicationAccess Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments.
TheAlevelqualificationandsubjectcriteriahavebeenreviewedinordertoidentifyanyfeaturewhichcoulddisadvantagelearnerswhoshareaprotectedCharacteristicasdefinedbytheEqualityAct2010. Allreasonablestepshavebeentakentominimiseanysuchdisadvantage.
5a. Accessibility
5 Appendices
5b. Overlapwithotherqualifications
Thisqualificationhasnosignificantoverlapwithanyotherqualifications.
5c. Acceptedfileformats
Furtherexplanationoftheuseofformatsfornon-examassessmentcanbefoundinSection4d.
Movieformatsfordigitalvideoevidence:MPEG(*.mpg)QuickTimemovie(*.mov)MacromediaShockwave(*.aam)MacromediaShockwave(*.dcr)Flash(*.swf)WindowsMediaFile(*.wmf)MPEGVideoLayer4(*.mp4).
Audioorsoundformats:MPEGAudioLayer3(*.mp3).
Graphicsformatsincluding: JPEG(*.jpg)Graphicsfile(*.pcx)MSbitmap(*.bmp)GIFimages(*.gif).
Animationformats:MacromediaFlash(*.fla).
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5d. Accessingthesetmediaproduct
Mediaform Setproduct ProductAvailability
Television OnefromlistA(USLongFormTelevisionDramas):
• Mr Robot(Season1,Episode1June2015)BBFC15
• House of Cards(Season1, Episode1,January2013) BBFC15
• Homeland(Season1,Episode1,October2011)BBFC15
• Stranger Things(Season1, Episode1,July2016)BBFC12.
AND
OnefromlistB(Europeannon-EnglishlanguageLongFormTelevisionDramas):
• The Killing/Forbrydelsen (Season1,Episode1,October2007)BBFC15
• Borgen (Season1,Episode1,October2010)BBFC15
• Trapped (Season1,Episode1,December2015)BBFC15
• Deutschland 83 (Season1, Episode1,October2015)BBFC15.
Centresneedtopurchasethesetepisodesfromacommercialretailer,alternativelyitmaybepossibletostreamtheepisodes.
Advertisingandmarketing
Posteradvertisementsfor:
• Old Spice (aftershave)• Lucozade (soft-drink)• Shelter (charity).
AdvertstobemadeavailablebyOCR.
Film The Jungle Book (1967) ANDThe Jungle Book (2016)
Purchasablefromcommercialretailer.NB.Textualanalysisofthefilmsare not required
Videogames Minecraft video game PurchasablefromcommercialretailerNB.Thereisnorequirementforlearnerstoplaythegame.Teachersarerecommendedtomakeuse of freelyavailableonlineclipsofgameplay.
Magazines The Big Issue Centres need to purchase atleasttwomagazines so that learners can study at least two covers.
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Music video LearnersmustchooseonevideofromlistA:
• Corinne Bailey Rae – Stop Where You Are
• Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
• Emeli Sandé – Heaven
AND
OnevideofromlistB:
• Fatboy Slim – Ya Mama• Radiohead – Burn the Witch• David Guetta – Titanium
All freelyavailableonlinee.g.YouTubeorVimeo
https://www.youtube.com/https://vimeo.com/
Radio The BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show Centreselectedepisode,freelyavailable online viaBBCRadioiPlayer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
Online, social and participatorymedia
TheMail Online and The Guardian websitesANDat least twoarticlesfromtheMail Online website and at least two articlesfromThe Guardian websites plus relevant Facebook,Twitter and Instagramfeedsfromeachnewsorganisation.
Freelyavailable online
https://www.theguardian.com/http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Newspapers TwofrontcoversfromtheDaily Mail and twofrontcoversfrom The Guardian ANDOnecompleteeditionofthe Daily Mail and onecompleteeditionof The Guardian.
Centres need to purchase four newspapers to ensure learners can study four front covers and twocompleteeditionsofthenewspapers.
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5e. Academicideasandargumentstobestudied
MediaLanguage
Semiology–Barthes
Semiologyisthestudyofsigns.Signsconsistofasignifier(aword,animage,asound,andsoon)anditsmeaning–thesignified.
Thedenotationofasignisitsliteralmeaning(e.g.theword‘dog’denotesamammalthatbarks).
Denotationssignifyconnotations–theassociationsofthedenotation(e.g.‘dogness’–thethoughtsandfeelingsassociatedwithdogs).
Denotationsandconnotationsareorganisedintomyths–theideologicalmeaning.Thesemakeideologyseemnatural.Forexample,aBulldogmightactivateamythofBritishness.
Narratology–Todorov
Narratologyisthestudyofnarrative;inthiscase,ofnarrativestructure–howthepartsfittogethertomakeawhole.
Allnarrativescanbeseenasamovefromonestateofequilibrium(wherenothingneedoccur)toanother, newequilibrium.Thedisruptiontotheequilibriumiswhatdrivesthenarrativetowardsanewequilibrium.
Themovementfromtheinitialequilibriumtothenewequilibriumentailsatransformation(e.g.theheroexpressestheirheroismanddefeatsthevillain)–thistransformationexpresseswhatthenarrativevalues.
GenreTheory–Neale
Genretheoryisaboutwhatgenresare,andabouthowandwhytheyarecreated,changeendureordecline.
Nealearguesthatgenreisaprocessbywhichgenericcodesandconventionsaresharedbyproducersandaudiencesthroughrepetitioninmediaproducts.
Thismeansthatgenesarenotfixed,butconstantlyevolvewitheachnewadditiontothegenericcorpus (thebodyofproductsinagenre),oftenplayingwithgenrecodesandconventionsorbecominghybridswithothergenres.
Genericcodesandconventionsarenotjustestablishedinmediaproductsbutinproductsthatrefertotheseproductssuchascriticalwritingsoradvertisingandmarketingmaterial,whatNealereferredtoas‘theintertextual relay’.
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Structuralism–Levi-Strauss
Structuralismisthestudyofthehiddenrulesthatgovernastructure.
Levi-Straussthoughtthatthehumanmindcouldbeinvestigatedbystudyingthefundamentalstructureunderlyingmythsandfablesfromaroundtheworld(whichhesawasoneunitarysystem).Hedevelopedtheideaofthe‘binaryopposition’–thatthesystemofmythsandfableswasruledbyastructureofopposingterms,e.g.hot-cold,male-female,culture-nature,raw-cooked.
Manywritershaveanalysedmediaproductsusingtheideaofthebinaryopposition,butseeingtheoverallsystemas‘ideology’ratherthan‘humanconsciousness’.
Postmodernism–Baudrillard
Postmodernismistheideathatsocietyhasmovedbeyondmodernism–eithermodernisminartandculture(early 20thcentury)ormodernisminthesenseofabeliefinprogress,whichdatesbackmuchfurther.
Baudrillardarguedthat,asmodernsocietieswereorganisedaroundproductionofgoods,postmodernsocietyisorganisedaround‘simulation’–theplayofimagesandsigns.
Previouslyimportantsocialdistinctionssuffer‘implosion’asdifferencesofgender,class,politicsandculturedissolveinaworldofsimulationinwhichindividualsconstructtheiridentities.
Thenewworldof‘hyperreality’–mediasimulations,forexample,Disneylandandamusementparks,mallsandconsumerfantasylands–ismorerealthanthe‘real’,andcontrolshowwethinkandbehave.
MediaRepresentations
TheoriesofRepresentation–Hall
Representationisnotaboutwhetherthemediareflectsordistortsreality,asthisimpliesthattherecanbeone‘true’meaning,butthemanymeaningsarepresentationcangenerate.Meaningisconstitutedbyrepresentation,bywhatispresent,whatisabsent,andwhatisdifferent.Thus,meaningcanbecontested.
Arepresentationimplicatestheaudienceincreatingitsmeaning.Power–throughideologyorbystereotyping–triestofixthemeaningofarepresentationina‘preferredmeaning’.Tocreatedeliberateanti-stereotypesisstilltoattempttofixthemeaning(albeitinadifferentway).Amoreeffectivestrategyistogoinsidethestereotypeandopenitupfromwithin,todeconstructtheworkofrepresentation.
TheoriesofIdentity–Gauntlett
Themediahaveanimportantbutcomplexrelationshipwithidentities.Inthemodernworld,itisnowanexpectationthatindividualsmakechoicesabouttheiridentityandlifestyle.Eveninthetraditionalmedia,therearemanydiverseandcontradictorymediamessagesthatindividualscanusetothinkthroughtheiridentitiesandwaysofexpressingthemselves.Forexample,thesuccessof‘popularfeminism’andincreasingrepresentationofdifferentsexualitiescreatedaworldwherethemeaningofgender,sexualityandidentityisincreasinglyopen.
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Theonlinemediaofferpeoplearoutetoself-expression,andthereforeastrongersenseofselfandparticipatingintheworldbymakingandexchanging.Thesemediaareplacesofconversation,exchangeandtransformation:‘afantasticallymessysetofnetworksfilledwithmillionsofsparks–someignitingnewmeanings,ideasandpassionsandsomejustfadingaway.’Peoplestillbuildidentities,butthrougheveryday,creativepractice.However,thispracticewouldbeimprovedbybetterplatformsforcreativity.
FeministTheory–VanZoonen
Inpatriarchalculture,thewaywomen’sbodiesarerepresentedasobjectsisdifferenttotherepresentationofmalebodiesasspectacle.
Genderisperformative–ourideasoffemininityandmasculinityareconstructedinourperformancesoftheseroles.Genderis‘whatwedo’ratherthan‘whatweare’.Moreover,genderiscontextual–itsmeaningchangeswith cultural and historical contexts.
VanZoonendisagreeswithargumentsthattheinternet,beingbasedoncollaboration,isatechnologythatistrueandclosetowomenandfemininity.Theseviewsaretoosimpleandbasedontheideaofanessentialfemininity,whereasthereisarichdiversityofwaysthatgenderisarticulatedontheinternet.
FeministTheory–BellHooks
Feminismisamovementtoendpatriarchy:sexism,sexistexploitation,andoppression.
‘Intersectionality’referstotheintersectionsofgender,race,classandsexualitytocreatea‘whitesupremacistcapitalistpatriarchy’,whoseideologiesdominatemediarepresentations.Shearguesthatblackwomenshoulddevelopan‘oppositionalgaze’thatrefusestoidentifywithcharacters–the‘gaze’ispoliticalforblackAmericans,asslaveswerepunishedforlookingattheirwhiteowners.
TheoriesofGenderPerformativity–Butler
Genderiscreatedinhowweperformourgenderroles–thereisnoessentialgenderidentitybehindtheseroles,itiscreatedintheperformance.Performativityisnotasingularactbutarepetitionandaritualthatbecomesnaturalisedwithinthebody.
Anyfeminismconcernedonlywithmasculinityandfemininityexcludesotherformsofgenderandsexuality.Thiscreates‘gendertrouble’forthosethatdonotfittheheterosexualnorms.
ButlerisanimportantpostmodernwriterandhasinfluencedQueertheory–theorywhichdeconstructsandaimstodestabiliseapparentlyfixedidentitiesbasedongenderandsexualities.
TheoriesAroundEthnicity,andPost-ColonialTheory–Gilroy
TheAfricandiasporacausedbytheslavetradehasnowconstructedatransatlanticculturethatissimultaneouslyAfrican,American,CaribbeanandBritish–the‘BlackAtlantic’.
Britainhasfailedtomournitslossofempire,creating‘postcolonialmelancholia’,anattachmenttoanairbrushedversionofBritishcolonialhistory,whichexpressesitselfincriminalisingimmigrantsandan‘usandthem’approachtotheworldfoundedonthebeliefintheinherentsuperiorityofwhitewesterncivilisation.
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MediaIndustries
PowerandMediaIndustries–CurranandSeaton
Apoliticaleconomyapproachtothemedia–arguingthatpatternsofownershipandcontrolarethemostsignificantfactorsinhowthemediaoperate.
Mediaindustriesfollowthenormalcapitalistpatternofincreasingconcentrationofownershipinfewerandfewerhands.Thisleadstoanarrowingoftherangeofopinionsrepresentedandapursuitofprofitattheexpenseofqualityorcreativity.
Theinternetdoesnotrepresentarupturewiththepastinthatitdoesnotofferalevelplayingfieldfordiversevoicestobeheard.Itisconstrainedbynationalismandstatecensorship.Newsisstillcontrolledbypowerfulnewsorganisations,whohavesuccessfullydefendedtheiroligarchy.
Regulation–LivingstoneandLunt
LivingstoneandLuntstudiedfourcasestudiesoftheworkofOfcom.
Ofcomisservinganaudiencewhomaybeseenasconsumersand/orcitizens,withconsequencesforregulation:consumershavewants,areindividuals,seekprivatebenefitsfromthemedia,usethelanguageofchoice,andrequireregulationtoprotectagainstdetriment;citizenshaveneeds,aresocial,seekpublicorsocialbenefitsfromthemedia,usethelanguageofrights,andrequireregulationtopromotethepublicinterest.
Traditionalregulationisbeingputatriskby:increasinglyglobalisedmediaindustries,theriseofthedigitalmedia,andmediaconvergence.
CulturalIndustries–Hesmondhalgh
Culturalindustriesfollowthenormalcapitalistpatternofincreasingconcentrationandintegration–culturalproductionisownedandcontrolledbyafewconglomerateswhoverticallyintegrateacrossarangeofmediatoreduce risk.
Riskisparticularlyhighintheculturalindustriesbecauseofthedifficultyinpredictingsuccess,highproductioncosts,lowreproductioncostsandthefactthatmediaproductsare‘publicgoods’–theyarenotdestroyedonconsumptionbutcanbefurtherreproduced.Thismeansthattheculturalindustriesrelyon‘bighits’tocoverthecostsoffailure.Henceindustriesrelyonrepetitionthroughuseofstars,genres,franchises,repeatablenarrativesandsoontosellformatstoaudiences,thenindustriesandgovernmentstrytoimposescarcity,especiallythroughcopyrightlaws.
TheinternethascreatednewpowerfulITcorporations,andhasnottransformedculturalproductioninaliberatingandempoweringway–digitaltechnologyhasspedupwork,commercialisedleisuretimeandincreasedsurveillancebygovernmentandcompanies.
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Media Audiences
MediaEffects–Bandura
Themediacaninfluencepeopledirectly–humanvalues,judgementandconductcanbealtereddirectlybymediamodelling.Empiricalevidencebestsupportsdirectinfluenceratherthanthealternativemodelsofmediaeffects:two-stepflow,agenda-setting,noeffects,orthemediareflectingexistingattitudesandbehaviour.
Mediarepresentationsofaggressiveorviolentbehaviourcanleadtoimitation.
Themediamayinfluencedirectlyorbysocialnetworks,sopeoplecanbeinfluencedbymediamessageswithoutbeingexposedtothem.
Differentmediahavedifferenteffects.The‘new’mediaofferopportunitiesforself-directedness.
CultivationTheory–Gerbner
Exposuretotelevisionoverlongperiodsoftimecultivatesstandardisedrolesandbehaviours.Gerbnerusedcontentanalysistoanalyserepeatedmediamessagesandvalues,thenfoundthatheavyusersoftelevisionweremorelikely,forexample,todevelop‘meanworldsyndrome’–acynical,mistrustingattitudetowardsothers–followingprolongedexposuretohighlevelsoftelevisionviolence.
GerbnerfoundthatheavyTVviewingledto‘mainstreaming’–acommonoutlookontheworldbasedontheimagesandlabelsonTV.Mainstreamerswoulddescribethemselvesaspoliticallymoderate.
ReceptionTheory–Hall
Hall’s‘encoding-decoding’modelarguedthatmediaproducersencode‘preferredmeanings’intotexts,butthesetextsmaybe‘read’bytheiraudiencesinanumberofdifferentways:
• Thedominant-hegemonicposition:a‘preferredreading’thatacceptsthetext’smessagesandtheideologicalassumptionsbehindthemessages
• Thenegotiatedposition:thereaderacceptsthetext’sideologicalassumptions,butdisagreeswithaspectsofthemessages,sonegotiatesthemeaningtofitwiththeir‘livedexperience’
• Theoppositionalreading:thereaderrejectsboththeovertmessageanditsunderlyingideologicalassumptions.
Fandom–Jenkins
Fansactas‘textualpoachers’–takingelementsfrommediatextstocreatetheirownculture.
Thedevelopmentofthe‘new’mediahasaccelerated‘participatoryculture’,inwhichaudiencesareactiveandcreativeparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumers.Theycreateonlinecommunities,producenewcreativeforms,collaboratetosolveproblems,andshapetheflowofmedia.Thisgenerates‘collectiveintelligence’.
Fromthisperspective,convergenceisaculturalprocessratherthanatechnologicalone.
Jenkinspreferstheterm‘spreadablemedia’totermssuchas‘viral’,astheformeremphasisestheactive,participatoryelementofthe‘new’media.
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‘EndofAudience’Theories–Shirky
Inthe‘old’media,centralisedproducersaddressedatomisedconsumers;inthe‘new’media,everyconsumerisnowaproducer.Traditionalmediaproducerswould‘filterthenpublish’;asmany‘new’mediaproducersarenotemployees,they‘publishthenfilter’.
Theseamateurproducershavedifferentmotivationstothoseofprofessionals–theyvalueautonomy,competence,membershipandgenerosity.User-generatedcontentcreatesemotionalconnectionbetweenpeoplewhocareaboutsomething.Thiscangenerateacognitivesurplus–forexample,Wikipediacanaggregatepeople’sfreetimeandtalenttoproducevaluethatnotraditionalmediumcouldmatch.
‘TheAudience’asamassofpeoplewithpredictablebehaviourisgone.Now,behaviourisvariableacrossdifferentsites,withsomeoftheaudiencecreatingcontent,somesynthesisingcontentandsomeconsumingcontent.The‘old’mediacreatedamassaudience.The‘new’mediaprovideaplatformforpeopletoprovidevalue for each other.
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