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GCSE REVISION
QUESTION 1 / QUESTION 5:
The basic skill you have to show is textual analysis: do you understand how media texts are put together?
For NEWS, start here; it'll give you some useful terminology. some examples from Emily Yeung & Lian Furness can be found here as well as a comprehensive list of key terms for deconstructing the front page of newspapers. It's also good to be able to analyse still images since a large part of the effectiveness of web and print news depends on their use of images. Many terms apply equally to both print and film texts, and many basic principles (like use of colour) are largely identical. Obviously, the biggest difference when analysing animation is to understand how to talk about moving images - this page will help, although it is about film in general rather than animation in particular.
Next, understand the type or GENRE of text you are looking at, because this can dictate what CONVENTIONS are in play and, as a result, the identity of the audience and the USES and GRATIFICATIONS which the audience might expect. Look here for pointers on News, here and here for advice on animation.
QUESTION 2 / QUESTION 6:
Here, you are expected to create a text of some sort and explain your choices. This is usually a fairly easy question to predict, and you'll have had time and advice in class to get yourself ready for it. Remember that the annotation and explanation is more important than the drawing! There is advice about this question (and, additionally, the timings which you should use for the whole exam) here.
Remember to show off a bit here. Designing a basic news website or a basic character for an animation - or whatever they ask you to do - isn't actually that hard. You need to show that you can follow conventions, firstly, so you should understand how the texts are put together (see links above in the textual analysis section) AND you should also be able to display your knowledge of how representations and narratives are handled in different genre types; you could even tie your product to an existing institution to show that you understand how different organisations produce different types of texts. Have you built in some knowledge of marketing approaches? Is there, for example, any institutional synergy? Does your news website promote any other services offered by that particular institution? DOes your animated character promote a certain type of sportswear, or mp3 player?
After doing all THAT, you could even push the conventions a little - make your character different in some way. The ability to challenge convention a little without alienating the audience (don't go too crazy!) tends to be a good way to attract A* grades. Perhaps your animated character isn't the conventional happy, well-adjusted, attractive teen, for example? Or, indeed, the EXTREMELY conventional (at our school, anyway) spiky-haired, tattooed, huge-sword-wielding teenage psychopathic manga character?
Remember that you are effectively being assessed on your ability to appeal to an audience here. More able students (and believe me, that includes every single one of our Year 11 students!) will almost certainly find ways to appeal to teenage audiences AND younger audiences, older audiences and afficionado audiences simultaneously, AND be able to explain it all in their annotations!
Some advice and thoughts on various aspects:
Representation in animation and in news
Narrative in animation and in news... and basic narrative theory for those who have shamefully forgotten it.
Audience in animation and news: and basic audience theory if you don't know your hypodermic needle from your two-step flow... It would also help to be familiar with the concept of audience effects.
Institutions in animation (have a look at some of what Disney actually own)and news. It will also help you to know how major and independent animation studios are different.
All this media theory, by the way, is explained rather wonderfully, though with reference to different exam topics, in Margaret Jung's video here. Incidentally, it is commonly said that the best way of learning something is to teach it to someone else. By making a video explaining theory, Margaret very effectively taught it - at an extremely high level - to herself! Who's making this year's version?
QUESTIONS 3, 4, 7, 8:
The essay questions. Although you (obviously) want to do well in every area of the exam, these are the questions which really indicate who the high-fliers are (again, that would be all of you!) The other questions test your knowledge of your exam topics; these are really looking for those students who can go further and show their understanding of the media as a whole. Your knowledge of institutions (see links above) will help a lot. The best way to prepare for these is to practise them; so, look here for example questions on news and here for animation. Use Susan Yung's extremely helpful presentation on animation sub-genres (pixelation, 2D, 3D animation, rotoscoping etc) to help you with Q3. The presentation is here. It is VERY important that you can refer to actual examples in these answers. For animation, there are Case Studies on Wall-E, Cars and Persepolis to work with. For News, you could make reference to the Jade Goody story or the recent reports on climate change. You could also have a look at the Max Clifford study. Be aware of how news organisations are often politically motivated and thus communicate different ideologies (those who want a more advanced view look here). It can also be useful to know how Regulation works; that is, what codes of Practice or laws people in the media work under. Press Complaints commission is here, their code of practice is downloadable here. The BBFC - British Board of Film Classification - is here and their guiding principles can be found here.
Note: it's impossible to predict what you will be asked, but it's a really good idea to be familiar with the whole area of how 'new media' (basically, the internet) has changed everything. Here is a very helpful link for news on what the future might hold for the industry... It's generally pretty easy to see what advantages digitisation have for the audience, but more able students might also see disadvantages. With regards to the news industry, this 'Googlezon' video suggests that deprofessionalisation and 'dumbing down' could become a very real issue with the rise of user-generated content. Also watch this video about Twitter and see how it is affecting the way audiences think about news. There is a useful news story here about the gradual decline of regional news services in the UK. This video about news agendas in the US also explains that international news agencies are disappearing as news organs come to rely more on wire services (Reuters, AP and so on.) Also look here to see how Youtube has become a powerful agent of news: so powerful, that China frequently bans it! (Thanks to Michelle H for noticing this.) Also have a look at the current situation in Moldova - a popular uprising against Parliament and the President, by people who are both receiving their news and organising themselves through Twitter and Facebook. Even in more conventional news settings, like the BBC, a process of democratisation appears to be taking place whereby user generated content is becoming more prominent. Or, check the story of Damian McBride, the Prime Minister's political adviser, who was forced to resign after emails he sent about Conservative politcians were leaked to the popular Guido Fawkes political blog. This has caused huge problems for the Labour party in the UK.
Model essay on changes in the industry HERE.
Finally - what you SHOULD have said in your mock exam...
The basic skill you have to show is textual analysis: do you understand how media texts are put together?
For NEWS, start here; it'll give you some useful terminology. some examples from Emily Yeung & Lian Furness can be found here as well as a comprehensive list of key terms for deconstructing the front page of newspapers. It's also good to be able to analyse still images since a large part of the effectiveness of web and print news depends on their use of images. Many terms apply equally to both print and film texts, and many basic principles (like use of colour) are largely identical. Obviously, the biggest difference when analysing animation is to understand how to talk about moving images - this page will help, although it is about film in general rather than animation in particular.
Next, understand the type or GENRE of text you are looking at, because this can dictate what CONVENTIONS are in play and, as a result, the identity of the audience and the USES and GRATIFICATIONS which the audience might expect. Look here for pointers on News, here and here for advice on animation.
PRACTICE FOR ANIMATION
PRACTICE FOR NEWS
QUESTION 2 / QUESTION 6:
Here, you are expected to create a text of some sort and explain your choices. This is usually a fairly easy question to predict, and you'll have had time and advice in class to get yourself ready for it. Remember that the annotation and explanation is more important than the drawing! There is advice about this question (and, additionally, the timings which you should use for the whole exam) here.
Remember to show off a bit here. Designing a basic news website or a basic character for an animation - or whatever they ask you to do - isn't actually that hard. You need to show that you can follow conventions, firstly, so you should understand how the texts are put together (see links above in the textual analysis section) AND you should also be able to display your knowledge of how representations and narratives are handled in different genre types; you could even tie your product to an existing institution to show that you understand how different organisations produce different types of texts. Have you built in some knowledge of marketing approaches? Is there, for example, any institutional synergy? Does your news website promote any other services offered by that particular institution? DOes your animated character promote a certain type of sportswear, or mp3 player?
After doing all THAT, you could even push the conventions a little - make your character different in some way. The ability to challenge convention a little without alienating the audience (don't go too crazy!) tends to be a good way to attract A* grades. Perhaps your animated character isn't the conventional happy, well-adjusted, attractive teen, for example? Or, indeed, the EXTREMELY conventional (at our school, anyway) spiky-haired, tattooed, huge-sword-wielding teenage psychopathic manga character?
Remember that you are effectively being assessed on your ability to appeal to an audience here. More able students (and believe me, that includes every single one of our Year 11 students!) will almost certainly find ways to appeal to teenage audiences AND younger audiences, older audiences and afficionado audiences simultaneously, AND be able to explain it all in their annotations!
Some advice and thoughts on various aspects:
Representation in animation and in news
Narrative in animation and in news... and basic narrative theory for those who have shamefully forgotten it.
Audience in animation and news: and basic audience theory if you don't know your hypodermic needle from your two-step flow... It would also help to be familiar with the concept of audience effects.
Institutions in animation (have a look at some of what Disney actually own)and news. It will also help you to know how major and independent animation studios are different.
All this media theory, by the way, is explained rather wonderfully, though with reference to different exam topics, in Margaret Jung's video here. Incidentally, it is commonly said that the best way of learning something is to teach it to someone else. By making a video explaining theory, Margaret very effectively taught it - at an extremely high level - to herself! Who's making this year's version?
QUESTIONS 3, 4, 7, 8:
The essay questions. Although you (obviously) want to do well in every area of the exam, these are the questions which really indicate who the high-fliers are (again, that would be all of you!) The other questions test your knowledge of your exam topics; these are really looking for those students who can go further and show their understanding of the media as a whole. Your knowledge of institutions (see links above) will help a lot. The best way to prepare for these is to practise them; so, look here for example questions on news and here for animation. Use Susan Yung's extremely helpful presentation on animation sub-genres (pixelation, 2D, 3D animation, rotoscoping etc) to help you with Q3. The presentation is here. It is VERY important that you can refer to actual examples in these answers. For animation, there are Case Studies on Wall-E, Cars and Persepolis to work with. For News, you could make reference to the Jade Goody story or the recent reports on climate change. You could also have a look at the Max Clifford study. Be aware of how news organisations are often politically motivated and thus communicate different ideologies (those who want a more advanced view look here). It can also be useful to know how Regulation works; that is, what codes of Practice or laws people in the media work under. Press Complaints commission is here, their code of practice is downloadable here. The BBFC - British Board of Film Classification - is here and their guiding principles can be found here.
Here for example questions on news...
...Here for animation.
Note: it's impossible to predict what you will be asked, but it's a really good idea to be familiar with the whole area of how 'new media' (basically, the internet) has changed everything. Here is a very helpful link for news on what the future might hold for the industry... It's generally pretty easy to see what advantages digitisation have for the audience, but more able students might also see disadvantages. With regards to the news industry, this 'Googlezon' video suggests that deprofessionalisation and 'dumbing down' could become a very real issue with the rise of user-generated content. Also watch this video about Twitter and see how it is affecting the way audiences think about news. There is a useful news story here about the gradual decline of regional news services in the UK. This video about news agendas in the US also explains that international news agencies are disappearing as news organs come to rely more on wire services (Reuters, AP and so on.) Also look here to see how Youtube has become a powerful agent of news: so powerful, that China frequently bans it! (Thanks to Michelle H for noticing this.) Also have a look at the current situation in Moldova - a popular uprising against Parliament and the President, by people who are both receiving their news and organising themselves through Twitter and Facebook. Even in more conventional news settings, like the BBC, a process of democratisation appears to be taking place whereby user generated content is becoming more prominent. Or, check the story of Damian McBride, the Prime Minister's political adviser, who was forced to resign after emails he sent about Conservative politcians were leaked to the popular Guido Fawkes political blog. This has caused huge problems for the Labour party in the UK.
Model essay on changes in the industry HERE.
STILL STUCK? SEEK HELP ON NING...
Finally - what you SHOULD have said in your mock exam...
BACK TO GCSE MEDIA PAGE
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