How to upload a photo or video into your blog post...

How to use your blog...

As we've said numerous times... You MUST make sure that you involve yourself in the media. To show us that you are and to show your engagement you are going to create a blog.

On this blog, weekly, you will create a new post about something that you have done. This could be:
•Watching a new show, film, or trailer.
•Maybe you saw a new poster which you liked the look of.
•You listened to a new podcast or radio programme.
•You found a new youtuber/youtube channel and viewed some of their videos.

•You played a new game or saw a new game trailer that grabbed your interest.

•You read a magazine or newspaper

In the post you should make sure you:

•Write a minimum of 150 words about why you liked or didn’t like what you saw/played/listened to/read. This should just be a brief review.
•Give it a rating

•You should include at least one image or video in your post

•Both year 12 and year 13 classes will be doing this task. 

•You are expected to upload one post a week.

•Failure to do so will lead to yellow cards and detentions.

•Check other peoples blogs (on the right of this page) to see what they’ve been posting, as you never know… it could actually interest you! 

An example post:

Donnie Darko (2001) 9/10

Donnie Darko is one of my all time favourites films. A well develop and thought provoking film about time travel that does a great job of keeping the viewer interested and questioning what is going to happen and how the characters all tie together. It's a fairly slow paced film about a teenager's struggle and how to correct the mistakes which have been made. It has been known to leave some viewers slightly confused by the end events but if you enjoy the film then I'd highly recommend the directors cut which adds an extra layer of depth to the events.

A work experience opportunity WHICHFILM.COM

"Are you a budding young film buff looking to gain some experience in the online film review sector?

If the answer is yes, and you love watching films and writing quality reviews or synopses about them then you have come to the right place.

WhichFilm.com are always happy to accept students on an unpaid work experience basis who are aged 14+ and it provides you with the following advantages.

1) Totally flexible working hours. You complete and submit the reviews according to your time schedule. This might mean after school, between lectures, during half term or your summer holidays. It’s completely up to you! For the benefit of experience we can set you some challenging deadlines should you wish to find out if you can take the pressure of deadline writing!

2) You get to choose! You might prefer to write reviews or consider a synopsis for a few of your favourite films. You might even wish to mix it up a bit and do a bit of both. It’s entirely up to you!

3) Make a name for yourself with your unique author name displayed on all of your reviews/synopses with the best reviews promoted.

4) After a minimum of 15 reviews/synopses, gain yourself a neat, letter headed reference* from WhichFilm.com to show off to potential future employers.

5) Have your very own Author page detailing your profile for potential headhunters and media publishers looking to recruit the next big talent.

If you believe the above is for you then please contact us and include the word “Experience” in the subject line, telling us a little about yourself, why you love film and between which dates you believe you’ll be able to add reviews. Once we receive your introduction it should take no more than 48 hours for us to reply and give you the basic instructions to get started!

*References can be provided either in print or pdf format. Please let us know at the end of your experience which you prefer.

Please note references will not be provided to those where it is known that plagiarism has taken place.


Things To Consider

1) It’s unpaid so you may wish to consider whether it is right for you financially, especially if you are after some extra pocket money!

2) Exams are more important than work experience. If you are currently studying for exams, feel there is too much pressure, have a lack of time or are falling behind on your studies then WhichFilm.com is best left alone for the moment!

3) Speak to your parents. Have a chat with them, show them the website and let them know you are considering it. We’re happy to chat with parents should they have any questions, either on the phone or e-mail.

4) Go work experience shopping! If you’re definitely interested in work experience then do look around. Work from home experience is not everyone’s cup of tea, be it for yourself or potential employers. You might wish to wander into a cafe somewhere to write your reviews, if you have a dongle then sitting outside in the summer sunshine might work for you. If you know others into film, get together to chat about it. Working from home can be tiresome but you don’t actually have to be at home!

5) Take a break! Sitting in front of your laptop for hours on end is no good and you might find that bursts of fifteen minutes will work best for you. Make a cup of tea, take a walk or help mum in the kitchen to give your brain and eyes a rest!

6) Deadlines! No need to worry too much about these. We are not going to ask you write 10 reviews in the next hour! These will be based on daily or weekly deadlines much like school.

7) Privacy matters to everyone! Whilst we might have your e-mail, we will only use it to contact you and we certainly won’t sell it. Some of you may wish to use a different author name or pen name for your synopses or reviews and that’s perfectly fine with us, just know that names like William Shakespeare won’t be accepted 🙂

8) Those wishing to contact us can either use the Contact Us page, on e-mail at
experience@whichfilm.com or on telephone 0208 144 7869.

We look forward to hearing from you."

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WHICHFILM WEBSITE

SET PRODUCT - Online media (component 2)

Set product: Zoella (Component 2 section C)
Remember this is about media language, representation, media industries, audiences and media contexts.

CLICK HERE FOR ALL EDUQAS RESOURCES

Use the student shared drive to find all Zoella PowerPoints and work books:
 Media Language
Audience

Industries

Representation
Student Work Book!

Zoella's YOUTUBE channel: CLICK HERE

Zoella's WEBSITE: CLICK HERE

SET PRODUCT - Magazine (component 2)

Coming soon...

SET PRODUCT - Television (component 2)

Set Product: Humans (2015) (Component 2 section A)
Remember for this you could be asked about media language, representation, media industries, audience OR media context.

CLICK HERE FOR ALL EDUQAS RESOURCES

For all resources and links for HUMANS go to the Media Studies folder in the shared drive.

SET PRODUCT - Film (component 1)

Set product: Straight Outta Compton (2015) (Component 1 section B)

Straight Outta Compton (2015)

CLICK HERE FOR EDUQAS FACT SHEET

TRAILER 1 + 2 & TV SPOT 1 + 2

For those of you who want to push yourselves further and gain a better understanding of the audience and who NWA were, watch The Defiant Ones on Netflix (a 4 part series)

The Defiant Ones Trailer

Set product: I, Daniel Blake (2016) (Component 1 section B)

I, Daniel Blake (2016)

CLICK HERE FOR EDUQAS FACT SHEET
CLICK HERE FOR TRAILER

As this section is has a question on Media Audiences, make sure you watch other videos linked to I, Daniel Blake which discuss the political elements and the audiences reaction to the films. For example: Youtube: Meet the real Daniel Blake

SET PRODUCT - Radio (component 1)

Set Product: Late Night Women's Hour (2016)(Component 1 Section B)

Late Night Women's Hour - 'Home' (October 2016)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

CLICK HERE FOR EDUQAS FACT SHEET

SET PRODUCT - Video Games (component 1)

Set product: Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (2012) (Component 1 section B)

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (2012)

CLICK HERE FOR THE EDUQAS FACT SHEET

SET PRODUCT - Music Video (component 1)

Set product: Dizzie Rascal - Dream (2004) (Component 1 - Section A)

Dizzie Rascal - Dream (2004)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO

CLICK HERE FOR THE EDUQAS FACT SHEET

Set product: Vance Joy - Riptide (2013) (Component 1 - Section A)

Vance Joy - Riptide (2013)

CLICK HERE FOR THE EDUQAS FACT SHEET

SET PRODUCT - Newspapers (component 1)

Set product: The Daily Mirror (Component 1 - Section A & B)

The Daily Mirror - American Election (2016)

CLICK HERE FOR EDUQAS FACT SHEET

Set Product: The Times (2016) (Component 1 Section A & B)

The Times - American Election (2016)

CLICK HERE FOR EDUQAS FACT SHEET

SET PRODUCT - Advertising and Marketing (component 1)

For component one of your exam you must know these three advertising and marketing set products.
Below are links to the images, videos and to the fact sheets from the exam board. 
Use these to complete your notes and fill in any missing information.

Set product 1 - Tide (Component 1 - Section A & B) 

Tide print advert (1950s)

Click the image to see a larger version

CLICK HERE FOR THE EDUQAS FACT SHEET

Set product 2 - Water Aid (audio-visual advert) (Component 1 - Section A & B)

Claudia sings "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (2016)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE ADVERT

CLICK HERE FOR THE EDUQAS FACT SHEET

Set product 2 - Water Aid (audio-visual advert) (Component 1 - Section A & B)

Kiss of the Vampire - Film poster - (1963)

CLICK HERE FOR THE EDUQAS FACT SHEET

Understanding Context in your exam

In the responses to your exam questions you should attempt to include elements of context. Context is the way in which products reflect the time/period in which they were produced. We have discussed these throughout the year, when we have studied a new set product.


Historical Context

How genre conventions are historically relative. They reflect concerns and ideologies of the society at the time they were made.

This will discuss how the period in history has influenced the product in terms of:

• the social norms and ideologies/attitudes of the time
• particular social movements/developments (feminism or civil rights movement)
• specific events of occurrences (WW2 or changes in law)

EXAMPLE: Humans is an example of a Sci-Fi text that reflects current concerns in society and fears about artificial intelligence. Discussing and exploring the idea of "synthetic" humans being indistinguishable from "real" humans.

Social and Cultural Contexts

The ways in which products reflect the society and culture in which they are produced. There may be some overlap with historical context in terms of genre conventions and representations. Some areas to consider: 

• the effect of social and cultural context on representations
• how audience responses to and interpretations of media products reflect social and cultural circumstances
• how and why particular social groups, in a national and global context, may be underrepresented or misrepresented

EXAMPLE: Dream by Dizzee Rascal reflects Britain in the early 2000s in terms of youth culture and the debate about the banning of ‘hoodies’ – (black and other culturally stereotyped youths are shown in conflict with the police). The overall message of the video is generally positive and the narrative reflects triumph over adversity, implying that 21st century Britain is an inclusive, multicultural society. However, the repeated shots of the TV presenter looking shocked and her patronising tone towards Dizzee Rascal implies that society is not as integrated as the lyrics suggest.

Economic Contexts:

Some areas to consider: 

• production, distribution and circulation in a global context
• the significance of patterns of ownership & control, funding and regulation.

Economic contexts can be considered specifically in relation to industry, and in relation to different types of organisation and their sources of funding. Media products reflect their economic and industry contexts in terms of the different organisations and sources of funding that impact on their distribution and circulation.

EXAMPLE: Straight Outta Compton was co-produced by members of NWA and distributed by Universal Pictures, a vertically integrated subsidiary of NBC Universal, which is owned by Comcast. This ensured widespread global distribution of the film.

Political Contexts:

Some areas to consider:

• how media products reflect the political contexts in which they are made through their representations, values and messages, and through aspects of their ownership and political orientation.

Newspapers offer plentiful opportunities for consideration of political contexts in terms of the political landscape in which news stories are constructed and the political leaning of particular newspapers – the ways in which this influences representations and messages that they construct. 

EXAMPLE: The Daily Mirror front cover set for Component 1 Section A, reporting the US election result, is influenced by the political context in Britain in 2016 (including the recent EU referendum result), as well as the political leaning of the newspaper. The representation of this event as being disastrous, connoted by the image of the Statue of Liberty holding her head in her hands against a post-apocalyptic background, reflects the newspaper’s left leaning political stance and its assumption that this view will be shared by its readers.

A LEVEL (COURSEWORK) - Component 3: Media Production

Component 3: Media Production

Non-exam assessment

30% of qualification

COMING SOON

A LEVEL EXAM - Component 2: Investigating Media Forms and Products

Component 2: Investigating Media Forms and Products

Written examination: 2 hours

35% of qualification

This examination assesses knowledge and understanding of media language, representation, media industries, audiences and media contexts.

The exam consists of three sections: 

• Section A – Television There will be one two-part question or one extended response question.
• Section B – Magazines
  There will be one two-part question or one extended response question.
• Section C – Online Media
  There will be one two-part question or one extended response question.

A LEVEL EXAM - Component 1: Investigating the Media

Component 1: Investigating the Media
Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes
35% of qualification

The examination assesses media language, representation, media industries, audiences and media contexts. It consists of two sections.  

Section A: Investigating Media Language and Representation. 

This section assesses media language and representation in relation to two of the following media forms: advertising and marketing, music video or newspapers. 

There are two questions in this section:  

·         one question assessing media language in relation to an unseen audio-visual or print resource  

·         one extended response comparison question assessing representation in one set product and an unseen audio-visual or print resource in relation to media contexts.   

Section B: Investigating Media Industries and Audiences 

This section assesses two of the following media forms – advertising and marketing, film, newspapers, radio, video games - and media contexts.  It includes:  

·         one stepped question on media industries  

·         one stepped question on audiences.