1. Analysis: Preparing for MS1
Here is a list of terms and ideas you need to be familiar with for MS1.
Check off those you are already familiar with and go away and research
those you have forgotten/ don’t know:
Visual Codes Audio Codes Technical Codes
Mise-en-Scene Diegetic and Non- Shots defined by
Diegetic Sound distance – ECU, CU, MCU,
Setting/ Location
MS, MLS, LS, ELS,
Soundtrack
Costume
Shots defined by angle –
Theme Music
Props/ Accessories low-anlge, high-angle,
Incidental Music eyeline angle, canted
Colour Palette (colour
descriptors e.g. pastels/ (how to describe music angle, aerial, bird’s eye,
neons, earthy tones…) by referring to its mood, worm’s eye, wide angle
instruments or pace) Shots defined by
Character Movement and
Positioning within the Ambient sound/ atmos or movement – pan, tilt,
frame wildtrack track, crane, zoom,
reverse zoom, handheld
Facial Expression and Specific Sound Effects –
Body language especially if amplified/ Specific types of shot or
enhanced shot sequence–
Any use of captions or
establishing shot, master
graphic devices Dialogue – including type
shot, two-shot, point of
of voice/ accent/ tone /
view shot, reaction shot,
style of delivery
shot-reverse-shot, over
Voiceover the shoulder shot
Mode of Address – Framing and composition
direct or indirect; formal – rule of thirds, use of
or informal foreground and
background
Lighting – High key or
low-key; side lighting,
back lighting; artificial
or natural looking light,
use of colour filters
Editing Styles –
continuity or invisible
editing; montage; cross-

2. cutting; action matches,
graphic matches; sound
bridges
Editing Pace – long or
slow takes
Editing Transitions – cut,
fade in/ out, dissolve,
wipe, jump cut
Editing Effects – slow-
motion/ speeding up/
time lapse; creating
composites – layering
images on top of each
other
Special effects –
animation; back
projection; captions;
chromakey; CGI;
graphics, use of modles,
pyrotechnics
(explosions); stunts
As well as these three basic categories, you may also be asked to comment
on Narrative or Genre.
NARRATIVE:
Remember that NARRATIVE is not just what happens but the order and manner
in which the events are revealed to us – it’s as much about how and in what
order, as in what actually happens.
You need to be able to analyse NARRATIVE in terms of basic theories. Can you
fill in the grid below?

3. What are the key terms/
What does it
Theory components you need to
describe?
remember?
TODOROV
BARTHES
PROPP
LEVI-STRAUSS
We will now look at a trailer for a film – see if you can analyse the narrative
codes being used and comment on the producers’ choices here:
Battleshiptrailer narrative analysis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpoabtbEJOI

4. Many films have a single, unified narrative but some programmes, like soaps,
have a multiple narrative – where there are lots of separate storylines going on,
that may or may not coalesce later on, which the main story often cross-cuts
between.
Narrative devices can be used to help tell the story – look for the presence of
VOICEOVERS (to create clarity/ closeness to a character); CAPTIONS
(especially useful for settling time and place); FLASHBACKS (to fill in important
information from the past) and FLASHFORWARDS (useful to intrigue us about
what will happen eventually)
Is it a FIRST-PERSON or THIRD-PERSON NARRATIVE? Are we distanced
from the characters or brought close to them?
Think about how we, the audience, are POSITIONED within the narrative – are
we a neutral observer (able to see all – omnipotent and god-like), linked to a
character’s point-of-view (limited but encourages bonding?) Are we encouraged
to identify more with a particular character or to see some characters as
positive and others as undesirable?
In the exam you need to comment on the narrative techniques and structures
but must also comment on what they add to the text – why they have been
chosen above other means of telling the story.
GENRE:
GENRE refers to a type of media text. Every media text belongs to at least one
genre. Some will have a main and a secondary genre.
For example, a film trailer will firstly belong to the genre of film trailers (it will
share features with other film trailers) but it will also have a film genre as a
secondary genre e.g. it may well show a film that belongs to the thriller genre.
Genres also apply to non-fiction texts – news programmes, soaps and
documentaries are also genres of media text that share common features.
Some products will be HYBRIDS – they will mix a number of genres together –
The X-Factor is a hybrid of a quiz show, a soap and a documentary; The Hunger

5. Games is a mix of the action thriller, reality TV show, romance and teen rites-
of-passage genres.Why are hybrids popular with producers?
In the exam, you will need to identify what genre(s), your text belongs to, if
this is one of the task’s emphases.
You will then need to consider how it uses the CODES AND CONVENTIONS of
those particular genres - the features that we expect to find in this type of
text. This can be made up of:
CHARACTERS we expect to encounter
NARRATIVE – the type of story or sequences we often associate with the
genre
SETTINGS - the places and times we usually find in these genres
PROPS/ ICONS – typical objects we link to this genre
MEDIA LANGUAGE – the sort of media language we often encounter in this
genre – the low threatening music and low-key lighting of horror; the brightly lit
studio sets and canned laughter of a quiz show
These features tend to create a formula for each genre, a formula established
through repetition that audiences have become very familiar with and expect to
find. This sense of audience expectation is important, as we often have
favourite genres which we pick, based on what enjoy and expect to see in a film
or programme of that genre and audience pleasure will link to delivering what we
expect.
In the exam, there are two things to focus on:
- what features do you expect these genres to have and which of these is in
evidence in the texts in front of you? Think in terms of the elements identified
in the box above. Comment on WHY it is important to include a good number of
the expected codes and conventions.

6. - anything that is unexpected or different… most genre texts will innovate a
little bit and offer something new. Comment on WHY this is done and why you
think these specific differences will appeal to the audience…
Look at the list of possible material you could be given and ensure you have a
good idea of the key codes and conventions for each:
a TV advert,
a radio sequence,
a film clip (any genre),
a TV extract (could be drama, news, documentary…..),
a music video,
a computer game extract
or trailer.
Obviously, with film and TV, this is more complex, as you need really to know the
specific genre of film or programme and there are many of these. Ensure you
can tackle the key film genres (action-adventure; horror; romantic comedy; teen
movie; sci-fi; western; war; thriller….); fictional TV genres (police procedural;
medical drama; soap opera; sitcom; serious drama….); and, non-fiction TV genres
(news, documentary; quiz show; talk show; magazine style-show e.g. Richard and
Judy; current affairs)
What are the key conventions of an Advert? (e.g. Lynx Excite – Even Angels
will Fall ad; Lynx – Unleash the Chaos advert; Pinkbomb ad or Goth Holiday ad
for IrnBru)

7. A Music Video? (e.g. Beyonce ‘Who Rules the World (Girls); S and M by Rihanna;
Love Story (Taylor Swift) – any video – you’re probably better at finding these
than we are!)
A Video Game? (e.g. Lara Croft 2011/12 trailer; new Crysis video game; LA
Noire trailer)
A Trailer? (e.g. Battleship; The Hunger Games – any recent trailer – easily
found on YouTube; could also look at trailers for the Olympics or big soap
storylines on TV)

8. A Radio Extract? (Dip into BBC radio clips – the archers on Radio 4; Jeremy
Vine on Radio 2; sports on Radio5 Live; Asian network; Radio Lancashire…)
Some ideas about radio:
radio programmes can be music-based or talk-based
posse radio – where the DJ is joined by other minor presenters (who may
do a guest slot, the weather, the traffic etc) and indulge in banter
radio can be public service (e.g. BBC) or commercial (e.g. Rock FM) – the
latter are paid for by advertising and feature these prominently.
Radio can be national or local
Magazine format radio – a programme that features lots of different
segments – Radio Four Woman’s Hour tends to have a main presenter who
introduces various interviews or features and often includes a serialised
book.
A radio slot can also be a drama e.g. Radio Four’s The Archers is a rural
soap. Other stations way well feature one-off plays.
Radio stations have different audiences – make sure you know who listens
to the main BBC Radio stations and what these are…
An analysis has to consider SOUND above all. This includes thinking about
the words used, sounds, music, as well as the narrative and genre
conventions.
Words include: register and address (the style of language sued and how
the reader is addressed – directly or indirectly?); the use or absence of
jargon – how much of an expert is the listener assumed to be?; accent;

9. voice tone and style of delivery?; assumed age and gender of speaker?;
use of any pauses, changes in tone, pitch, volume or pitch (paralinguistic
devices) and what these signify to us. Some may use a vox pop – a quick
montage of different people’s opinions
Sounds include: sound effects and what these tell us – significant meaning
carriers or background noise realism?; tunes and jingles; idents – the
brief piece of music used to signal a programme’s identity (e.g. The Chris
Evans Breakfast Show ident); non-diegetic soundtrack – how does music
convey a sense of character to a programme or emotional mood?
What can I do to prepare for the analysis part of MS1?
1. Ensure you know all the terminology and ideas for the VAT Codes,
Narrative and Genre
2. Know the timings and how to use the time in the exam – have a
strategy
3. Know how to write an analysis of VAT features – describe and
analyse
4. Know how to write about narrative and genre – work through these
sheets and others you have
5. Practice viewing three times and making notes – use any of the
examples referred to above or find your own. Try and go for a
range of different types of clip. You need to cover all three
categories you will be asked to write about and must have enough
to write for about 50 minutes.
6. Practice writing up – maybe just a few paragraphs to develop
technique
7. Look over practice analyses done in class and any model answers
your teacher may have provided – they will pin-point what you need
to work on/ develop to get better marks.
8. If you find it hard to do the above, work with a friend – no reason
you can’t revise with others