Induction lesson and summer work for Year 12.

1. Media Studies
A Level
AQA

2. THE COURSE AT A GLANCE
• AS examinations
• Unit 1 – MEST1 Investigating Media
• 50% of AS, 25% of A Level
• 2 hour written examination
• 80 marks
• Two sections: A – four compulsory short answer questions
• B – choice of one from two essays
• Unit 2 – MEST2 Creating Media
• 50% of AS, 25% of A Level
• Practical unit, internally assessed and externally moderated
• 80 marks
• Externally set production briefs.
• Two linked production pieces taken from two of the three media platforms
studied in Unit 1
• plus 1500 word evaluation.

3. • A2 examinations
• Unit 3 – MEST3 Media: Critical Perspectives
• 25% of A Level
• 2 hour written examination
• Two sections: A – three compulsory questions on unseen stimulus
pieces
• B – one essay from a choice of two topics
• Unit 4 – MEST4 Media: Research and Production
• 25% of A Level
• Practical unit, internally assessed and externally moderated
• 80 marks
• Two sections: Critical Investigation (48 marks)
• Linked production piece (32 marks)

4. Course Outline Year 12
• Term 1: Key Concepts Theory
• Term 2: Coursework
• Term 3: Coursework
• Term 4: Exam preparation
• Term 5: Revision
• Term 6: Start of Year 13 work

5. Outcome:
Applying Media Theory to a Media text
What do the trailers for Suicide Squad
reveal ?

6. • Film based on DC comics
• Features Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared
Leto, Cara Delevigne, Tom Hardy, Jai
Courtney
• Merges Comic book heroes and villains –
The Joker and Batman.
• Due to be released August 5th
through
cinemas nationwide

7. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMb-RrhT
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3hecGO

12. Look at the following theories
used to analyse media texts
(films, trailers etc.).
How do each of them apply to
the Suicide Squad trailers?

13. Post-Feminist theory suggests
that the war for gender equality has
been won. Post-Feminism suggests
women have reclaimed their identity
and are portrayed in non-
stereotypical ways. Enlightened
Sexism suggests that women are
sexualising themselves but have
the power and control. Theorists
argue that as the world is
constructed from a male
perspective, this move back
towards stereotypical sexualised
images of women is male control
and sexism.
Conglomerate media
productions are those created by
very large media organizations.
These have access to large
budgets for production and can
reach large audiences. They also
target the mainstream, mass
audience. As they are created by
an elite (wealthy media producers)
they reinforce the dominant views
of the world.

14. All media texts are produced with
an economic function to make
money. Wider audiences can
generate more money and attract
more advertisers. Age ratings,
scheduling times, days and months
have an impact on how wide the
audiences can become. However,
to reach audiences on such a large
scale, the text producers must have
access to significant funds and are
elite.
Media language is the technical
construction of media text.
Mise-en-scene is everything in the
frame, from the lighting, colours,
characters body language, facial
expressions, location and setting.
Sound gives audiences clues
immediately about the genre and
type of film. The music can set the
atmosphere and the tone for the
film.

15. The events that occurred on
September 11th
2001 (9/11) have
had a significant impact on Media.
The idea of a hero has been
destroyed. American narratives now
believe villains are not easy to spot
and walk among us, rather than
being clearly identified. This is Post
9/11 theory. Post 9/11 theory also
suggests that our faith in
governments has been shaken and
so deal with conspiracy narratives.
The theory of ‘Fear of Other’
means that we have to reject of fear
other cultures in order to believe
that our culture is good and has
values we believe in. It also means
we reject other people that different
so that it reinforces a sense of how
right and good we are.
Binary Opposition is the opposite
of two forces – good and evil, hero
and villain, rich and poor etc. One
concept (hero) cannot be
understood unless it’s opposite
(villain) is also understood. This
simple opposition is typical of mass
audience films, such as summer
blockbusters. However, Post 9/11
narratives have moved to an age of
Post-heroism – audiences do not
believe in simple heroes and villains
anymore.
Fandom refers to the loyalty of fans
to a media text that puts boundaries
on the finished production. The text
must be faithful to the fans and
restricts the finished text. This is
particularly true of Films from
novels and comic based films.

16. Summer work:
• Write an essay (of two sides of A4 500-
750 words) answering the following
question:
• What do the trailers for Suicide Squad
reveal?
Apply 3-4 media theories to the trailers that explain how
and why they have been created as they have.