Top Tips for EDUQAS Media Studies A-Level Component 1

Summary

This educational video by Ian Bland offers insights for students preparing for the EDUQAS Media Studies A-Level Component 1 exam. The focus is on understanding media language and representations, as well as analyzing unseen texts. Bland emphasizes the need to be well-versed in specific media texts and general conventions to handle unseen components in examinations. He also covers the importance of terminology in media studies, the analysis of industry and audience, and hints at the strategy for dealing with exam questions effectively.

Highlights

• Section A deals with media language and representations, where deep content understanding is essential. 📝
• Invest time in learning not only the set texts but the conventions they follow, as unseen texts will share these. 📖
• Use of terminology is vital; sprinkle theories organically throughout your answers rather than forcing them. 🌟
• Section B shifts focus to industry and audience, emphasizing films and their economic contexts. 🎬
• Keeping up with media regulation challenges in video games helps tackle Section B questions effectively. 🚀

Key Takeaways

• Master the Media: Ensure a deep understanding of both specified and unseen texts to ace Section A. 📚
• Theory in Context: Use media terminology effectively, but let theories naturally integrate into your analysis. 🧠
• Timed Precision: Manage your time effectively across the sections according to mark allocation. ⏰
• Industry Insights: Analyze marketing and distribution in films like 'I, Daniel Blake' for Section B. 🎥
• Regulation Awareness: Be aware of the challenges surrounding regulation in the context of digital content and video games. 🎮

Overview

In this insightful video, Ian Bland simplifies the complex requirements of the EDUQAS Media Studies A-Level Component 1 exams. He zeroes in on the essential task of mastering both familiar and unseen texts. Intensifying your understanding of how different media constructs viewpoints and ideologies, especially in the dynamic arena of newspaper front pages and music videos, provides a formidable edge.

The segment on terminology is particularly vital. Rather than bombarding the examiner with a heavy dose of theories, Bland suggests seamlessly weaving these into your narratives. This approach not only highlights an analytical mindset but also conveys a deeper immersion in media studies—a strong plus in your test responses.

Finally, the video transitions to the nuances of Section B, where the spotlight is on industry and audience dynamics. Understanding the marketing and distribution strategies of films such as 'I, Daniel Blake' is key. Plus, by diving into the regulation issues tied to video games, you can better prepare to tackle this part of the exam with confidence.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:30: Introduction to Section A The chapter 'Introduction to Section A' focuses on preparing for an exam component related to meaty language and representations. It outlines that section A involves answering two questions, one worth 30 marks and another worth 15 marks, based on the analysis of two or possibly three unseen texts. The chapter highlights two fundamental ways to prepare: understanding separate looks 'inside and out,' implying a thorough comprehension of relevant materials.
• 01:30 - 03:00: Analyzing Section A Texts and Techniques This chapter delves into 'Analyzing Section A Texts and Techniques', focusing on various texts and their methodologies. It mentions cultural pieces such as 'WaterAid', Beyonce's 'Formation', and Dizzee Rascal's 'Dreams', thanks to Joyce Riptide, and contrasts them with articles from outlets like 'The Times' and 'The Mirage'. The chapter emphasizes understanding both specific examples and the broader conventions of their respective forms, which is essential as the unseen texts will derive from these forms.
• 03:00 - 04:30: Approaching Questions and Theories in Section A The chapter titled 'Approaching Questions and Theories in Section A' emphasizes the importance of understanding the conventions used in newspaper front pages. It discusses how newspapers construct viewpoints and ideologies through the combination of headlines, images, news values, and language. It also references the significance of recent events over the past couple of years, such as Brexit, as topics for analysis.
• 04:30 - 06:00: Timings and Answer Strategies for Section A The chapter discusses effective strategies for managing time and answering questions in Section A of the exam. It advises students to look beyond just prominent national newspapers like The Times and The Mirror for examples of media coverage. The aim is to explore a wide range of national newspapers to understand different perspectives. Additionally, it highlights the importance of analyzing music videos and how they portray representations of gender and ethnicity, questioning their conformity to stereotypes.
• 06:00 - 07:30: Introduction to Section B: Industry and Audience This chapter discusses the analysis of videos with a focus on challenging stereotypical representations. It emphasizes the importance of examining both charity and commercial advertisements to understand how they construct meaning and represent reality. The chapter also highlights the significance of considering the context from which these videos originate in order to analyze unseen texts effectively.
• 07:30 - 09:00: Key Focus Films: I, Daniel Blake and Straight Outta Compton The chapter focuses on selected key films 'I, Daniel Blake' and 'Straight Outta Compton', emphasizing the importance of analyzing media texts with purpose and significance. The key instruction is to explain the significance of everything within the text, using media terminology to show a deep immersion in media studies and a solid understanding of the theoretical frameworks applied in media text analysis. This isn't simply common sense; it's a media studies perspective.
• 09:00 - 10:30: Media Industry and Audience Analysis The chapter discusses the importance of understanding media industry terminology but advises against overwhelming the examiner with an excess of theory names during examinations. It highlights the importance of tactically using theories and theorists' names, such as Bell Hooks and Van Xun, throughout the papers. The guidance suggests that responses should consistently relate back to the text rather than get lost in theory description. The focus should be on integrating theory in a way that naturally complements the analysis of media and audience rather than dominating the discussion.
• 10:30 - 12:00: Late Night Woman's Hour: BBC and Public Service Broadcasting The chapter discusses an approach to understanding and explaining media texts, particularly in the context of public service broadcasting like the BBC's Late Night Woman's Hour. It advises against hastily integrating theoretical elements into the analysis, suggesting instead a nuanced approach that focuses on the meaning, significance, representation, and language of the text. The key takeaway is to make theory an organic part of the discussion rather than overwhelming the explanation with irrelevant theoretical details.
• 12:00 - 14:00: Assassin's Creed Liberation and Video Game Regulation The chapter focuses on explaining and analyzing the text of 'Assassin's Creed Liberation' in the context of video game regulation. The speaker advises starting with the proper terminology, allowing theories to emerge naturally as the discussion progresses. The guide suggests dedicating around 60 minutes for viewing and note-taking, and approximately 30 minutes for analyzing, specifically for a 30-mark question. This structured approach is intended to facilitate a detailed comprehension and critique of video game regulation through the lens of 'Assassin's Creed Liberation.'
• 14:00 - 15:00: Conclusion and Exam Preparation Tips The conclusion chapter discusses effective strategies for concluding an exam and offers preparation tips. It emphasizes that while it's difficult to reduce good exam answers to specific quantities, a rough guideline is to write at least three sides for a 30 mark question and about a side and a half for a 15 mark question. The chapter reassures students not to be intimidated by their peers who may write more.

Top Tips for EDUQAS Media Studies A-Level Component 1 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 first thing to remember is that section a focuses on meaty language and representations you'll be answering two questions one with 30 marks one worth 15 during the course of which you will be asked to analyze two possibly three unseen texts now there are two fundamental ways in which you need to prepare yourself for this component of the exam first is to ensure that you know those separate looks inside and out that means from the top
• 00:30 - 01:00 kiss the vampire and tied WaterAid Beyonce's formation or Dizzee Rascals dreams thanks Joyce Riptide and the two Trump from pages from The Times and The Mirage a little bit more about those separates in a minute the second way is to ensure that you know the general conventions of each of those forms that those separate looks are themselves examples of because it's from those forms that the unseen text will be
• 01:00 - 01:30 chosen that means you really must be familiar with the conventions of newspaper from pages and really need to have thought about how they construct viewpoints and ideologies so think about the combination of headlines of image of news values of language over the last couple years of course we've had plenty to get stuck into with all the array of breaks it from pages in which we've had
• 01:30 - 02:00 you know deeply polarized passionately argued from pages on both sides of the debate don't just limit yourself to looking at examples of front pages from The Times and the mirror make sure you've kind of roamed across the full spectrum of national newspapers sort of music videos think about how they could store representations of for example gender and ethnicity to what extent are they conforming to stereotypical representations to what extent of a
• 02:00 - 02:30 challenging stereotypical representations think about videos that might be comparable to the postmodern idea of construction that you get in the Vance joy ripped video look at a wide range of advert charity adverts and commercial ones think about the contacts which they come from again how are they constructing meaning how are they constructing a representation of reality to do well when you're analyzing unseen text you really need to remember that everything
• 02:30 - 03:00 in that text is worthy of comment everything has been placed there for a reason your job is to ensure that you explain its significance and its purpose the key thing here is to use plenty of media terminology claims that you're not just coming at this from a common sense point of view but you're coming updates from the point of view of someone who is deeply immersed in Media Studies completely or grounded in the theoretical framework by which we analyze and explain media text and the
• 03:00 - 03:30 starting point for of course is loads and loads of terminology don't feel however that you need to brush the examiner over the head with the names of all the theories that you've been busily memorizing over the last couple of years remember you've got two papers heeelp lots and lots of questions you're gonna get plenty of opportunities to drop the name bell hooks and Van Xun and and Conan season and headsman out and all the rest of the crew so just take your time and that always starts from the text oh wow theory to come in
• 03:30 - 04:00 naturally maybe you're later in your answer as an organic buy an organic element of you explaining that sex but don't feel it's something you have to rush straight into and shoehorn in the key thing is explaining the meaning the significance the representations the language etc but definitely avoid that approach where you just start by downloading by spewing out huge undigested chunks of theory that don't really apply to that particular text
• 04:00 - 04:30 always start explaining the text you should terminology and then allow theory to naturally emerge and I'm your knowledge of theory to naturally emerge as you go on and explain and deconstruct that text in terms of timings for this section you're probably going to be looking at something in the region of 60 minutes - viewing time a note-taking time for the 30 mark question something in the region of 30 minutes get - analysis an
• 04:30 - 05:00 annotation time for the 15 marker what people say how many points 20 to make how many page you should have been looking to write it's impossible to reduce a good exam answer to specific quantities though I would say soft as a rough provisional basis probably about three sides minimum for the 30 mark question probably a side and a half minimum for the 15 mark question although some people I'm sure will be writing a heck of a lot more than that don't be preserved by that you look around though and see people so if you
• 05:00 - 05:30 know steaming through extra booker after extra booklet just concentrate on what what you're doing make sure that you organize your response make sure and this is absolutely fundamental that you read the question with extreme care and that you respond to that question you will be given you know bullet points to address you will be given key things to look for in the question ensure that you jab the examiner in the ribs and keep telling them I am answering the question
• 05:30 - 06:00 on this paper on one of the ways the best way in which he do that is to use the language of the question in your response plenty of terminology organize your ideas real clarity that's what you are looking for when you are writing your responses on section a so on to Section B and this is where the fun really begins and a focus now is on industry and audience you will have five possibly six questions to answer on this
• 06:00 - 06:30 particular section ranging in value from one mark probably to twelve adding up to forty five marked in total and luckily here we can if you've done your timings right on the other section on section a you can apply the mini per mark rule so if a question is worth two marks spend two minutes on it if a question is worth 12 marks look to spend somewhere in the region of 12 minutes on it pretty straightforward are pretty useful on this particular section - in terms of what we need to know in order to answer
• 06:30 - 07:00 the questions remember that it is i Daniel Blake and Straight Outta Compton solely on industry so for that you need to be thinking about how those films have been marketed how those films were distributed how those films represent different economic concepts remember that they are from different sectors of the film industry so we've got the example of the conglomerates film we've got the example of the independent film
• 07:00 - 07:30 that was also you know heavily heavy involvement from the BBC so we've got that public service broadcaster angle to this as well obviously you have thoroughly revised your current season you know that conglomerates are gonna be almost exclusively interested in interested in pursuing an agenda of profits and power but don't feel that that means independent films have got no interest in profits whatsoever and they
• 07:30 - 08:00 still have to you know make a return on their investment for the producers and yes Ken Loach and the various producers of Dai Daniel Blake were attempting to get across a strong political message with that film and it because they did that very successfully and you know opened up a lot of debates and discussion around the agenda of benefits and poverty and austerity in the UK however they still had to make a profit so really important that you know the
• 08:00 - 08:30 specific ways in which those two films were marketed and distributed and the way in which they reflect the different industry and economic contexts that led to their production and ultimately to their success you need to ensure that you can explain in real specific terms how those films both became successful within the film industry the tide and water rate were just thinking about audience you need to think about how
• 08:30 - 09:00 those two texts are positioned dominant response from the audience what that response is likely to be what other respond responses might be available what context are likely to affect the response of the audience and you don't need to worry about kiss the vampire on this particular section of the exam the two appetizing sex are tied and WaterAid oh so of course we've got newspapers for industry and audience but I've covered that more than enough in a couple of my other
• 09:00 - 09:30 videos so you know swirling some hovering somewhere around my head will be links to those that leaves us with the insomniacs friend that is late night woman's hour again for industry and for audience now for this you really need to think about how that particular product reflects the BBC's distinctive public service ethos but they need to offer content that will appeal across all demographics a really good approach here is to start big and then get narrow
• 09:30 - 10:00 start with the BBC eyes distinctive ethos from there - BBC radio from BBC radio and his whole range of stations that he offers from want one extra five five to BBC Radio four again across the full spectrum the BBC Radio four content we can narrow in it's a woman's hour from woman's hour we can narrow in to late-night woman's hour and what that is doing that is distinctive and unique remember that
• 10:00 - 10:30 this is BBC building on the woman's our brand in order to appeal to and engage a younger demographic and they've done this in a range of different ways they've gotten via having Laura Laverne as presenter or on Laverne with her as credentials from six music a bit more edgy and alternative her credentials as a former rock star and as current presenter of the BBC's Glastonbury coverage they've done it from the late night bits of the title with its promise
• 10:30 - 11:00 again of something edgy and confessional an intimate and perhaps a little bit more explicit than what you get from woman's hour at 10:00 on a weekday morning they've done it from the fact that many of the listeners are likely to consume this content via podcast or via the website rather than in the traditional linear way you know think about how this program reflects the current state of the radio like all industries and industry in a
• 11:00 - 11:30 state of flux trying to come to terms with the disruptive effects of digital technology and seeing its linear approach to programming completely revolutionized and shaken up by an audience that assumes from now on it can have content whenever it wants it and remember that this is something very specialized unleash this is a program that he's not got a wide mainstream
• 11:30 - 12:00 appeal this is something that's just gonna wind appeal to a tiny sliver of the audience but the BBC as public service broadcaster must produce content to every demographic however tiny that sliver or slice of the audience might be which brings us to Assassin's Creed liberation were again the focus could be on industry or it could be on audience think about regulation one of those key ideas that
• 12:00 - 12:30 could come up on this section think about the framework that is currently in place in terms of regulation of video games why we need regulation of video games what problems could there be with the current system of regulation you know think about Livingston on lund and the way in which the internet digital technology has thrown up a huge array of problems with the conventional forms of regulation and this is no different when it comes to
• 12:30 - 13:00 video games it's all very well regulating who can in theory buy a game but how do you regulate concert content that is being streamed online to watch whether it's via twitch whether it's via YouTube how do you regulate content that is being purchased digitally lots and lots of difficulties lots and lots of problems so think about the whole minefield is the relationship between the audience and games and the effect
• 13:00 - 13:30 that they have on them we've got a name check insurer and gerbner in which Ubisoft have built on the Assassin's Creed franchise have got that pre sword audience that devoted audience which brings in to Jenkins and fandom so there's a whole range of theories that could you could be asked to apply to this particular game remember you will have some simple definition questions probably for one mark or two marks so have your definitions of horizontal integration
• 13:30 - 14:00 vertical integration digital convergence distribution key terms like that ready to roll hope that's been of some use good luck all the best see you again soon