This document provides guidance for students preparing for a media studies exam. It outlines potential exam topics for Sections 1A and 1B and directs students to review their coursework productions and ancillary documents. For Section 1A, students are advised to watch their opening sequence and documentary multiple times to familiarize themselves with their creative decisions and how these impacted the final outcomes. They are provided example exam topics related to post-production, digital technology, creativity, conventions, and research/planning. For Section 1B, students must choose either their opening sequence or documentary. The document reviews several media theories and directs students to pages in their revision book covering genre, audience, narrative, representation, and media language. Students

1. 1A & 1B introductory revision
Section A:
Theoretical Evaluation of Production

2. To do before you start
• Watch AS opening sequence at least 4-5 times
• Watch A2 documentary at least 2 times,
review your ancillaries

3. Past questions….
• Pg 5 in booklet
June 12
1A) Describe a range of creative decisions that you
made in a post-production and how these decisions made
a difference to the final outcomes. Refer to a range of
examples in your answer to show how these skills
developed over time.
1B) Explain how meaning is construction by the use of
media language in one of your coursework productions.

4. 1A = AS & A2
A
AS & A2
Digital
Technology
Creativity
Conventions
of real
media texts
Research &
Planning
Post-
Production
*try to put in theory
*Could be 1-2 of these

5. 1A (AS)
Potential exam
topics
Details with specific examples
Post production
(editing)
Digital
Technology
Creativity
Conventions of
real media texts
Research &
Planning

6. 1A (A2 – doc & anc)
Potential exam
topics
Details with specific examples
Post production
(editing)
Digital
Technology
Creativity
Conventions of
real media texts
Research &
Planning

7. 1B = AS or A2
B
One only
Genre
Narrative
Representation
Audience
Media
Language
*Explaining how you
considered and applied at
least 2 theories (theorists)

8. Use revision book for 1B
• Next slides have page #s

9. Genre

10. Audience
• -audience is all about WHO texts are for, how they
receive/interpret texts
• -effects theory (passive audiences) pg 92/93
• -hypodermic needle model
• -cultivation theory
• -two step theory
• -reception theory pg 94/95
• -uses and gratifications – pg 96/97 & handout sheet
• -pluralism (pluralist theory) (active audiences) pg 120/121
• Other theorists: Hall, Ang, McQuail, Altman

11. Narrative Theory
• Todorov (equilibrium)
• Propp (binary opposites (opposites provide structure))
• Barthes (5 codes = audience expectation/anticipation)
– Enigma, Action, Semantic, Symbolic, Cultural
• Strauss (7 spheres of action (character types)
– Hero, Villain, Dispatcher, Donor, Helper, Heroine, False Hero
• Cameron (modular narratives)
– Forking path, Episodic, Anachronic, Split Screen

12. Representation
• Remember the word = re – present (to re present something)
• All media products re-present the real world to us; they show us one version of reality, not reality itself. So, representation theory means thinking about how an institution
represents people, places or objects to an audience.
• -firstly, you are familiar with representation as this was focus in AS exam – how are representations formed? (you had to consider how the micro made the macro!........in other words
how the CAM SAM, E, S, MES made up representations/stereotypes)
• Must read the following pages from revision book:
• Pg 14/15
• Pg 36/27
• Pg 100/101
• -representation of social groups
• -age
• -gender
• -race
• -disability
• -socio-economic status (social class)
• -nationality
• -sexuality
• -stereotypes
• -simplistic, secondhand, false, rarely change, …………….connect to Dyer
• -link to ideology
• -link to genre
• -link to audience
• -link to institution
• -questions to consider
• -who or what is being represented?
• -Is this a positive or a negative representation?
• -How does this representation relate to the target audience?
• -What ideologies are suggested by this representation?
• -Is it a stereotypical representation?
• -Is it a fair and/or accurate representation?
• -Are the representations conventional or subversive?
• -what is the purpose of representation?
• -consider representation in fiction and non-fiction
• -regulation act and regulatory bodies
• -representation and gaze = who is doing the looking? (how do men look at images of women? Women of men? Women of women? Men of men?)
Theorists
Stuart Hall (link to audience) David Gauntlett Barthes (denotation/connotation & myth)
Laura Mulvey / Paul Messaris (gaze) Dyer

13. 1B revision task
• For each theory:
• Read applicable revision pages
• Make revision notes on theory (summarise)
• Know the theorists and their theories
• No essay writing yet – need to know info first

14. Homework
• 1A = AS chart
• 1A = A2 chart (doc & anc)
• 1B is up to you to revise/prepare!