everything you need to know for unit 1

1. Media lessons
Exam in January

2. TechniquesHypodermic needle
Viewers take in information without decision.
Gratifications
Advantage Disadvantage
● Qualified people in
control.
● Treats you all the same.

3. Uses & Gratifications model
The theory that suggests that audiences are
active and use media texts in order to fulfil
pleasures and basic needs.

4. Sectors
● Moving image- tv commercial, movie download
● Audio- podcast or movie sound track
● Publishing- e-magazine
● Games- apps
● Websites- facebook, instagram

5. Stylistic codes
Connotation- What something connotes for example; red connotes anger or
love.
Denotation- Say what you see eg; I see a sock monkey with black button eyes
with a zip down it’s tummy.
Ideology- A way of thinking
Used to give a certain message to the target audience.

6. Digital or analogue?
Downloading a
film
JPEG
DAB radio
FM radio
Tape
CD and CD player
Magazine Book
E- book

7. How to remember!
Digital; Made up of 010101 codes.
Analogue; Information stored physically, if you can break it it is analogue.

8. Advantages and Disadvantages of conducting audience
research
Advantages Disadvantages
Can be used to create an audience profile. Biased questions and answers
Finding out the likes and dislikes effectively People may say something to impress the
interviewer
Quantitative data is cost efficient for
example; surveys and questionnaires.
Responses open to interpretation- people
may take the questions to mean diff things.
Large amount of people, large amount of
data quickly
Time consuming sometimes (qualitative)

9. Governing bodies
BBFC; British Board of film classification
PEGI; pan european gaming information
ASA; governing body of adverts

10. Research methods
Qualitative;
● open questions
● focus groups
● interviews
Quantitative;
● closed questions
● answers can be put in graphical data.
● questionnaires
● surveys
VS

11. Interpreting data
Qualitative; open questions
Eg; Focus groups
Good for in- depth understanding of what audiences want
Bad for statistics and large groups of people
Quantitative; Number based,
Eg; questionnaires,
Good for putting results into graphs and tables
Bad for results getting out of date

12. Multimedia technology and Consumption
Access; being able to get things.
Connectivity;Connecting to people around the world
Convenience; How easy it is to use
Advantage; You can get information at any time
Disadvantage; If it goes down most things won’t work.
Advantage; Constant online activity
Disadvantage; No escape, dangerous for children
Advantage; Easy and quick
Disadvantage; Overly reliant, damages social skills

13. Continued...
Immediacy; Done straightaway.
Portability;ease of transportation
Advantage; Quick and easy
Disadvantage; Loss of independence, No escape
Advantage; Fits into a pocket or bag for example
Disadvantage; Theft- all content accessible, if lost everything is lost (photos)

14. Technological Convergence
A device can be used from something other than its primary function
Advantage; loads of things to do.
Disadvantage; To many things going on, too confusing.
● internet-moving image, publishing
● torch
● maps
● call
● text-audio
● radio
● apps- games
● time
● music-streaming
● photos-moving image
● compass
● games-apps
● alarms
● weather
● notes

15. Active and Passive viewing
Active: An audience/consumer/viewer that fully interacts physically with a media
product, contributes to (user generated content) and becomes part of the
production while having an element of control over how they interact with it.
Passive: An audience/consumer/viewer that does not fully interact physically with
the product or its associated content, nor do they generate content or influence
production in any way.

16. Types of shots
● Extreme close up- creates tension
● Close up- emotional connection
● Medium shots- actor in dialogue
● Long shot- full body length
● Medium long shot- ¾ of the actors body in shot
● Overhead shot- Bird’s eye view
● Over the shoulder shot- addresses audience directly, straight on shot
● Low shot- Figure seems powerful and big
● High shot- figure seems weak and small
● Panning-moves sideways
● Tilt- Sense of height
● Tracking- car chases etc.
● Speed of camera- Eg slow mo/ fast mo
● Handheld- more realistic, less professional
● Crane mounted- swooping/ flight like motion

17. Answering the longer question
● Start at the back of the paper.
● Make a range of points.
● Don’t waffle…
● Give examples in depth and detail
● Study stylistic codes.
● Consider advantages and disadvantages.

18. Ask yourself this when analysing
◼ What? (product)
◼ What actually is it you are being asked to design?
◼ Where (platform)
◼ This seems less important, but the ‘emagazine’ might lead you to include certain
elements not available to print products
◼ Who? (target audience)
◼ It doesn’t specify gender, so you might consider multiple options
◼ Why? (purpose)
◼ Rebellion and freedom are keywords here
◼ How? (media language)
◼ Revision area: mise en scene

19. The term ‘representation’ means how places, people, ideas or events are
portrayed to audiences in media texts.
‘Stereotype’ means a person/character or group of people that demonstrates
typical traits associated with a particular social group, or that is typical of a
particular genre in terms of conventions which are continuously repeated and
used within the media.