Sec A Practice

Here are some titles as promised. Do lots of question 2 and 3 (12 mark answers) and e-mail them to jon.meier@verulam.herts.sch.uk

MEST 3 SECTION A sample revision questions

For revision practice, choose any complementary or contrasting texts for question 1. Use the questions below to show wider knowledge of media texts, concepts and institutions.

A) Suggested Texts: Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin (1970s) & revived in 2011 with Martin Clunes + The Office (2005)

a1) Compare the different codes and conventions in these extracts (8 marks)
a2) How do media texts reflect changes in audience tastes? You may refer to other media texts
(12 marks)
a3) Why do modern media texts often reflect a dystopian view of the world? How does this succeed in gratifying audiences? You must refer to other texts (12 marks)
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B) Suggested texts: ‘Favourite Things’ Skoda ads 2007 and 2011

b1) How does the later text broaden the appeal of the product to a wider audience?
b2) How are codes and conventions of modern texts used to appeal to contemporary audiences? You may refer to other texts.
b3) Give examples of the ways media texts borrow from other texts. How does this help audience gratification? You must refer to other texts
__________________________________________________________
C) Suggested Texts: Hotel inspector 2011 & Hotel Babylon 2009

c1) How do representations of gender vary in the two texts?
c2) How does editing help to construct the meaning and message of a text? You may refer to other texts.
c3) To what extent do you think the media is obsessed by ideas of women in control. Why is this a common theme for broadcast media? You must refer to other texts.
_____________________________________________________
D) Suggested texts: Friends (any) & Coupling (2006)

d1) How do the extracts represent gender?
d2) To what extent are there differences in approach between US and UK media products? You may refer to other texts
d3) Globalisation in media simply means the dominance of English language entertainment – to what extent do you believe this to be true? You must refer to other texts.
____________________________________________________________
E) Suggested texts: Yes Minister (1990) The Thick of it (2010)
e1) How are the two extracts different in terms of their representation of politicians?
e2) How do the codes and conventions of modern media texts reflect the expectations and tastes of their target audiences? You may refer to other texts
e3) Comedies often show men struggling to maintain control and respectability in their professional, personal or domestic life . Does this mean that negative representations of men are countered by positive representations of women? You must refer to other texts.

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don’t forget: teen dramas, soaps, music broadcasting, quiz shows, chat shows, make-over programmes, costume drama. sketch shows, news

Revision lesson - Friday

Correction- we will have a double lesson tomorrow (Friday 27th). There's lots to do and you are bouncing ideas around very usefully.

week beginning May 20th

We'll have double revision lessons on Monday (3 & 4) and Tuesday (5 & 6). No formal lesson on Friday but you can drop in to discuss revision.

We'll concentrate this week on qu 3 of Sec A. That's the the one that always says - 'you must refer to other texts'.

We did Frasier, Friends and Coupling on Friday.

Here are two practice section 3 titles to try:

1) Successful global media products reinforce the ideologies of Western society

2) The 'crisis of masculinity' is a major subject for modern media texts.

Revision lessons

Revision lessons are continuing with me on Tuesdays, Mondays and Fridays right up to your exam.
We've had some really good discussions on ''TV as an instrument of social control' and it's good to see you using media terminology and theory.

You MUST watch Secrets of the Superbrand. Find it on BBC i-player and make notes.

Hotel texts for MEST 3 section A

We've been using extracts from Hotel Babylon (BBC) and the Hotel Inspector (C5) to practise Section A.

You came up with excellent observations about gender representations, the power of editing to convey a message and wider aspects such as mass audiences, hegemony, patriarchy and post-feminism. Look at the archetype of the germ-busting evil-fighting heroine.

You can practise this section yourself using similar or contrasting texts from Youtube.

Make notes on: institution, 2 RAILING aspects and then wider issues with reference to other texts.

Remember: " TV makes the ordinary extraordinary". Discuss

MEST 3 Practice

Part A of the paper is 1 hour 15 and will contain a 2 video extracts. You then have 3 questions on the extract

Qu 1 involves basic analysis and deconstruction of one RAILING aspect (8 marks)

Qu 2 will involve an issue/debate around another RAILING concept. You may go beyond the extract text in this answer (12 marks)

Qu 3 is a 'wider context' answer - be prepared to bring in theories and other synoptic aspects you have covered. (12 marks)

prepare for this by looking at short (3-5 mins) contrasting texts on similar themes: lifestyle programmes, reality TV, sitcoms or sketch shows with clear representational content: teenagers, Americans, Britishness.

Write short deconstructions of each one. Compare the 2 texts. Write about the wider contexts, issues and debates.

No lesson - Tuesday 3rd May

Apologies - I've got to go to a meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Can't be avoided although I tried. I will make up the time and run as many revision and essay 'surgeries' as you want.

Meanwhile -there's lots of material in the previous post.

Have you seen a film or TV programme recently that seems to be heavily influenced by digital media? What would be the conventions of a programme like this? shortish length, fragmented non-linear narrative, post-modern playfulness, hybrid (convergent) genre, perhaps a techie, sci-fi-style mise en scene.

Do a textual analysis using RAILING concepts. Then answer this in a 300 word essay:

To what extent have NDM influenced the narrative, style and content of contemporary film and TV fiction?