Resources for OCR A Level Media Studies on MediaEdu

This page should provide you with an index to the information we have on MediaEdu which relates directly to OCR A Level Media Studies.

This page also contains external links to support materials on the OCR site.

AS Scheme

Latest Scheme

2011-2014 OCR AS Media Studies Scheme of Work

Other Schemes

AS G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media

AS G322: Key Media Concepts (TV Drama)

AS G323: Key Media...

The catch word for the digital world of new media is convergence. Convergence is the coming together of everything digital.

Definition

Any digital media can be transmitted by any suitable digital medium, such as a wifi broadband connection or mobile phone, so that all communications, text, audio, graphics, video, and broadcasting can be accessed instantly.

The iPhone, Blackberry or computer becomes a two-way communications module with access...

We Study Media by Rob McMinn

The Student Room & Media Studies

Setting up a Radio Station on Mediaed.org.uk

Modern Mechanix: examples of vintage advertising

Technorati on Ideology

Ideology for Kids: Decoding the Kremlin’s Website

The End of Cyberspace

Kinoeye on Media Studies

Bluegrass Film Society

Kids Gobble Up Interactive Junk Food Marketing

Continental Philosophy: Key Notes on Theorists

Dr. Mabuse’s Kaledio-scope: Four Models of...

Television and film crime/cop drama is very popular with a wide audience. Crime dramas seek to anchor the representations of all types of police officers, criminals and victims as ‘believable’ characters, with ‘realistic’ plot lines, set in urban locations.The genre has been taken up in the US under the heading of American Quality Televsion (AQT) - see under heading AQT.

Codes and conventions

Crime dramas:

• are constructed realities
...

G324 Advanced Portfolio in Media

G325 Critical Perspectives in Media

Critical Perspectives = Contemporary Media Regulation ~ Media and Collective Identity (30 Week Scheme of Work)

Overview

• OCR A Level Media Studies Overview

Scheme

• OCR A2 Media Studies SOW 2012-2014.doc

Concepts

• Regulation within the Media Industry
• Researching Film Magazines and Film Posters
• Skills Development - Planning and Production
• Evaluating and Linking Coursework to...

Denotation and Connotation

These are two important words concerned with the way an audience understands the meaning of a media text. These can also be called the signs and signified meaning, or the micro and macro features.

Denotation / sign / micro feature is the basic, literal meaning of what is in the picture or scene.

Connotation / signified meaning / macro feature means different interpretations suggested by the text, often associated...

The term ‘EXCHANGE’ in the spec has worried students and teachers. Here is some help.

The spec says:

‘The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange’

The word exchange was used in the January exam 2011.

Here are some views on what it means from people who know on the OCR forum.

Brief Definition

Exchange:

The way in which texts are not only consumed by media...

• We can organise half-day or full day courses on any aspect of Media Studies at your school or college.

• We can also provide keynote speakers for conferences and training events.

Contact MediaEdu

Programme Details

• We come to you.

• Where possible assessors from leading awarding bodies lead our courses.

• Each revision course is 3 hours in length and is delivered in both whole group and seminar-style workshops. We can run a full-day course, if...

OCR G322 AS Level Media Studies Exam Questions

January 2011

Q1

Extract

Hustle, Series 1 Episode 4 (Written by Tony Jordan, dir. Minkie Spiro)

Extract location: Episode 4

In point: 19.50
Out point: 25.01

Representation: Gender [50]

Q2

Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of media texts in your chosen media area. [50]

OCR G325 A2 Media Studies Questions

January 2011 - Section A

Question 1(a)

Describe...

Introduction

All three A Level Media Studies exam specifications emphasise the study of the representation of difference.

AQA suggests:

A case study of refugees in British newspapers for example, would involve research into, and documentation of, the treatment of refugees in a variety of British newspapers (or possibly just one) to pinpoint the political and social reasons for the construction of such media representations and the possible...

There are a few scenarios under which you may find yourself using the film Tsotsi in an examination or assessment. You, or your teacher may perhaps choose the film when given an open ended assignment in a GCSE film assignment for media studies but the most likely circumstance under which you will be using the film is for the WJEC GCSE Film Studies Paper 2, titled ‘Films From Outside Hollywood’ where the film is currently one of the focus...

Functions of the Title Sequence

The functions of the title sequence in a film may seem to be fairly obvious. They are designed to tell the audience the names of the people and organisations involved with the making of the film and in this respect they do the job well.

Irrespective of the genre, there is a conventional way of presenting this information in the credit sequence. This information and the order in which it is presented follows a...

Download this resource as a PPT.

G325_Collective_Identity_Social_Implications.ppt

What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?

Texts

• Eden Lake (2008)
• Fish Tank (2009)
• The Jeremy Kyle Show (available on ITV.com)
• Little Britain (available on Youtube)
• Wife Swap - Lizzie & Mark with...

Click on the link below to download a PDF booklet you can print out.

Film Genre - Thrillers.pdf

Click on the link below to download a frame for analysing the opening of the film ‘Children of Men’.

Film-Opening-Children-Of-Men.doc

‘It’s just an idea for group work deconstructing an interesting text (especially because, unusually, this one starts in the middle of the disequilibrium, rather than establishing an equilibrium first of all, so is good for narrative theory.  Also, our “hero” is rather unheroic (he doesn’t return to the...

Units: G322 and G325 

G322 January 2010

Q1 The extract was Hotel Babylon and the representation was ethnicity.

Q2 “Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences”.  To what extent do you agree with this statement?

G325 Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

In question 1(a) you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units...

Click on the link below to download a revision guide you can print out.

Postmodern_Media.pdf

MediaEdu provides access to the following resources:

A Level Media Studies

• Schemes of work for AS and A2
• Topic Information
• Interactive Quizzes
• Image Gallery

Nationals

• Schemes of work + Supporting resources

GCSE Media Studies

• Schemes of work for GCSE
• Mock Exams
• Topic Information
• Interactive Quizzes
• Image Gallery

Key Concepts & Skills

• Skills Tutorials
• Production Zone
• Key Concept Guides
• Media Language Glossary

Other Resources

• YouTube...

Click on the link below to download a revision guide you can print out.

A2_OCR_Critical_Perspectives_-_Revision_Guide_to_Question_1a_and_1b.pdf

Click here to download as a PDF

Joe McElderry and Rage Against the Machine: a most unlikely chart battle!

In this scheme of work Stephen Hill compares the campaign for Joe McElderry’s ‘The Climb’ (UK number two, Christmas 2009) and Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’ (UK number one, Christmas 2009). He considers the ways in which the marketing of the two songs reflects very different strategies for the promotion of...

Definition

The concept of Collective Identity has caused some controversy and not a little mystification. Is Collective Identity the same as – representation? The answer seems to be yes and no.

Pete Fraser is OCR’s Chief Examiner:

‘The requirement for candidates is to be able to write about the representation of a specific social group they have studied across media (such as ‘youth’) and to broaden out to a consideration of the wider...

A Suggested Scheme of Work

Term 1

13 – 15 Weeks
This is a coursework unit.

Intro

From the OCR brief, candidates are asked produce two items:

1.  a media portfolio, main and ancillary texts based on one of the briefs;

2. a presentation of their research, planning and evaluation in electronic format.

The media portfolio has to be MIXED MEDIA through a combination of two or more:

• Video
• Print
• Web-based
• Audio
• Games software

The...

Critical Perspectives in Media: An Exam In Two Parts

Candidates are required to answer three compulsory questions:

Two questions on their own production work
One question from a choice of six topic areas.

The unit is marked out of a total of 100, with the two questions on production work marked out of 25 each, and the media topic question marked out of 50.

There are two sections to this paper:

Have a look at the following resources on MediaEdu:

Sue Crawte’s Web Design Tutorials

Rod Munday’s ‘The Internet and World Wide Web’

‘Studying The Internet’ and

‘History of The Internet’.

A typical A Level exam production task is to create a trailer for a film.

This is the type of task you will be asked to do:

Make a 3 minute trailer for a 15 rated film in a genre of your choice suitable for a teenage audience with a budget of about £10 million (the approximate budget for Slumdog Millionaire).

Before making your trailer you need to fully understand what a film trailer is, how it works and what it aims to do.

Definition

A...

• We can organise half-day or full day courses on any aspect of Media Studies at your school or college.

• We can also provide keynote speakers for conferences and training events.

Contact MediaEdu

Programme Details

• We come to you.

• Where possible assessors from leading awarding bodies lead our courses.

• Each revision course is 3 hours in length and is delivered in both whole group and seminar-style...

Click on the link below to download a frame for analysing the opening of the film ‘Children of Men’.

Film-Opening-Children-Of-Men.doc

‘It’s just an idea for group work deconstructing an interesting text (especially because, unusually, this one starts in the middle of the disequilibrium, rather than establishing an equilibrium first of all, so is good for narrative theory.  Also, our “hero” is rather...

MediaEdu provides access to the following resources:

A Level Media Studies

• Schemes of work for AS and A2
• Topic Information
• Interactive Quizzes
• Image Gallery

Nationals

• Schemes of work + Supporting resources

GCSE Media Studies

• Schemes of work for GCSE
• Mock Exams
• Topic Information
• Interactive Quizzes
• Image Gallery

Key Concepts & Skills

• Skills Tutorials
• Production Zone
• Key Concept Guides
• Media Language...