Section A Q1b Breakdown

For Section A Question 1b you need to know the following:

You need to look at ONE of your coursework pieces and be able to analyse it in terms of ONE of the following concepts:

1. Genre
2. Audience
3. Narrative
4. Representation
5. Media Language

You must mention only ONE of your coursework productions, but use a range of examples from it.

Genre:

Examples of theories you can use for genre:

Steven Neal - Genre as repetition and difference

Steven Neal - Genre cycle

Douglas Pye - Genre conforms to expectations

Denis McQuail - Genre as marketing tool

Robert Stam - Types of genre

Tom Ryall - Genre convention categories 

Tom Ryall - Pleasure in unfamiliar and familiar

Do not feel this is an exhaustive list! You can use theories from any of the sections to back up your argument (obviously as long as they are relevant)

Genre Theories Explained

Audience:

Examples of theories to use for audience:

Demographics

Psychographics

Stuart Hall - P/N/O Readings

Do not feel this is an exhaustive list! You can use theories from any of the sections to back up your argument (obviously as long as they are relevant)

Audience Theories Explained

Narrative:

Todorov -  E - D - NE

Propp - Character archetypes

Barthes - 5 codes

Levi Strauss  - Binary oppositions

Do not feel this is an exhaustive list! You can use theories from any of the sections to back up your argument (obviously as long as they are relevant)

Narrative Theories Explained

Representation:

Laura Mulvey - Male Gaze

Laura Mulvey - Female Gaze

Marjorie Fergusson - Facial Expressions

Trevor Millum - Facial Expressions

Do not feel this is an exhaustive list! You can use theories from any of the sections to back up your argument (obviously as long as they are relevant)

Representation Theories Explained

Media Language:

Sassure - Signifier/Signified

Barthes - Denotation/Connotation

Hall - Encoding/Decoding

Do not feel this is an exhaustive list! You can use theories from any of the sections to back up your argument (obviously as long as they are relevant)

Media Language Theories Explained


Example Essay Structure:


Paragraph 1 Intro: Which of your projects are you going to write about? Briefly describe it

Paragraph 2: What are some of the key features of the concept you are being asked to apply? Maybe outline two of the theories/ideas of particular writers briefly

Paragraph 3: Start to apply the concept, making close reference to your production to show how the concept is evident in it

Paragraph 4: Try to show ways in which ideas work in relation to your production and also ways in which those ideas might not apply/could be challenged

Paragraph 5: Conclusion


Example Essays:


Level 4 - Narrative

Level 3 - Genre

Level 1 - Representation


Practice Essay Questions:

Genre:

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of genre.

Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to genre. 


Narrative:

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of narrative.


Audience:

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of audience.

Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of audience. 

Media Language:

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of media language.

Analyse media representation in one of your coursework productions.

Explain how meaning is constructed by the use of media language in one of your coursework productions. 

Representation:

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of representation.