Starter Activity• In pairs…

–Discuss: what is ‘Media’.–Come up with a definition

To understand the outline of the courseTo begin to understand how gender is represented

Learning Objectives

AS Media StudiesWhat will I study?• Genre• Textual Analysis• Audience• Representation

How will I be assessed?

• MS1 - Examination - 2 ½ hours (50%)• MS2 - Coursework (3 tasks)

– 1 Pre Production task – 1 linked Production – and a written reflective report (50%)

AS Media Examination topics• 1 Question – Textual analysis of an

unseen text (print or moving image) including genre and/or narrative 40 marks

• 3 Questions on media representations and audience responses (30 marks each)

AS Media Coursework• Pre-production task (20 marks); • Production which develops from the pre-production (40

marks) • 1200 – 1600 word Reflective report on the production

process (40 marks)• Group work for the production is only allowed for

audio-visual productions (group size no more than 3)

• Become more familiar with media texts you would not normally consume – newspapers, news reports, any genres you would not normally be familiar with

• Read around the subject – Media supplements in newspapers, text books and dedicated websites

• Be up to date with news and current affairs

What can I do to help myself?

The Media is a channel of communication from producer to audience.Producers create MEDIA TEXTS which we consume:• advertisements• DVD covers• CD covers• newspaper front pages• magazines /comics• radio sequences• Films• television programmes• music videos• websites• computer games

Media texts

Sort this list into the following media platforms:• Print• Broadcasting

(Moving Image)• E-Media

Rene Magritte: ‘This is not a pipe’

• The media do not offer us a transparent 'window' on the world, but a mediated version of the world. They don't just present reality, they re-present it.

David Buckingham (2003)

What is representation?• Representation is the way in which the media constructs

aspects of ‘real life’:• This includes:

– people, – places, – events, – culture, – ethnicity – and issues

• (WJEC, Exploring the Media)

• Remember: The media don’t just present reality they re-present it.

Understanding Representation• To be able to understand

representation we need to be aware that part of it is how we see things and this is affected by our own experiences, culture, gender and preconceived expectations.

Same person: one year apart. Consider how Miley Cyrus was representing herself in the first picture, compared to her infamous representation at the VMAs.

Miley Cyrus

Shortly after the VMAs - this was the image on Miley Cyrus’ homepage of her official website. Why was this image chosen? What does it represent?

Important Points to Consider!• What kind of world/image is being created by the

text?• Is it positive or negative?• How will audiences interpret this?• This will depend on how the person sees the

particular person or celebrity, what their relationship is to a certain event or issue

• It will also depend on the persons age, gender, ethnicity and situation

• What is this?• Why is it important to understand when studying the Media?

Bias

• Start observing how people are being represented. Look at real people around you – how are they representing themselves?

• Look at actors in soaps. Read about celebrities. Facebook/Instagram/Twitter.

• Representation is everywhere.

Start observing…