Assessment LRs

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW: You start both questions well so there is

            lots of potential here. If you can maintain

            that initial level you will definately be looking 

            at a B+ grade

EBI: Revise semiotics: ideology and myth

        in particular

     - For question two, you need to maintain focus on

       the question and provide examples from

       the CSP.

     - Try and bring media theory in too.

2) Focusing on the unseen question 1, pick out three bullet points on the anticipated content and link each point to the three aspects of the question - denotation, connotation, myth. 

• The denotation of the costume, props, colour and body language.

• The connotations of the image with reference to USA’s national identity through the burning flag and the reference to the Western genre.

• The construction of myth through the use of signs – the lone, charismatic American hero, violent but thoughtful and reflective.

3) Look at the anticipated content for the 25-mark Magazines question. Pick out three points on GQ and three on The Gentlewoman that you think are particularly interesting for this question on social and cultural contexts.

GQ:

• The new masculinity that GQ is offering would subvert Liesbet van Zoonen’s work on Feminist Media Studies from the early 1990s. Her discussion of sex role stereotypes being reinforced in mainstream media products is challenged by the new GQ – Harry Styles or Pharrell Williams wearing traditionally feminine clothing in photoshoots for example.
• GQ supports David Gauntlett’s view that the mass media is a force for change and is actively liberalising society – he talks of a “slow and steady process of change and transformation”. This would support the idea that as the mainstream media and corporations become more ‘woke’ that brands need to move with this social and cultural change.
• In addition to a changing approach to masculinity, Welch also moved the magazine’s focus away from traditional print and towards digital, social media and video content. From this perspective, it may be less social and cultural changes towards gender and instead generational differences in terms of the distribution and consumption of media products. Younger audiences are not engaging with print products and therefore GQ has changed its product to move with this technological change. Video content such as the Netflix Heartstopper actors responding to key scenes or Bukayo Saka talking about his essential lifestyle items is more about technological convergence than social or cultural change.

Gentlewoman:

• CSP edition front cover features Scarlett Johansson but construction of cover certainly reflects the changing social and cultural contexts both in terms of media language and representation of celebrity. The cover lacks the typical conventions of a magazine cover – no cover lines aside from the celebrity’s name – and the cover image is unusual. A tight close-up with exaggerated make-up shot slightly from below offers an fresh and unusual representation of a female Hollywood star.
• The magazine certainly reflects the feminist movement and therefore does show a product responding to changing social and cultural contexts. Editor Penny Martin talks about wanting to represent “how modern women live” and reflect “women as they actually look, sound and dress”. The magazine has also subverted trends in the women’s lifestyle genre by selecting a wide range of cover stars including 88-year-old Angela Lansbury and Beyonce deliberately photographed using no make-up.
• In contrast, it could also be argued that these features do not represent a huge social and cultural change and in fact offer more of a reflection of The Gentlewoman’s upper middle class, wealthy typical reader. The Gentlewoman Club reinforces this, an exclusive series of events where attendees are hand-picked by Penny Martin and take place in conjunction with luxury brands. The pretension and privilege in the Gentlewoman is nothing new, just repackaged for a new generation.

4) Write a full essay plan for the 25-mark Magazines question. The mark scheme contains plenty of ideas you can use here. Your plan should include notes/bullet points addressing the following:

• Introduction: one sentence answering the original question and laying out your argument clearly.
• Paragraph 1 content: how media producers target, attract, reach, address and potentially construct audiences
• Paragraph 2 content: how media industries target audiences through the content and appeal of media products and through the ways in which they are marketed, distributed and circulated
• Paragraph 3 content: producers may need to respond to changes – but these are actually quite rare and slowly evolving
• Paragraph 4 content: changing social and cultural understanding of identity is particularly relevant to lifestyle magazines and is an important aspect of targeting audiences 
• Conclusion: sum up your argument a final time in one sentence

5) Finally, identify three key skills/topics you want to work on in A Level Media this year before the final exams in June.

• I want to work on semiotics as in the assessment, knowledge in the topic was definitely lacking.
• Working on my timing so that I won't have a need to rush my answers and so they keep the same energy all the way through.