Your journey to excellence in
By Revision Genie
Course Foundations and Assessment
Unit 1
What GCSE Media Studies Studies
The Four Areas of the Theoretical Framework
The Nine Media Forms You Must Know
What Close Study Products Are
Why CSPs Change Each Year
Audio-Visual, Print and Online CSP Requirements
Social, Cultural, Historical and Political Contexts
Analysing Media in Context
Comparing Media Products Effectively
Extended Responses and Synoptic Thinking
Paper 1 Overview
Paper 2 Overview
NEA Overview
AO1 Knowledge and Understanding
AO2 Analysis and Judgement
AO3 Creating a Media Product
Unit 2
Media Language
What Media Language Means
Denotation and Connotation
Signs, Signifiers and Meaning
Icons, Symbols and Codes
Anchorage and How It Fixes Meaning
Sender, Message and Receiver
How Media Products Communicate Meaning
Selection, Combination and Exclusion
How Media Constructs Reality
Register and Mode of Address
Direct Address
Indirect Address
Building Narratives Through Media Choices
Constructing Points of View
Communicating Messages and Values
Representing the World Through Media Language
Propp’s Character Types
Exposition in Narratives
Disruption in Narratives
Complication in Narratives
Climax in Narratives
Resolution in Narratives
Enigma and Audience Interest
Closure and Audience Satisfaction
How Technology Shapes Media Products
Image Manipulation
High Definition and Visual Quality
CGI and Constructed Realities
Mobile Technology and Media Consumption
User-Generated Content
Technical Codes in Moving Image
Shot Types
Camera Movement
Composition
Lighting
Editing
Diegetic Sound
Non-Diegetic Sound
Dialogue and Audio Meaning
Print Design Codes
Layout and Page Design
Typography and Font Choice
Colour and Meaning
Juxtaposition
Superimposition
House Style
Grids and Visual Organisation
Symbolic Codes and Mise-en-Scène
Costume
Make-Up and Hair
Props
Set Dressing
Location
Actor Performance
Verbal Codes
Non-Verbal Codes
Paralanguage
What Genre Is
Repetition and Variation in Genre
Genre Conventions Across Media Forms
The Dynamic Nature of Genre
Hybrid Genres
Intertextuality
How Genre Changes Over Time
Financial Influences on Genre
Cultural Influences on Genre
Audience Demand and Genre Development
Unit 3
Media Representations
What Representation Means in Media
Re-Presentation Rather Than Reality
Selection in Representation
Construction in Representation
Mediation in Representation
Why Some Media Looks Realistic
The Media as a Window on the World
The Media as the Message
Events as Media Representations
Individuals as Media Representations
Social Groups as Media Representations
Ideas and Values in Representation
Essentialist Views of Gender
Social Constructionist Views of Gender
Feminist Approaches to Representation
How Producers Choose to Represent People
How Producers Choose to Represent Issues
Audience Positioning
Biased Representation
Prejudicial Representation
Persuasive Communication
Representation in Advertising
Representation in Marketing
Political Bias in Media
Propaganda
What Stereotypes Are
Why Stereotypes Become Established
Positive Stereotypes
Negative Stereotypes
Why Stereotypes Help Fast Interpretation
Challenging Stereotypes
Subverting Stereotypes
Under-Representation
Misrepresentation
Bias and Partiality
Representation and Dominant Values
Self-Representation in Media
Dominant Representations
Contested Representations
Viewpoints, Messages and Beliefs
Agenda Setting
News Values
Social Significance of Representations
Cultural Significance of Representations
Political Significance of Representations
How Historical Context Shapes Representation
How Cultural Context Shapes Representation
How Changing Values Affect Representation
Audience Interpretation of Representations
How Age Influences Interpretation
How Class Influences Interpretation
How Gender Influences Interpretation
How Ethnicity Influences Interpretation
How Personal Experience Shapes Meaning
Unit 4
Media Industries
What Media Industries Are
Production, Distribution and Circulation
Large Organisations in the Media
Individuals and Groups as Producers
Who Owns Media Products
Patterns of Ownership
Media Mergers
Media Demergers
Media Takeovers
Concentration of Ownership
Production Processes in Media
Media Personnel and Roles
Technology in Production
How Production Decisions Shape Final Products
Where and When Media Products Are Made
Working Practices in Media Industries
Conglomerate Ownership
Diversification
Vertical Integration
Horizontal Integration
The Impact of Ownership and Control
What Convergence Means
Cross-Media Ownership
Content Providers and Platform Providers
Convergence Across Platforms
Convergence Across National Settings
Government-Funded Media
Not-for-Profit Media
Commercial Media Models
The Television Licence Fee
Advertising as Funding
Sponsorship as Funding
Product Placement
Direct Sales
Independent and Voluntary Sector Media
Media as Global Business
Globalisation and Media Industries
Large Audiences and Niche Audiences
Cultural Imperialism
International Trade in Media Products
Regulation in the Media
Self-Regulation
Government Regulation
Freedom, Censorship and Control
Ofcom
IPSO
VSC
BBFC
ASA
PEGI
Digital Technology and Regulation
Online Abuse and Bullying
Online Anonymity
ISP Responsibilities
Social Network Responsibilities
Public Interest and Individual Rights
Unit 5
Media Audiences
What Media Audiences Are
Active Audiences
Passive Audiences
Audience Response
Audience Interpretation
Uses and Gratifications Theory
Why Audiences Matter in Meaning-Making
Media Effects and Audience Power
Mass Audiences
Specialised Audiences
Why Media Producers Target Different Audiences
Audiences as a Product for Advertisers
Marketing Media Products
Audience Assumptions Made by Producers
Genre Conventions and Audience Targeting
Guerrilla Marketing
Viral Marketing
Trailers
Tasters
Teasers
Audience Segmentation
Geographic Segmentation
Demographic Segmentation
Psychographic Segmentation
Media Technologies and Audience Reach
Identifying Audiences Through Data
Online Audience Data Collection
BARB
RAJAR
Pamco
Nielsen
Quantitative Audience Research
Qualitative Audience Research
Primary Research
Secondary Research
Why Different Audiences Read Products Differently
Reception Theory
Preferred Readings
Aberrant Readings
Social Differences in Audience Response
Individual Differences in Audience Response
Why Audience Responses Change Over Time
Media Practices and Identity
Actual Self and Desired Self
Identity and Audience Membership
Fans and Fandom
Talking About the Media
The Social Significance of Media Products
The Cultural Significance of Media Products
The Political Significance of Media Products
Media and Needs
Media and Desires
Media Functions in Everyday Life
Historical Products and Modern Audiences
Changing Cultural Values and Audience Response
Unit 6
Close Study Products and Comparative Analysis
How to Approach a CSP
Analysing CSPs Through Media Language
Analysing CSPs Through Representation
Analysing CSPs Through Industries
Analysing CSPs Through Audiences
Comparing Print CSPs
Comparing Audio-Visual CSPs
Comparing Online and Participatory CSPs
Linking CSPs to Contexts
Using CSP Evidence in Exam Answers
Applying Theory Without Retelling the Product
Moving from Product Detail to Argument
Comparing Two Products in a Structured Paragraph
Using Terminology Accurately with CSPs
Bringing Context Into CSP Analysis
Unit 7
Media Forms
Television as a Media Form
Radio as a Media Form
Newspapers as a Media Form
Magazines as a Media Form
Advertising and Marketing as a Media Form
Online, Social and Participatory Media
Video Games as a Media Form
Music Video as a Media Form
Film in the Context of Media Industries
How Convergence Connects Media Forms
Similarities Across Media Forms
Differences Across Media Forms
Unit 8
Non-Exam Assessment
What the NEA Requires
Reading an AQA Brief Carefully
Understanding the Intended Audience
Choosing Appropriate Media Language
Choosing Appropriate Representations
Planning an Original Media Product
Writing a Statement of Intent
Explaining Aims Clearly in the Statement of Intent
Using Subject Terminology in the Statement of Intent
Linking Creative Choices to Audience
Meeting the Brief Fully
Creating Original Images, Footage and Text
Using Unassessed Participants Correctly
Acknowledging Non-Original Material
Designing Websites Without Coding
Designing Video Games Without Coding
Managing Time for the NEA
Producing Work Independently
Avoiding Malpractice
Understanding the Marking Criteria
Excellence in Media Language for NEA
Excellence in Representation for NEA
Excellence in Communicating Meaning to an Audience
Reviewing Work Against the Brief
Final Checks Before Submission
Unit 9
Exam Skills
Understanding Command Words
Reading Unseen Sources Quickly
Spotting Media Language in Unseen Sources
Spotting Representations in Unseen Sources
Using Context in Short Answers
Building a Strong Analytical Paragraph
Embedding Subject Terminology
Comparing Products in the Exam
Writing About Industry Factors
Writing About Audience Factors
Planning an Extended Response
Sustaining a Clear Line of Reasoning
Supporting Judgements With Evidence
Avoiding Description-Only Answers
Moving From Feature to Effect
Linking Analysis to Context
Linking Analysis to Audience
Timing Paper 1 Effectively
Timing Paper 2 Effectively
Revising CSPs Efficiently
Unit 10
Assessment Structure
Paper 1 Section A: Language and Representation
Paper 1 Section B: Industries and Audiences
Paper 2 Section A: Television Extract Analysis
Paper 2 Section B: Newspapers or Online and Participatory Media
NEA Weighting and Expectations
Balancing Exam Revision and NEA Preparation
Let's master Media Studies together!Let's master Media Studies together!Let's master Media Studies together!