Component 1A
Exploring Media Language & Representation
Overview
This component provides a foundation for analysing media products, introducing learners to media language and representation through the study of print media forms. Learners will develop their ability to analyse media language, representations and meanings in a range of media products. In addition, learners will study products from specific media industries and audiences to develop their knowledge and understanding of those areas of the theoretical framework. Learners will also begin to explore how media products reflect, and are influenced by, the social, cultural, historical and political contexts in which they are produced.
The Exam
Section A of this exam is focused on media language and representation. This means that you will need to write about how images have been constructed, and how people/places/issues have been represented. Here is what the exam board says:
media language: how the media through their forms, codes and conventions communicate meanings
representation: how the media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups
The Set Texts
There are 8 set texts for Section A of this exam. There are two print products for each area of media studied including: advertising, film posters, newspapers, and magazine covers. In the exam you will be asked to respond to questions relating to two of the set texts as well as an unseen text, which will provide a comparison.
 |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Section A
Fo Section A, we will develop our knowledge and understanding of the following aspects of the theoretical framework:
Media Language
the various forms of media language used to create and communicate meanings in media products
how choice (selection, combination and exclusion) of elements of media language influences meaning in media products, including to create narratives, to portray aspects of reality, to construct points of view, and to represent the world in ways that convey messages and values
the relationship between technology and media products
the codes and conventions of media language, how they develop and become established as 'styles' or genres (which are common across different media products) and how they may also vary over time
intertextuality, including how inter-relationships between media products can influence meaning
fundamental principles of semiotic analysis, including denotation and connotation
theoretical perspectives on genre, including principles of repetition and variation; the dynamic nature of genre; hybridity and intertextuality
theories of narrative, including those derived from Propp
Representation
the ways in which the media re-present (rather than simply present) the world, and construct versions of reality
the choices media producers make about how to represent particular events, social groups and ideas
the ways aspects of reality may be represented differently depending on the purposes of the producers
the different functions and uses of stereotypes, including an understanding of how stereotypes become established, how they may vary over time, and how stereotypes enable audiences to interpret media quickly
how and why particular social groups may be under-represented or misrepresented
how representations (including self- representations) convey particular viewpoints, messages, values and beliefs, which may be reinforced across a wide range of media products
the social, cultural and political significance of particular representations in terms of the themes and issues that they address
how representations reflect the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were produced
the factors affecting audience interpretations of representations, including their own experiences and beliefs
theoretical perspectives on representation, including processes of selection, construction and mediation
theoretical perspectives on gender and representation, including feminist approaches