AQA Checklist

http://store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gce/pdf/AQA-2570-W-TRB-U04CHECK.PDF

MEST4 Checklist

Research Essay:
- Does it allow candidates to explore the 5 Key Concepts? (Represenation, audience, narrative, media language/ideology-technical codes, Institution)

- Does it negotiate an issue and/or debate? Is it contemporary? Is there a list of text(s)? (Bibliography)
- Does it go beyond MEST3 topic areas? (Reps and new media) Is it synoptic?

- Does it answer the question ‘why’ rather than ‘how’?

- Does it encourage independent research and critical autonomy? Is it truly individual?

- Does it avoid the cliché – (women in the media etc) Would it end up just being a list of facts?

-Critical debates, theories etc

Practical Production:
- What are the links between the essay and the practical?

- Will the practical exemplify issues raised in the essay?

- Does it go beyond the MEST2 artefacts? Is it independent of the MEST2 artefact?
- Have we even been given info about the practical?

- Is it substantial enough for an A2 exercise?

- Does it seem to be more than just an ‘add-on’?

CI title - An investigation into how and why humour is used in three contrasting viral advertisements which are, Mac vs Pc, Old spice *your man can smell like me" and Volkswagon "small but tough"

What needs to be done -

SHEP needs to be added in more detail

Critical debates and theories...

The key concepts have been relatively done however more detail is required.

Exam Questions - Estelle

1.How do the two media products represent women in the music industry? (8 mark)

Women are generally shown to be attractive, sexy and feminine in the music industry unless there are certain exceptions where their character requires them to act in a non feminine manner. But the common view of females involved in this sort of a career tends to lean towards them being desirable because of their high sex appeal. The appearance matters. The appearance of Estelle, her clothes, accessories, make-up and hair styling at the Mobos conveyed exactly that. The new media, her website design reflected femininity too with a big close up of her hair and one eye image almost anticipating to capture the full attention span of the website browsers. Also at the Mobos, Estelle stated “...it took me a while to get here...” in her award winning speech. This expresses the hardship that women have to go through to be successful in the music industry because it may not be too obvious but it is run by male singers. ‘Glass ceiling’ – Marxist theory

2.How and why do programme such as the MOBO awards appeal to niche audiences? You may also refer to the other media product to support your answer. (12 mark)

Niche audience means a selective minority audience. The Mobo awards reaches and appeals to a lot more audiences than the niche audience. But it also works well in appealing to the niche audiences as well. This is because the awards were broadcasted on BBC3 which is a terrestrial channel but it is not the main channel. This means the audience demographic of channel BBC3 is evidently more interested in entertaining programmes, this goes on to justify the age group of this particular channel which is 16-34, ideal for the Mobo awards . BBC3 is a terrestrial channel as noted earlier, meaning it’s free, this attracts a lot more audiences than a subscribed channel would.

3.What are the advantages and disadvantages for performers of using the internet as marketing tool? You should also refer to other media products to support you answer. (12 marks)

New Media/web 0.2
Advantages are, that the information reaches mass population, things can be passed around from one person to another because of the occurrence of social networking websites , the internet is also affordable to use, furthermore the artist can express themselves in any manner they want and can also gain feedback from the audience.
The disadvantages are that the originality and creativity of artists may be stolen which will affect the popularity of the real artist and the financial department of the production. Also certain personal information may be leaked on to the internet which may result in violating the artist’s image and character created in front of the consumers.

Representation of Disability in the Media

Media is a term defined by Wikipedia as “a means of carrying or communicating information”. Media serves many purposes and has several jobs. It generalises, creates stereotypes and at times disguises and twists current affairs. Over time media has developed into something which everyone consumes and are involved with. It has expanded significantly, including different platforms to inform, educate and entertain the viewers. Some of these platforms include radio, television and the occurrence of new media, the Internet. In relation to the representations of disability within the media, it is fair to state that many stereotypes have formed throughout time.
There have been certain stereotypes made about disabled people by the media. In some cases the media has continuously added to the discrimination of disabled people through ridiculing and resorting to narratives which convey the disability in a humorous way. Examples include programmes like Little Britain. Little Britain was broadcasted on BBC 1 which is a terrestrial channel. Little Britain disabled characters conform to the ‘laughable’ stereotype quite evidently. There were situations set up in every single series to ridicule the disabled characters in one way or the other. These events in the programme reinforced this image of disabled people as something to ‘joke about’ or laugh at. Made them look dumb and daft, a stereotype most people carry about disabled people. This sort of a programme has immediately let to the society disrespecting disabled people and not recognising the seriousness of it.
My left foot is a movie which was made in the late 1980s by a director by an Irish Director. It is based on a true story of a guy with cerebral palsy named Christie Brown. Only his left foot is shown in working order hence that name of the movie was chosen. In this movie, there have been certain stereotypes that the character of Christie Brown has conformed to. For example, there is a scene in the movie where Christie Brown comes up with a clever plan to get coal for everyone’s house because the neighbourhood is relatively poor. All the guys followed his plan and ended up obtaining coal. This conveys his super cripple/intelligent side. Christie Brown’s mind thinks and acts faster than a lot of other people clearly demonstrating his different mentality. Christie Brown is also shown as a burden which is a negative stereotype. For instance there is a scene in the movie where the women in the neighbourhood feel as if he is a burden on his parents. They think that an incident went wrong because of him when in actual fact he was helping the incident. Their women’s prominent negative views in the movie signify the views and feelings towards disability in that period of time which still continues today.
It’s evident from the movie My Left Foot that there has been some work in the media towards showing disability in a positive manner, however more work is required for the disabled community and the media to work together and learn from each other. In particular mainstream media learning from disabled media and arts sub culture.

Sutherland in 1993 stated:

"That the very fact that previous representations of disability have been narrow, confused and unimaginative leaves the way open for disabled writers and film makers. What we can produce can blow the past away."

My Left Foot - notes

-Made in late 1980s
-Based on a true story of Christie Brown
-Movie won two oscars
-Daniel Day Lewis won the best actor award
-Brenda Fricka won an award
-Irish Director - worldwide success
-It's a biographical picture - historical

-Beginning starts with a foot - conveying the title- dark - some light- Christie Brown shown on a wheel chair - straight away illustrating a disabled person, wheel chair is a universal symbol for disability - heavy breathing - opera music turns on -straight after that the outside world is shown
-Belonged from a family not as caring except his mother who was very fond of him - he feels neglected by the other members of his family
-Shot goes to the present day -his carer starts reading a book - Christie appreciates originality
-At home - close with mum -feels safe and secure with only her -although he was very close with his mum, still shows family life was not ideal
-Fully disabled, mum carries him upstairs - shows care, love and affection
-Really fond of the mother - helps her virtually sliding down the stairs when she falls but the neighbourhood verbally abuses him and accuses him of making her fall - heartless, callous feelings towards him
-Father underestimates him all the time - thinks hes not intelligent just because he's 'cripple'
-People take advantage of him, kids in the neighbourhood hide a porn magazine under him when hes on the wheel barrow
-The prist comes over, biblical allusions - "you can never get out of hell" priest preaching to him - seems as if he's responsible for having the magazine when really it is the other children and in fact he gets wrongly accused because he is innocent.
-The priest coming over - shows strong faith in Christianity of the mother -Belief in heaven and hell - belief in life after death
-Mum:"Even if we can't understand you, God can" - strong belief in higher power - makes him feel that he's not alone, that someone is always watching over him and knowing what he is going through
-Father does not have a healthy relationship with children or family
-Christie keeps wanting to prove himself, this shows his determination of proving everything wrong - that he is not dumb and daft - that he does know things that other children know
-Christie chalks out 'MOTHER' on the ground - this shows that he is intelligent - also shows the love and affection he has for his mother because the first thing he writes all by himself, with his left foot is MOTHER - there is undoubtedly a strong bond between him and her - this is because out of everyone in the house she is the only one who really takes care of him
-When Christie shows his ability in just writing MOTHER - his father proudly takes him out for the first time and announces that he is his son - shows pride and honour - fatherly son love but also that he's achieved something
-Back to present day - even though he has independence as an adult but also significantly he is disabled - skill only using foot to do certain things around him- beginning scene -immediately tells us something is wrong
-Conclusion that Christie is suffering from Cerebral Palsy
-Attitude back in history towards disabled people - physically disabled and mentally disabled were, super cripple, laughable, burden and pity and sympathetic
-Medieval attitudes - priest almost things he is evil or sinister
-Back to present day - adult - he can speak
-Past - the boys in the neighbourhood feel protective over him - show a sense of friendship and brotherhood -let him take the ball- he shoots a goal- shows he's got skill and talent and the boys appreciate that
-Christie socialises so likes to be around people -conveys a feeling of trying to fit in
-"We had porridge for breakfast" -shows the family is not wealthy- living in bad conditions - poverty- therefore the father does not have the money to buy Christie's wheelchair either
-Christie gives the idea to other of how to get the coal - shows his level of poverty that they have to steal coal to warm the house in winter - fact that Christie comes up with a plan to obtain the coal shows he is super cripple, intelligent, mind thinks fast
-Disabled people are often seen as non sexual -but Christie does want to have a sexual life - society conveys and rejects the idea of a disabled person having or is able to have a sexual life
-"It is a sin to steal" - his mother is strict on biblical notions and shows anger to Christie, the fact that she says 'sin' and not a 'crime' shows what she values more, which is obviously religion and not so much of the law
-"£28" conveys the importance of Christie having a wheelchair - mother really values him
-Christie feels angry -gets out of control "I'll f*ckin kill him" shows his protectiveness over his sister when he sees her with a guy - he wishes to do a lot but evidently can't
-Christie reads -Dr Coleman wants to help him for free -specialises in cereable palsy
-19years of age -gets taken to the hospital for special treatment