Introduction to Media: Media consumption audit

To achieve a top grade in A Level Media Studies, it is important that you consume a wide variety of different media on a regular basis.

This may mean stepping outside your comfort zone or engaging with media that is no longer so popular with younger generations such as newspapers or radio (perhaps through following newspapers on social media and listening to podcasts). The good news is that you may discover something you really enjoy or at the very least helps you with your other A Level subjects.

Media consumption audit: blog tasks

Create a blogpost on your Media 1 Exam Blog called 'My media consumption'.

Answer the following questions in as much detail as possible to complete your audit. There may be plenty that you answer 'none' or equivalent. However, this means the final section where you reflect on how you can improve your media consumption is absolutely vital.

Newspapers

• Which daily newspapers (if any) do you read?
• What sections of newspapers do you turn to first, and why?
• What sections do you never read, and why?
• What kinds of stories do you usually read and why?
• Do you, or someone else, buy the newspaper you read?
• Do you look at the online versions of any newspapers? Which newspapers? Why do you visit their website and not others?

Magazines

• What magazines (if any) do you buy regularly?  Why/why not?
• What sections of the magazines do you read and not read, and why?

Television

• Approximately how many hours a week do you spend watching television?
• What device do you use to watch television?
• What times of day do you usually watch television?
• What programmes do you like best and why?
• Do you watch alone or with others? If you watch with others, who decides what you will watch?
• Do you watch 'live' TV or on-demand/catch-up? Do you use any other devices to watch TV (such as laptop or tablet?)

Radio

• Do you listen to the radio?
• If yes, what stations do you like best and why?
• Do you listen to podcasts?
• If yes, what podcasts have you listened to recently?
• Approximately how many hours a week do you spend listening to podcasts or radio?
• What times of the day do you usually listen to podcasts or radio?
• Where do you listen to podcast or radio?
• What other activities (if any) do you do whilst listening?
• Does anyone else in your house listen to the radio or podcasts? If so, when do they listen?

Film

• What films have you seen in the cinema in the last month?
• What films have you seen in other places – for example, through Netflix, Amazon Prime, satellite/cable film channels (free or otherwise) or streaming?
• Who else watched the films with you?
• Who decided what films to watch?
• What devices do you typically use to watch films: TV, laptop, tablet, phone etc.?

Online

• How often do you access the internet?
• Where do you access the internet? At home, at school, commuting etc.
• What are the main sites that you access?
• What are the main reasons for accessing these sites – for example, for information, to make purchases, communicate with friends or for entertainment?
• What other activities (if any) do you do whilst accessing the internet?
• What different devices do you use to access the internet? What is your primary device for accessing the internet?
• What social networks do you use regularly (e.g. Twitter, Instagram)? Why do you belong to these networks in particular?

Final section: reflection

• How can you develop the amount and variety of media you consume?
• What will you change in your media consumption habits this year as a result of studying A Level Media?
• List three sources of media (websites/newspapers/apps/TV programmes etc.) that you will start to access this year that you haven't engaged with previously.

Due date on Satchel One

Welcome to A Level Media Studies!

We are delighted you have chosen A Level Media Studies and can't wait to get started! 

We have a track record of excellent results in A Level Media with a minimum of 50% of students achieving a B grade or higher. 

You've got a lot of hard work ahead of you but with commitment, creativity and engagement with the media you WILL be successful!

A Level Media: first tasks

Your first jobs are to get an A4 ring binder folder with dividers (bring it to every lesson) and start your A Level Media blogs. You can find step-by-step text instructions to setting up a blog here. 

Choose a theme with black text on a white background as these are easier to read and revise from.

Your new blogs will be:

• Media blog 1 - exam - Mr Pall

• Media blog 2 - coursework - Mr Bush

Once you have your blog URLs, post them as a comment below this post with your name clearly written next to it. For example:

Comment 
John Smith's Media Exam Blog 1 - Mr Pall: http://mediamacguffinexam.blogspot.co.uk/
John Smith's Media Coursework Blog 2 - Mr Bush: http://mediamacguffincoursework.blogspot.co.uk/ 

IMPORTANT: It is absolutely essential you remember your log-in details for blogger.com - it is where your Media work will be posted for the next two years. The easiest way to do this is to simply use your Greenford High School Google account in order to log in. 

Google Classroom & Satchel One

We do all of our work on blogs in Media but we will also be using Google Classroom and Satchel One to communicate with you on individual task deadlines. Look out for an invitation in your email to join Google Classroom and make sure you sign up!

First blog task

Once you've set up your new blogs, create a new blog post on your Media Blog 1 and answer the following questions:

1) Why did you choose A Level Media Studies?

2) Did you take GCSE Media Studies (either here at Greenford or a different school)?

3) If you answered yes to Q2, what grade did you achieve in GCSE Media? What coursework task did you complete? What would you say your strengths and weaknesses were in GCSE Media?

4) What grade do you hope to achieve in A Level Media?

5) What are your current thoughts about your next steps after A Levels - university, apprenticeship, work?

6) What do you think the biggest MEDIA story of 2026 has been and why?

7) What media sources do you use to find out about news and current affairs?

8) What was the last film you watched?

9) What is your favourite ever TV series?

10) How many hours do you spend online in an average day? Is this too little, too much or about right? Why? (If you have an iPhone you can use Screen Time to get an accurate figure of how much you use your phone).

If you don't get the questions finished in the lesson, complete for homework - due date on Show My Homework

Magazines: Final index

We have now completed our second in-depth CSP topic - print magazines.

You now need to create a final index of all the tasks we have completed for GQ and The Gentlewoman. Hopefully we all know by now that keeping an up-to-date index of all your work is extremely good practice from a revision perspective. It keeps the vital CSP information fresh in your mind and also highlights if you've missed anything over the last term. 

This is also important because you'll have a baseline assessment when we come back in September on magazines and radio. It will also be an opportunity to improve your UCAS predicted grade for your university applications if you need it. 

Magazines: final index

Your final Magazines index should include the following:

1) Magazines: Front cover practical task

2) Magazines: GQ - Language and Representation
3) Magazines: GQ - Audience & Industry

4) Magazines: Front cover practical task LR
5) Magazines: The Gentlewoman - Language and Representations

6) Magazines: The Gentlewoman - Audience and Industries
7) Magazines: Industries - the appeal of print and independent magazines

Remember, for your index it needs to link to YOUR corresponding blogpost so you can access your work and revision notes quickly and easily.

Extra study sessions for those behind on the blog

We'll be running a compulsory extra study session for Year 12 Media students who are behind on blog work on Friday 18th (after the Year 12 final day). Make sure you catch up with any missing blog work before then to avoid being called in!

Index due date on Show My Homework

Magazines: Industries - the appeal of print and independent magazines

Our final piece of work on magazines looks at the appeal of print in the independent magazine sector.

This is crucial concept because The Gentlewoman is a small, niche independent magazine - completely different from the global brand that is GQ. We need to explore the surprising rise in independent publishing in recent years and why some small print magazines seem to be surviving in the digital age.

Lesson notes

The independent print magazine is characterised as:

“…published without the financial support of a large corporation or institution in which the makers control publication and distribution…'independent' in spirit due to a maverick editor or publisher who leads the magazine in an exploratory, noncommercial direction” (Thomas 2007).

Source: Writer's Edit



Print: the challenge for publishers

Despite the renaissance of print through independent magazines, there are still huge challenges:

• Distribution: finding distributor, risk of unsold stock
• Lack of advertising revenue: meaning high cover price (all over £5, many around £10 or more)
• Audience: finding and targeting a viable audience

Ironically, the internet has proved an unlikely saviour for independent magazines – it facilitates direct sales and subscriptions and allows magazines to find niche communities, crowdfunding and contributors.

The Gentlewoman and print

The Gentlewoman continues to exist but has had to offer a markedly different product to traditional print magazines:

• High cover price: £10
• Only two issues a year
• Strong online presence and diversification beyond print (club, merchandise, collaborations etc.)

Industries: the appeal of print - blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to complete your work on magazines. You will find the reading gives you a brilliant insight into a vital aspect of media - the power of independent institutions.

1) Writer's Edit journal article

Read this excellent Writer's Edit academic journal article on the independent magazine industry and answer the following questions:

1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine?

2) What does Hamilton (2013) suggest about independent magazines in the digital age?

3) Why does the article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling?

4) What does the article suggest about how independent publishers use digital media to target their niche audiences?

5) Why is it significant that independent magazines are owned and created by the same people? How does this change the creative process and direction of the magazine?

6) What does the article suggest regarding the benefits of a 'do-it-yourself' approach to creating independent magazines?

7) The article discusses the audience appeal of print. Why might audiences love the printed form in the digital age?

8) What are the challenges in terms of funding and distributing an independent magazine?


2) Irish Times feature on independent magazines

Now read this short feature in the Irish Times on the growth of independent magazines and answer the following questions:

1) Why are independent magazines so popular?

2) Why is the magazine publishing industry set up to favour the big global conglomerates?

3) What does the article suggest regarding finding an audience for an independent magazine?

4) What are the challenges for magazine distributors?

5) The article suggests that many independent magazines only make money by diversifying into other products. What examples do they give?

Due date on Show My Homework

Y12 Media exam: Paper 2 Learner response

Media Paper 2 gave you the opportunity to practice two key skills for next year's exams - analysing an unseen text and writing a 25-mark essay.

Both of these are tricky and the only way to get better is through experience. Even if this exam didn't go completely to plan you will have learned a huge amount about the way these questions are structured and the kind of preparation you'll need to do next year.

Y12 Media exam: Paper 2: Learner response 

Create a new blogpost on your Media Coursework blog called 'Media Paper 2 learner response' and work through the following tasks:

1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write the mark/grade if you do not wish to).

2) Read the mark scheme for this exam carefully (posted on your exam teacher's Google Classroom), paying particular attention to the the 'indicative content' for each question. Firstly, focus on the unseen question and identify two aspects of the poster that you could have written about in your answer. 

3) Look at the indicative content for Q1 again and make a note of any theories or examples of media terminology you could have used in your answer.

4) Now focus on the TV 25-marker. Read this exemplar response for the TV question and pick out three arguments, phrases or theories from the essay that you could use in a future question on Capital and Deutschland 83.

5) Finally, identify three things you need to revise for Media Paper 2 before your next assessment of mock exam.

You will need to complete this for homework - due date on Show My Homework.

Y12 Media exam: Paper 1 Learner response

The Year 12 exams are a great opportunity to take on questions similar to what you'll be facing in full next year.

It's important to remember that we are not expecting you to reach your target grades in these exams. If you do, that's brilliant - but it probably means you need a higher target grade! These exams will contribute to your UCAS university predicted grade and give us a good idea of your progress at the halfway point in the course but as ever the most important aspect is that you learn from this experience and get better as a result.

Y12 Media exam: Paper 1: Learner response

Create a new blogpost on your Media Exam blog called 'Media Paper 1 learner response' and work through the following tasks:

1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to). 

2) Read the mark scheme for this exam carefully (posted on your exam teacher's Google Classroom), paying particular attention to the 'indicative content' for each question. This is some of the best analysis you can do as it gives you an idea of what the exam board are expecting. For your LR blogpost, identify ONE point you could have added for the first three questions in Section A:

Q1 (unseen text) additional point/theory:

Q2 (unseen text and CSP) additional point/theory/CSP reference:

Q3 (music video) additional point/theory/CSP reference:

3) Now focus on Section B. Section B began with two questions testing your knowledge of industry terminology. Make sure you know the answers to these (get the answers from the mark scheme if you have to):

Benefits of horizontal integration:

Definition of vertical integration:

4) The Section B CSP focus was on Blinded By The Light. Look at the mark scheme and write a definition of traditional marketing with examples.

5) Finally, identify three things you plan to revise before your next Media assessment or mock exam (e.g. terminology, particular theories or CSPs etc.)

You will need to complete this for homework - due date on Show My Homework.

Coursework: Summer Project 2026

The summer project is a vital element of your coursework - an opportunity to plan outstanding TikTok videos and web pages and then present it to class in September.

Your summer project contains compulsory and optional elements; everybody will be researching TikTok videos, creating a concept, writing a first draft Statement of Intent and presenting this to class as an Ignite presentation in September. However, you may wish to also plan and film elements of your production over the summer while you have time available - this is up to you.

Your AQA coursework brief is here: NEA Student Booklet - Brief 4. 

Summer project tasks

Complete the following tasks on a blogpost on your coursework blog called 'Summer Project: coursework planning': 

1) Research: TikTok videos

You need to write a 150-word close-textual analysis of SIX TikTok videos that will inform your production work. The TikTok videos you analyse are up to you but focus on a different aspect of media language for each one (see guidance below).  

TikTok videos

TikTok Video 1: Narrative
How is narrative used in the TikTok video and what impact does this have on the audience? Can you apply any narrative theories to the story in the TikTok video?

TikTok Video 2: Camerawork (shots, angles, movement)
Look for particular camera shots and movement - remember that movement is a critical convention of most music videos and performances and camerawork can contribute to this. 

TikTok Video 3: Mise-en-scene
What do you notice about the use of mise-en-scene to create meanings for the audience? Use CLAMPS to help you here and think in particular about how mise-en-scene is used to communicate the genre of music and the personality or brand identity of the band/artist.

TikTok  Video 4: Editing

For editing, analyse pace, transitions, the number of shots and juxtaposition. How does the video create pace and excitement - or does it create a different effect for the audience?  

TikTok  Video 5: Music Video Conventions

Think back to our Introduction to Music Video and our work on Andrew Goodwin's theory on music video conventions as part of the Ghost Town CSP. How many key conventions of music video can you find in your fifth TikTok example?

TikTok 6: Visual effects, intertextuality or product placement

Choose a TikTok video that has interesting visual effects or intertextuality and analyse the effect this creates and how it is constructed. Alternatively, you could look at product placement here and see how a band or artist has incorporated a brand or product into their video. 

You can start adding TikTok links to this shared document that should help with research and, of course, or you are free to select videos of your choice. You may wish to write more about one video than another but as long as you have 800+ words of TikTok video research in total you will be fine. Feel free to use bullet points if this is helpful.

2) Planning: THREE TikTok video treatments

A treatment is like a script for a TikTok video - it tells the band or artist exactly what will happen in the video and the kind of style or effect the video will have. You'll need to choose what songs you are going to use at this point - remember, you can use an existing artist's work but it needs to be appropriate for the brief. 

Keep in mind, the brief does not stipulate the number of TikTok videos, only the total runtime of 3 minutes of video content in total.

For this aspect of your summer project, write a basic treatment that gives your reader a good idea of what your TikTok videos will look like. The most important thing is to keep in mind the brief - one of the TikTok videos must promote the soft drink. Other TikTok videos can feature any of the following:

• personal information from the artist
• replication of a social media trend (e.g. 'bees in a trap' video, ice-bucket challenge) extracts from podcasts, press conferences, red carpet appearances and/or promotional interviews
• clips from a music video
• any other content you feel is appropriate 

Start each of your THREE treatments with the following key details: 

1) Artists and song(s) you will use for video.

2) Original name for artist you have created - MUST be completely original

For example, Ed Sheeran - Shape of You is the artist and song you plan to use but your original name for your artist will be John Smith - Shape of You.


3) Statement of Intent

Write the first draft for your genuine 500-word Statement of Intent. This will be submitted to the exam board alongside your media products and is worth 10 marks of the overall 60 marks available.

It should explain:

• the ways in which you will apply knowledge and understanding of media language and media representation to your products
• how your products will target the intended audience
• the industry context they are created for
• how you will exploit the opportunities for digital convergence between the products

We also strongly recommend you look at our Statement of Intent questions to consider document too (you'll need to log in with your Greenford Google account to read this). 

This is just your first draft of the statement so try and keep it under 500 words if you can. That will leave a bit of room to add later when you do your next draft.

4) Ignite presentation

Prepare a 5-minute, 20-slide presentation using the Ignite format in which you present your coursework project. In effect, this is your statement of intent in presentation format. You must cover:

• Your TikTok videos and website pages concept: your new original artist, genre, song and TikTok video treatments. Then, your print brief: title and logo for the artist's website, name of own branded new soft drink etc.
• Media language: how you will use TikTok video conventions and website conventions - e.g. camerawork, editing, typography, layout and mise-en-scene to create meanings for your audience. 
• Media representations: how you will use or subvert stereotypes in your TikTok video and web pages; applications of representation theory; social and cultural contexts - how your coursework will reflect contemporary media culture and society. 
• Media audiences: your target audience demographics and psychographics; audience pleasures - why they would enjoy your TikTok video and web pages; audience theory if relevant. Consider merchandise for your music artist which could be made available through their website e.g. www.spreadshirt.co.uk (could be embeded on a web page)
• Media industries and digital convergence: the potential record company that would promote your artist; the retail providers where you can purchase the artist's own branded new soft drink; the brand identity for your artist (consider the type of social media platforms they would feature on); how fans would engage with your products etc.

Ignite presentations have very specific rules: you must create exactly 20 slides with each slide set to 15-second auto-advance. This means your presentation will be exactly five minutes followed by questions and comments from the class. You will deliver your presentation on your coursework planning in the first week back in September.

Your Ignite presentation will be marked out of 30 on the following criteria (each worth a possible 5 marks):

1) Research (through the presentation AND your blog - make sure it is posted before you present) 
2) Coursework concept
3) Language: terminology and theory
4) Representations / social and cultural contexts
5) Audience and Industry / digital convergence
6) Presentation delivery

You can find more information about Ignite presentations - including examples - in this Ignite presentation blogpost here. 

Summer project deadline: all tasks above due in first lesson back in September

Summer project: optional extensions

Pre-production tasks

Some students in previous years expressed an interest in filming their video production over the summer break. This makes a huge amount of sense - far more availability of actors, much more time to schedule filming etc. If you do want to film over the summer, make sure you complete the following pre-production tasks here:

Product sketches

As it will appear in one of your TikTok videos and one of your web pages you may want to consider sketch/design your own branded new soft drink and bottle that will be promoted by your music artist.

Website wireframes

Sketch out the design of your home page and two related web pages. One page should should included promotional content for the new soft drink. 

TikTok video planning and treatment
This is effectively your script for your TikTok videos. There is guidance/links above on how to write a great TikTok video treatment.

Storyboard 
Sketch out a selection of critical shots from your TikTok videos, take a photo of the storyboard and upload it to your blogpost. What visual style are you trying to create? Storyboard sheets can be downloaded from here.

Shot list
Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film for your TikTok videos AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. I advise using a simple table on Google Docs to set out your shot list - you can find a film example here. It makes sense to organise your shot list by scene or location rather than a huge list of every shot in the TikTok video in chronological order. 

Mise-en-scene
What iconography are you including to ensure your audience understands the genre you are working in? Plan your cast, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. This can be simply completed using your blog or Microsoft Word - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details. 

Shooting schedule 
Plan a shooting schedule for your filming over the summer. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Google Docs or Google Sheets or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it! 

Non-assessed participants
You will need to provide a written record of all non-assessed participants in your production work (both video and print). Keep a record of everyone involved - actors, camerawork, sound etc. You will also need a keep a record of any non-original sound and note it on the Candidate Record Form - so this means the song for your music video. Keep these on your blog for easy reference when submitting your work in Year 13.

Production: Filming and photography

Once you have completed your pre-production tasks, you can film or carry out photoshoots as you wish.

Good luck!