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 6. 

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!

Magazines: The Gentlewoman - Audience and Industries

The second part of our Gentlewoman case study explores Audience and Industry contexts.

These concepts require us to explore who reads The Gentlewoman, who produces it and how the magazine is branching out beyond print into events and online. 

Audience

The Gentlewoman describes its audience: 

“The Gentlewoman is enjoyed by confident, independent and stylish women and men from a strikingly broad range of age groups. 

“Characterised by their desire for cultural entertainment in their media, readers of The Gentlewoman enjoy the highest quality fashion, social pursuits and creative happenings.”

Media Kit

The best way to learn about The Gentlewoman's audience is via the Media Kit (you'll need your Greenford Google login to open). 

Audience theory: Clay Shirky

Clay Shirky suggests the 20th century media model “with professional producers and amateur consumers” has been replaced by a more chaotic landscape that allows consumers to be producers and distributors. The Gentlewoman is fighting back against this, offering a curated, high-quality mix of writing, fashion and photography. 

Shirky says: “We now publish first, and then filter.  We find the good stuff after the fact.” In contrast to this, The Gentlewoman is trying to offer its readers the ‘good stuff’ without having to filter it first.

Audience pleasures

There are many potential audience pleasures for The Gentlewoman readers. Applying Blumler & Katz’s Uses & Gratifications theory, three in particular would be:

Personal identity: Readers enjoy having their lifestyle and fashion choices endorsed and reflected by the magazine. The magazine promises to feature “women as they actually look, sound and dress.” 

Personal relationships: The Gentlewoman is presented as a club to be part of – literally in the sense of in-person events around the world. 

Surveillance: The Gentlewoman describes itself as “Intelligent, opinionated and entertaining, it has set a new standard in women’s magazines with its high-quality writing”. 

Industries

The Gentlewoman is published by Dutch independent publishers Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom – a huge contrast to GQ and Condé Nast. 

They created The Gentlewoman as a women’s version of their “genre defining gentleman’s style journal” Fantastic Man.

Distribution

Despite being a niche London-based magazine, The Gentlewoman reflects the global nature of the media. The website and social media are major reasons for its international reach. 

Its readers are based:

UK 51%

Europe 23%

USA 18%

Rest of the World 8%

The Gentlewoman Club

The Gentlewoman Club is an international society of the magazine’s readers, which currently has up to 39,000 active members – sophisticated women and men who demand quality and originality from their agenda of cultural happenings. These loyal subscribers attend the Club’s get-togethers in substantial numbers, notified of which via the Club’s monthly newsletter

and social media platforms.

This is an example of diversification – moving beyond a print magazine to offer readers experiences and events to engage with.

Magazines: regulation

The magazines industry is regulated by IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. This is an independent regulator - effectively meaning the industry is self-regulated by the Editors' Code of Practice. We will look at more on press regulation when we study newspapers. 

The Gentlewoman: Audience and Industries blog tasks

There are five reasonably short tasks for The Gentlewoman - Audience and Industries plus some optional extension work for those aiming for the very top grades. Create a blogpost called 'The Gentlewoman: Audience and Industries' and work through the following:

1) Media Magazine feature: Pleasures of The Gentlewoman

Go to our Media Magazine archive and read the article on The Gentlewoman (MM84 - page 34). Answer the following questions:

1) What does the article suggest is different about the Gentlewoman compared to traditional women's magazines? 

2) What representations are offered in the Gentlewoman?  

3) List the key statistics in the article on the average reader of the magazine. 

4) What is The Gentlewoman Club? 

5) What theorists does it suggest we can apply to the Gentlewoman's club?

6) What does the writer of article suggest they are getting out of their relationship with the magazine?

7) Who are the team behind the magazine?

8) How does the Gentlewoman use their website and social media to promote the magazine? 

9) What are the 'creative collaborations' in the magazine? How do they 'spill over into real life'?

10) How does the article sum up the audience pleasures of the Gentlewoman? 

2) The Gentlewoman Media kit

Look through The Gentlewoman's Media Kit and answer the following questions:

1) How does the Media Kit introduce the magazine?

2) On the 'Digital' page, what different sections of the website are there and how do these offer opportunities for audience engagement and interaction? 

3) What are the audience demographics for The Gentlewoman?

4) What is The Gentlewoman Club and what does it offer readers?

5) What Creative Collaborations

3) D&AD Award Winner feature

Read this short D&AD advertising agency award feature on The Gentlewoman. Answer the following questions:

1) How is the magazine described?

2) What does it say about the content and design of The Gentlewoman?

3) How are the readers described?

4) Business of Fashion website feature 

Read this Business of Fashion feature on The Gentlewoman - the magazine that is also a club. If you don't want to sign up to the website (free) then you can access the text of the article on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login). Answer the following questions: 

1) What events are listed as part of The Gentlewoman Club?

2) Why does it suggest the magazine has managed to 'cut through the clutter'?

3) How are Gentlewoman Club tickets given out? 

4) What does the article say about The Gentlewoman's relationship with its audience? 

5) Why are Club events valuable from a digital perspective? 

5) Website and social media research

1) Visit The Gentlewoman's website. How does it promote the magazine? 

2) Visit the magazine page of the website. How much of the magazine is available to view online? Is this a smart marketing technique to sell print copies or is it giving content away for free? 

3) Look at The Gentlewoman's Twitter feed. What content from the magazine or Club events can you find on there? 

4) Go to The Gentlewoman's Instagram page. How does it encourage the audience to engage with the magazine? 

5) What representations of fashion and gender can you find on their Instagram page? 

A/A* extension tasks

Read this extensive interview with Penny Martin in the New Zealand Herald. It covers every aspect of the magazine and wider cultural contexts - essential reading if you want that A*. 

If you're interested in design and how the media is becoming increasingly digital then this in-depth Medium feature is great. It's a case study from a designer who converted an issue of The Gentlewoman from print to digital as a design project. Reading this will give you a really in-depth understanding of the construction, design and overall look and feel of your CSP as well as an introduction to website building and graphic design.  

Due date on Show My Homework

Radio: Final index

We have now finished our work on the latest targeted close-study products - Radio. 

Before we start the coursework, we need to complete a short Radio index to ensure we've completed the three tasks for this unit. 

As ever, this will highlight if you've missed anything and allow you to catch up if you have fallen behind with anything in the last three weeks. 

Your Radio index should include the following three tasks:

1) Radio: Introduction to Radio
2) Radio: BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
3) Radio: War of the Worlds

For your index, the text should link to YOUR corresponding blogpost so you can access your work on each aspect of the case study quickly and easily. This also means you if you have missed anything you can catch up with the work and notes and won't underperform in future exams due to gaps in your knowledge.

Note: there will be a baseline assessment at the start of Year 13 testing your latest CSP units on Magazines and Radio.

Index due date on Satchel One

Radio: War of the Worlds CSP (1938)

Our second CSP for radio is the 1938 CBS broadcast of War of the Worlds.

This is a famous broadcast of Orson Welles's radio play - an adaptation of HG Wells's science-fiction novel of the same name. It is a text of historical significance due to a long-running debate over the effect the broadcast had over audiences at the time. 

Narrative and background

War of the Worlds, a science-fiction novel by author HG Wells, was first published in 1898. It is a story of alien invasion and war between mankind and an extra-terrestrial race from Mars.

The original 1938 Orson Welles broadcast is available here:

In particular, focus on the following extracts:

Opening: 0.00 – 4.00
Development: 10.00 – 13.00
Emergence of alien: 17.00 – 19.00
Middle section: 39.00 – 41.00
Ending: 57.00 – end 

Think about these questions while you listen:

• How does the radio play seek to engage the audience?
• What effect do you think this may have had on radio audiences in 1938?

Hybrid genre

Orson Welles was initially reluctant to adapt War of the Worlds, describing it as 'boring'. He was persuaded by the prospect of using recent developments in radio news reporting to create a hybrid-form radio play designed to sound like a real breaking news story. The broadcast begins with a music performance that is increasingly interrupted by breaking news of martians invading New Jersey.


Historical context

In 1938, the world was on edge as Germany mobilised to invade Europe and populations feared gas attacks from another world war. In the weeks leading up to the 1938 broadcast, American radio stations had increasingly cut into scheduled programming to bring news updates from Europe on the chances of war. This meant Welles's use of radio news conventions had more of an impact on listeners who were unaware that it was a fictional radio play.

Media effects theories

The War of the Worlds radio play has become a much-studied text with regards to media effects theories. The initial reported reaction from audiences provided evidence for the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory which suggests people believe whatever they see or hear in the media. Orson Welles himself, speaking to the BBC in the 1950s, said that he wanted the broadcast to be a lesson to audiences that they shouldn’t believe everything they hear.

We can also apply Gerbner's Cultivation Theory, the two-step flow model and Stuart Hall's Reception Theory to Orson Welles's War of the Worlds broadcast. For example, what was Welles’s preferred reading for the broadcast? 

Audience reaction: exaggerated?

Although War of the Worlds is a brilliant case study in audience effects theory, it may also be an example of the way media industries respond to competition in the media marketplace. 

Indeed, later studies suggested the audience reaction was exaggerated by the newspaper industry (under threat from radio at the time) and that audiences are more sophisticated consumers of media than first thought.

Radiolab podcast on War of the Worlds

The American podcast Radiolab looked back on the significance of the 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds and later attempts to recreate the effect. It's a brilliant summary of the context and reaction from the audience alongside clips from the broadcast and transcripts from interviews at the time. In particular, make sure you listen to the first 30 minutes and the last 10 minutes as these sections are absolutely perfect for A Level Media students.

You can listen to the Radiolab podcast here.

War of the Worlds: Blog tasks

Media Factsheet

Read Media Factsheet #176: CSP Radio - War of the Worlds. You'll need your Greenford Google login to download it. Then answer the following questions:

1) What is the history and narrative behind War of the Worlds?

2) When was it first broadcast and what is the popular myth regarding the reaction from the audience?

3) How did the New York Times report the reaction the next day?

4) How did author Brad Schwartz describe the the broadcast and its reaction?

5) Why did Orson Welles use hybrid genres and pastiche and what effect might it have had on the audience?

6) How did world events in 1938 affect the way audiences interpreted the show?

7) Which company broadcast War of the Worlds in 1938?

8) Why might the newspaper industry have deliberately exaggerated the response to the broadcast?

9) Does War of the Worlds provide evidence to support the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory?

10) How might Gerbner's cultivation theory be applied to the broadcast?

11) Applying Hall's Reception Theory, what could be the preferred and oppositional readings of the original broadcast?

12) Do media products still retain the ability to fool audiences as it is suggested War of the Worlds did in 1938? Has the digital media landscape changed this?

Media Magazine article on War of the Worlds

Read this excellent article on War of the Worlds in Media Magazine. You can find it in our Media Magazine archive - issue 69, page 10. Answer the following questions:

1) What reasons are provided for why the audience may have been scared by the broadcast in 1938? 

2) How did newspapers present the story? 

3) How does the article describe the rise of radio? 

4) What does the article say about regulation of radio in the 1930s? 

5) How does the article apply media theories to the WOTW? Give examples.

6) Look at the box on page 13 of real newspaper headlines. Pick out two and write them here - you could use these in an exam answer.

A/A* Extension tasks: Analysis and opinion questions

1) Why do you think the 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds has become such a significant moment in media history?

2) War of the Worlds feels like a 1938 version of 'fake news'. But which is the greater example of fake news - Orson Welles's use of radio conventions to create realism or the newspapers exaggerating the audience reaction to discredit radio?

3) Do you agree with the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory? If not, was there a point in history audiences were more susceptible to believing anything they saw or heard in the media?

4) Has the digital media age made the Hypodermic Needle model more or less relevant? Why?

5) Do you agree with George Gerbner's Cultivation theory - that suggests exposure to the media has a gradual but significant effect on audience's views and beliefs? Give examples to support your argument.

6) Is Gerbner's Cultivation theory more or less valid today than it would have been in 1938? Why?

Due date on Satchel One

Year 12 Media exams: revision and preparation

Your Year 12 Media exams will be a great opportunity to practice exam skills and work out what progress you need to make next year to reach your targets.

Your exams will be two mini-versions of the real exams you'll do next summer. Below is a full guide to what you need to revise for each section of the exam. Please note that the current topic of Magazines will NOT be tested in these exams as we have only studied one of the CSPs. Instead, we'll give you a baseline assessment at the start of Year 13 that will focus on Magazines and Radio.  

Know your exams

One of the most important aspects of preparing for examinations is knowing exactly what topics could come up in each exam. For your A Level Media exams, your Year 12 content will come up in the following places:

Paper 1 - Thursday 18th June - PM

Paper 1 Section A: Language and Representation

• Unseen text: advert, social media screengrab or music promotion of some kind. Media language analysis (8 marks). The Introduction to Media lesson slides and Film & TV Language lesson slides are here. 
• Advertising & Marketing: Score hair cream and Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty (12 or 9 marks in this exam). The Advertising and Marketing lesson slides are here. 
• Music Video: Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road and The Specials - Ghost Town (12 or 9 marks in this exam). The Music Video lesson slides are here. 

Your real exam in Year 13 will also contain a 20-mark essay evaluating theory linked to either the Advertising or Music Video CSPs but this will not be part of your Year 12 exam due to time limitations.

Paper 1 Section B: Audience and Industry

• Media Industries questions - media terminology / theory (6 marks)
• Film: Blinded By The Light (9 marks). The Film Industry lesson slides are here. 

Your real exam in Year 13 will again contain a 20-mark essay on Film, Radio or Newspapers but this will not be part of your Year 12 exam.

Paper 2 - Wednesday 24th June AM

Paper 2: in-depth topic areas

• Unseen text analysis: advert, magazine cover, videogame cover etc. (9 marks)
• Television: Capital and Deutschland 83 (25 marks). The TV lesson slides are here. 
• You will want to watch both episodes on Google Drive here - you'll need your GHS Google login.

Practice questions

As requested, here are some practice questions for the upcoming Year 12 exams. Some are similar to assessments you have done previously while others are new. You'll need your Greenford Google login to access these.

How to revise

Revision is a very personal thing and everyone has different techniques. Think back to your GCSE exams and which systems worked for you. If you're open to new techniques, here's a video on YouTube with top tips for A* A Level revision: 

Personally, I strongly recommend using flash cards (they are often called record cards if you are trying to buy them online or in WHSmiths). The simple act of distilling topics into a few key words or phrases to put on the card will seriously help in remembering the key information in the final exams. I have spare flash cards in DF05 if you'd like some.  

In summary, you need to revise the following for your Year 12 Media exams:

• All media language and theory learned throughout the course so far - look back particularly at the extended MIGRAIN Introduction to Media unit as this contained a lot of key terminology and theory e.g. genre, narrative, industry theory, gender theory etc.
• All our CSPs and associated theory - and focus in on the areas YOU ideally want to write about in next year's exams e.g. politics or postmodernism for TV, Gilroy, double consciousness or postmodernism in Music Video etc.

Good luck with your revision and give these exams your best shot!

Radio: BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat

Our first CSP for radio is BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat.

Our key concepts for Radio are industries and audiences so these are the areas we need to consider when studying the texts. 

BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat notes and background

Radio 1 Newsbeat is an example of a transitional media product which reflects changes in the contemporary media landscape. Newsbeat is both a traditional radio programme with regular, scheduled broadcast times, but it is also available online after broadcast.

The broadcast itself and the use of digital platforms provides opportunities for audience interaction. Newsbeat also exemplifies the challenges facing the BBC as a public service broadcaster that needs to appeal to a youth audience within a competitive media landscape.

Listen to today's Newsbeat bulletins by using the BBC Newsbeat page on the BBC website and then linking to BBC Sounds and scrolling to 8am or 12.45pm.


BBC Radio 1: History

BBC Radio 1 launched in 1967 playing pop music and using jingles in the style of American radio. It was a significant change from previous BBC content and was hugely popular in the 1970s and 1980s (some shows had 10m+ listeners). 

It became available on DAB digital radio in 1995 but not promoted until digital radios were more popular in 2002. It is available via digital TV and online via BBC Sounds.

Radio 1 is famous for events as well as radio – summer Roadshows, Big Weekends and the annual Teen Awards. 


Industries: Radio in decline

Although the BBC still boasts impressive audience figures for BBC Radio 2 and 4, it has struggled to attract young listeners to BBC Radio 1 in recent years.

Since 2010 listeners have declined – and although BBC R1 targets 15-29 year olds the average listener in 2017 was aged 30. Radio 1 is increasingly focusing on digital and social media with 16m weekly YouTube views reached in 2018.

Radio 1 Audience profile:

• Slightly more female than male
• 58% ABC1 (against population average of 55%)
• 90% white
• 41% of audience is in target audience range of 15-29
• Median age of 32

Industries: BBC remit and regulation

In 2011, BBC Radio 1 was part of a review into what the license fee should fund. Critics suggested that the content of BBC Radio 1 and 2 should be left to the commercial sector.

In response, the BBC made major changes at BBC Radio 1, aiming to re-target a core 15-24 audience and offering more diverse programming.

Since 2017, the BBC has been regulated by Ofcom. It is responsible for BBC content and ensuring it is delivering on its remit. 

BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat: Blog tasks

Newsbeat analysis

Use BBC Sounds to listen to Radio 1. Select a Newsbeat bulletin (8am or 12.45pm are good options) and then answer the following questions: 

1) What news stories were featured in the bulletin you listened to?

2) How does Newsbeat appeal to a youth audience?

3) How might Newsbeat help fulfil the BBC's responsibilities as a public service broadcaster? 

Media Factsheet #246: BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat

Read Factsheet #246 BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat. You'll need your Greenford google login to access it. Answer the following questions:

1) How is the history and launch of Radio 1 summarised in the factsheet?

2) Look at page 3 of the factsheet. How is Radio 1 attempting to appeal to its 15-29 age demographic? 

3) What did young people used to get from radio? Focus on audience pleasures / Uses & Gratifications here (see top of second column on page 3).

4) How has Radio 1 and Newsbeat in particular diversified its content for the digital age? 

5) How is Newsbeat constructed to appeal to audiences? 

6) What are the three key ideas from David Hesmondhalgh and which apply to Radio 1 Newsbeat?

7) Now look at Curran and Seaton. What are their key ideas and can they be applied to Radio 1 Newsbeat? 

8) What key idea for Livingstone and Lunt is on the factsheet and how does it link to the CSP?

9) How can we apply Stuart Hall's Reception theory to Radio 1 Newsbeat?

10) Choose one other audience theory on the factsheet and explain how it links to Radio 1 Newsbeat.

Industry contexts: reading and research

Read the first five pages of this Ofcom document laying out its regulation of the BBC. 

1) Pick out three key points in the 'Summary' section.

2) Now read what the license framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points could we relate to BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat?

3) Which do you think are the three most important aspects in the a-h list? Why?

4) Read point 1.9: What do Ofcom plan to review in terms of diversity and audience? 

5) Based on your reading and research, do you think BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat offers licence fee payers good value for money?

A/A* Extension tasks

As an extension, read this Guardian interview with former BBC 1 Controller Ben Cooper. It's a few years old but has some excellent discussion of the challenges facing radio and public service broadcasting. You may want to answer the following questions:

1) What was Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?

2) How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?

3) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?

4) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?

5) In your opinion, should the BBC’s remit include targeting young audiences via Radio 1 or should this content be left to commercial broadcasters? Explain your answer.

Due date on Satchel One

Magazines: The Gentlewoman - Language and Representations

The first part of our case study on The Gentlewoman will focus on media language and representations.

The Gentlewoman deliberately offers an alternative version of the women's fashion magazine genre and we need to explore how page design, content and conventions are used or subverted to create this effect. We also need to consider the different representations that can be found in these features.

You need to really get to know the selected CSP pages for this edition of The Gentlewoman featuring Scarlett Johansson on the cover. You can download the Gentlewoman selected CSP pages as a PDF here - you'll need to log in to your Greenford Google account to download them.

Notes from the lesson

The Gentlewoman: an introduction

The Gentlewoman is an alternative independent women’s fashion magazine aimed at a niche audience.

It was launched in 2010 and is published just twice a year with around 100,000 copies distributed worldwide. 

Social and cultural contexts

The Gentlewoman is part of a development in lifestyle and environmental movements of the early 21st century which rebrand consumerism as an ethical movement. 

Its representation of femininity reflects an aspect of the feminist movement which celebrates authenticity and empowerment. As part of the design-led, independent magazine sector, The Gentlewoman can also be seen as part of a movement responding to the idea of ‘Internet fatigue’.

The Gentlewoman editor: Penny Martin

Penny Martin has edited the magazine since its launch. "I'm interested in how modern women live, from the way they drink, dance, drive and speak to the way they sign their letters or conduct their divorces. It's about putting those women at the centre of the material world around them. That balance is important to us." 

Cover stars have ranged from 88-year-old actor Angela Lansbury to popstar Beyoncé, looking calm, strong and composed in Dior with a face free of make-up. 

What is a gentlewoman?

In the first issue – called ‘Modernist’ – Penny Martin defined the term:

The magazine’s subjects would be “stylish, intrepid, and often hilarious” contemporary women, and they would be depicted in journalism and portraits that reflected “women as they actually look, sound and dress.” 

In contrast to “the passive and cynical cool of recent decades,” Martin wrote, “The Gentlewoman champions the optimism, sincerity, and ingenuity that actually get things done.”

The Gentlewoman: Language and Representation blog tasks

Close-textual analysis

Work through the following tasks to complete your close-textual analysis of the Gentlewoman CSP pages:

Gentlewoman front cover 

1) What do the typefaces used on the front cover suggest to an audience?

2) How does the cover subvert conventional magazine cover design?

3) Write an analysis of the central image.

4) What representations of gender and celebrity can be found on this front cover?

5) What gender and representation theories can we apply to this cover of the Gentlewoman? 

Feature: Modern Punches

1) How does the feature on Ramla Ali use narrative to engage the audience? Apply narrative theories here.

2) What representations can you find in this feature - both interview and image?

3) What representation theories can we apply to the Modern Punches feature? 


Feature: Isabella Tree interview

1) Why is this feature unconventional for a women's lifestyle and fashion magazine? Comment on the use media language in these pages. 

2) How does the Isabella Tree feature reflect the social and cultural contexts of contemporary Britain? Think about AQA's discussion of lifestyle, environmental issues and ethical movements.

3) What representations of nature can be found in this feature?

Feature: Stella McCartney and vegan fashion

1) How does this feature reflect contemporary social and cultural contexts?

2) Comment on the typography and page design in this feature.

3) What representations can be found in the image accompanying this feature? 

Representations

Read this Business of Fashion interview with The Gentlewoman editor Penny Martin. If you don't want to sign up to the website (free) then you can access the text of the article on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login). Answer the following questions: 

1) What type of magazine did Penny Martin, Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom want to create? 

2) What representations of modern women did they try to construct for the magazine?

3) What examples of cover stars reflect the diversity in the magazine's content? 

4) What is Penny Martin's view on feminism and whether the magazine is feminist?

5) Look at the end of the article. How does the Gentlewoman help readers construct or reflect their identity by engaging with events and spaces beyond the magazine? 

A/A* extension tasks

Read this extended profile of editor Penny Martin in The Cut. What does it suggest about the representations in the magazine and how they might appeal to an audience?

Similarly, this Stack interview with Penny Martin has some really interesting points on pop feminism and how women are represented and addressed by the magazine.

Due date on Show My Homework