MIGRAIN: Industries - Ownership and control

Industries is a major key concept in A Level Media and covers a wide variety of different aspects.

You'll need to study the following topics for a full introduction to this concept:

• The companies or organisations behind the media – owners, publishers, developers, channels, distributors,  film studios etc.
• How new and digital technology has changed media industries.
• The regulation and control of media in the UK.
• The role of public service broadcasting and not-for-profit media.
• Who has the power in the media: audiences or institutions?

Industries: Ownership and control notes




In our first lesson on media industries, we learned the following terminology:

Conglomerate ownership
A conglomerate is a large company composed of a number of smaller companies (subsidiaries).

A media conglomerate, or media group, is a company that owns numerous companies involved in creating mass media products such as print, television, radio, movies or online.

Examples include Comcast, 21st Century Fox or Disney.

Vertical integration

Vertical integration is when a media company owns a range of businesses in the same chain of production and distribution. 

For example, a company might own the film studio that makes a film, the distributors that sell it to cinemas and then the movie channel that premieres it on TV.

Vertical integration allows companies to reduce costs and increase profits – but it is not always successful if the parent company lacks expertise in certain areas.

Horizontal integration

Horizontal integration is when a media company owns a range of different media companies that are largely unrelated e.g. magazines, radio stations and television.

Horizontal integration helps media institutions reach a wider audience.

Integration & synergy

Synergy is the process through which a series of media products derived from the same text or institution is promoted in and through each other. 

Look for links or consistent branding across different media platforms and products. E.g. Harry Potter – films, merchandise, stage plays, theme parks, videogames etc.

Diversification
Diversification is when a media company branches out into a different area of the industry. For example, many media companies have had to diversify to internet-driven distribution (e.g. streaming) as a result of new and digital media.

In the music industry, major labels such as Warner Music have had to embrace streaming in order to reverse years of declining revenue.

Cross-media regulation
When two companies wish to merge or diversify (e.g. vertical or horizontal integration) it needs to be cleared by a regulatory body to prevent any one company becoming too powerful in a given market.

In the UK, this is decided by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Currently, the CMA is deciding whether to allow Rupert Murdoch to complete an £11.7bn takeover of Sky by 21st Century Fox.

Industries: Ownership and control blog task

Create a new blogpost called 'Ownership and control' and complete the following tasks:

1) Type up your research notes from the lesson - what did you find out about your allocated media conglomerate? Selection of companies: Alphabet, The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, 21st Century Fox, Facebook, Viacom, News Corp, Time Warner. If you were absent or don't have the notes, research any of the companies above and find examples of all the terminology outlined in the notes at the start of this blogpost.

2) Do you agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant? Write an argument that looks at both sides of this debate.

Media Magazine 52 has a good feature on the changing relationship between audiences and institutions in the digital age. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM52 and scroll to page 9 to read the article 'Two Key Concepts: The Relationship Between Audience and Institution'.

3) Briefly describe the production, promotion and distribution process for media companies.

4) What the different funding models for media institutions?

5) The article gives a lot of examples of major media brands and companies. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them. 

6) What examples are provided of the new business models media companies have had to adopt due to changes in technology and distribution?

7) Re-read the section on 'The Future'. What examples are discussed of technology companies becoming major media institutions?

8) Do you agree with the view that traditional media institutions are struggling to survive?

9) How might diversification or vertical integration help companies to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape? 

10) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media conglomerates maintain their control?

Complete these blog tasks for homework: due next Monday.

MIGRAIN: updated index and folder check

We have completed another crucial key concept in our MIGRAIN Introduction to Media unit and need to update our indexes to ensure we have kept up with all the work so far. 

As you know, it is important we are revising terminology and theory on an ongoing basis and making sure there are no gaps as the course continues. You will also have an assessment in January covering all the content we have studied so far - if you have missed any lessons or blog tasks this will significantly disadvantage you.

MIGRAIN updated index

Keeping an index of all your work is extremely good practice from a revision perspective. Not only does this keep the concepts and media terminology fresh in your mind but it will also highlight if you've missed anything through absence or trips. Your index should now include the following:

1) Media consumption audit
2) Language: Reading an image - advert analyses
3) Reception theory
4) Semiotics: icons, indexes and symbols
5) Genre: Factsheets and genre study questions
6) Narrative: Factsheet questions
7) Audience: classification - psychographics presentation
8) October assessment learner response
9) Audience theory 1
10) Audience theory 2
11) Audience theory: Media Effects factsheet

You'll have done half of this index already - a quick time-saving tip is to copy the HTML from your original index blogpost and paste it in your new index blogpost. This will give you the first six links and you can add to it from there.

Remember, this is your index, so the text should link to your corresponding blogpost so you can access your work on each key concept quickly and easily. This also means you if you have missed anything you can now catch up with the work/notes and won't underperform in the assessment due to gaps in your knowledge. 

Important: your updated index needs to be completed during the lesson.

Folder check

An organised folder is absolutely vital when it comes to keeping notes for revision in future. At the beginning of the year you started an A4 ringbinder folder with dividers - now we need to check we have all our notes in chronological order and a section for our marked assessment from last half-term.

Use the folder check self-assessment sheet to check you have everything in order then simply sign it yourself and ask your teacher to countersign it to confirm you are up-to-date. If you don't have your folder with you today, make sure you bring it in on Monday and get it signed off by your exam class teacher.


Media Magazine

We have set you several pieces of work this term using articles in Media Magazine. However, if you're aiming for an A or A* grade in A Level Media we strongly recommend you read the rest of the magazine in your own time - focusing on texts or topics you are particularly interested in.

There will be a new issue out soon but the latest edition, MM61, contains some excellent articles on social media, journalism, documentary film, getting into the gaming industry and the gender balance of politics. You'll find it in our Media Magazine archive - just click on MM61! 

If you complete your index and folder check during the lesson, use the rest of your time to check out the latest (and previous) issues of Media Magazine.


Homework

If you don't have your folder with you, make sure you bring it in next lesson to get it signed off.

If the index task has revealed any gaps in your blog, make sure you complete the missing work over the weekend.

All due: Monday 

Film & TV Language: Editing video

Your final Film & TV Language practical task is an editing video that introduces the basics of narrative filmmaking.


This is a another great opportunity to develop our filming and editing skills prior to starting our coursework later in the year.

Editing video: Continuity task

Your Editing video involves filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. 

This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. 

Deadline: next week Friday


Key skills

The following clips and links should help you with the key skills you need to demonstrate in your preliminary exercise.

Match on action


Match on action (or cutting on action) is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot showing the same action of the subject in the first shot.


This creates the impression of continuity - the action creates a 'visual bridge' which is easy for the audience to follow.

Look at this YouTube clip for match on action - the cuts you want to look at in particular are at 2 seconds, then again at 18 seconds:

Note: if video does not embed, click on this link to open in YouTube.

Shot/reverse shot

Shot/reverse shot uses over-the-shoulder shots to show a conversation between two characters. Look at this example from the Hunger Games movie - specifically between 0.50 and 1.30.

Note: if video does not embed, click on this link to open in YouTube.

With shot/reverse shot, you need to observe the 180 degree rule. 

180 degree rule

The 180-degree rule of shooting and editing keeps the camera on one side of the action. This keeps characters grounded compositionally on a particular side of the screen or frame, and keeps them looking at one another when only one character is seen onscreen at a time. 


It is referred to as a rule because the camera, when shooting two actors, must not cross over the axis of action; if it does, it risks giving the impression that the actors' positions in the scene have been reversed. [source: Columbia Film Language Glossary]

In other words, draw an imaginary line between the two characters facing each other and then make sure the camera never crosses that line during the filming of that scene. This video is a brilliant explanation of the rule:

Note: if video does not embed, click on this link to open in YouTube.


Task list: planning


1) Decide who you will work with. Remember, the filming can be in pairs/groups but you MUST edit individually. 

2) Discuss what your preliminary exercise will involve – location, sequence of events, who will act etc.

3) Write a short script for the preliminary exercise. Remember, scripts outline movement and shots as well as dialogue. The BBC Writer's Room is a brilliant resource for tips and examples of TV scriptwriting. Here's a genuine TV script example from Luther to check you are formatting your script correctly.

4) Write a shot list of every possible shot (and a few extra) you will need for this preliminary exercise. An example shot list is here.

5) Draw a complete storyboard for the sequence you plan to shoot - every shot should be in there. Storyboard sheets are available on the top of the filing cabinet in the corner of DF07.

6) Upload your completed planning to your blog then book out a camera and start shooting and editing your film.

Deadline: next week Friday

Year 12 Media cover: Monday 27 November

Apologies - we're out with Year 13 students at the BFI Library so Year 12 Media lessons will be covered on Monday 27 November.

You will be registered by Ms Quinn and need to work in Media for the whole double lesson - there is a lot of work to complete.

The work itself is very simple - you need to do the last piece of work on audience theory by reading a Media Effects factsheet and answering the questions.

All details are on the blog - if you don't finish it during the lesson you must complete it for homework - due Friday. In addition, make sure ALL other work on audience theory is also 100% complete - Audience Theory 1 and Audience Theory 2.

Good luck and see you next lesson!

MIGRAIN: Audience theory - Effects debate factsheet

The media effects debate is a crucial aspect of A Level Media Studies.

Do media texts have a negative effect or influence on their audience? Should we be worried by violent videogames or movies? Do we need to give audiences more credit for their ability to distinguish between fiction and reality? Now we've learned a range of key audience theories to help us explore these questions we need to revise the main aspects and develop our own opinions on these issues.

The effects debate - blog tasks

Firstly, make sure you have completed all the blog tasks from your MIGRAIN: Audience theory 1 lesson as well as the tasks on Audience theory 2 - Cultivation theory, social learning theory, moral panic and the influence of the internet. These posts also contain the key notes if you missed either lesson for any reason.

Then, complete the following tasks using the Media Factsheets available on the Media Shared drive. 

You'll find them in our Media Factsheet archive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. Remember, you can't access these at home so make sure you save the factsheet to a USB or email it to yourself if you need to complete any work at home.

Read Media Factsheet 030 - Media and Audiences -The Effects Debate and answer the following questions:

1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?')

2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?

3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events? 

4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.

5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?

6) What does Gerbner's Cultivation theory suggest?

7) How does this front page of the Daily Mail (from this week - Wednesday 16 November) link to Cultivation theory? The Mail Online version of the story is here.




8) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?

9) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?

10) Why might the 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour be considered so controversial today? What does this tell us about Reception theory and how audiences create meanings?

11) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?

12) Which audience theory do you think is most convincing? Why? It is important that you develop critical autonomy in judging the arguments for and against different theories and form your own opinion on these issues.

Finish for homework if you don't complete it in the lesson: due Friday.

Film & TV Language: Editing

Editing is the last aspect of our Film & TV Language unit - but absolutely crucial to the way meanings are created and communicated to the audience. 

Editing can completely change the audience’s understanding of narrative and character. Charlie Brooker deconstructed the editing in the reality TV genre:

Editing notes

Key terminology for editing:

• Transitions
• Continuity editing
• Montage
• Pace
• Juxtaposition

Continuity editing

Most editing of narrative film is continuity editing.  This is when shots are placed logically so that one event follows on from the next.  We, as the audience, automatically try to make sense of one shot joining the next one.  For example, if we see an exterior shot of a school and the following shot is a classroom, we assume that the classroom is inside the school building we saw in the previous shot.  

Transitions

• A straight cut is the most common method and the audience are so accustomed to seeing these that we rarely notice them when they occur.
• A fade out – the screen fades to black.
• A dissolve - one image blurs into the next.
• A wipe – one part of the screen wipes across the other.
• A jump cut – an unexpected edit where the audience’s attention is forced to focus on something very suddenly.  

Pace

The speed at which the film cuts from one shot to the next makes a huge difference to the experience for the audience.

Generally, slow-paced cuts build tension while fast cuts suggest action and excitement.

Juxtaposition
The word juxtaposition literally means ‘the act of placing together side by side’.


In film, two shots may be placed together to create meaning for the audience. E.g. A shot of the hero may be followed by a shot of his love interest to link these in the audience’s mind. This may also take the form of an eyeline match where a character looks in a certain direction and the next shot cuts to whatever they are looking at.

Montage

A montage sequence involves shots being placed next to each other that do not necessarily convey a linear narrative.  Instead, the shots tend to convey a message, provide an overall impression or shorten a story that takes place over a much longer period time.  For example, a sequence that included consecutive shots of a school building, classrooms, students playing football and teachers in the staffroom may be aiming to give an overall impression of school life.    

Editing: blog task

There are some truly fantastic clips for the Editing part of the Film & TV Language unit. 

Your blog task is to find a film clip on YouTube that you feel has been edited in a distinctive way and write a 750 word analysis of the clip.

Use as much media language as you can - and remember to highlight it. Try and use the key words we've learned for editing and any other aspects of film language you can apply.

If you're not sure what clip to pick, you will find plenty of lists online if you search for 'great film editing sequences' or similar. One example that comes up when you do this is something like the shootout scene from Michael Mann's Heat (3mins - 6mins particularly, but it's all brilliant):

Complete this for homework - due date next week Friday.

MIGRAIN: Audience theory 2

Forming an opinion on the effect the media has on audiences is a crucial aspect of A Level Media Studies.

There are a range of theories we need to learn to help develop our understanding and opinions of this topic.

Audience theory 2: notes

Bandura: Social learning theory
Albert Bandura’s social learning theory came from an influential psychology study involving a bobo doll and children’s behaviour after observing violent acts. 

Social learning theory suggests people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling.

Stanley Cohen: moral panic
Moral Panic occurs when someone or something is defined by the media as a threat to society. The term was created by Stanley Cohen.

Cohen suggested in his 1972 book ‘Folk Devils and Moral Panics’ that a moral panic occurs when a “condition, episode, person or group of people emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests”.

Cohen suggested the media plays an important role in creating moral panic, even if just through news reports.

Cohen defined his five stages of moral panic as:

1) Something or someone is defined as a threat to values or interests
2) This threat is depicted in an easily recognisable form by the media
3) There is a rapid build-up of public concern
4) There is a response from authorities or opinion makers
5) The panic recedes or results in social changes




Technopanic: the modern moral panic
A technopanic is simply a moral panic that focuses on something linked to new technology.

George Gerbner: Cultivation theory
George Gerbner researched whether watching television influences the audience's ideas and perception of everyday life. 

Cultivation theories suggest that TV viewing can have long-term, gradual but significant effects on the audience’s attitudes and beliefs (rather than behaviour).

Gerbner’s Cultivation theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real and valid.

Heavy viewers are exposed to more violence and therefore are affected by the Mean World Syndrome, the belief that the world is a far worse and dangerous place than it actually is.

Source: Mass Communication theory

Audience theory 2: blog task

Create a new blogpost called 'Audience theory 2 - blog tasks' and answer the following questions:

1) Social learning theory has been criticised for simplifying the causes of violence in society. Do you think the media is responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence?

2) How is social learning theory relevant in the digital age? Are young people now learning behaviour from social media and the internet? Give examples.

3) Research five examples of moral panic from the last 50 years. To what extent was the media responsible for these moral panics? Was the concern in society justified? How have things changed as a result of these moral panics?

4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of technopanics that create fear in society?

5) How does the author suggest that technopanics should be addressed - rather than through government regulation?

6) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?

7) Apply Gerbner's cultivation theory to new and digital media. Is the internet creating a fearful population? Are we becoming desensitised to online threats, trolling and abuse? 

8) Is heavy internet use something we should be worried about in society? How would you define 'heavy internet use'?  

Complete for homework - due next Monday.