Your mise-en-scene recreation videos were a brilliant introduction to the creative challenges demanded by A Level Media.
Video projects take time - as well as comprehensive planning, organisation and execution. The more projects you complete the better prepared you will be for the practical coursework when we come to it in the summer. As a first assignment, it's fantastic to see how many of you have created well planned and technically proficient videos that meet the brief you were given.
Mise-en-scene recreation: Learner response
Create a new blogpost called 'Mise-en-scene video feedback and learner response'. Make sure your completed recreation video is uploaded to YouTube and embedded in the blogpost.
1) Type up your feedback from your teacher in full.
2) Type up a summary of the feedback you have had from the rest of the class - bullet points is fine.
3) Use all the feedback you've been given to write your own self-assessment of your video using WWW (What Went Well) and EBI (Even Better If...)
4) Now reflect on your own work in more detail. How did your planning (script, shot list) help clarify and develop your ideas?
5) Thinking technically, how could you improve your work for future videos? (E.g. filming, editing, audio levels etc.)
6) Finally, what have you learned regarding the importance of mise-en-scene in film and television? Write a paragraph to answer this.
Structuralism is one of the key theoretical perspectives in A Level Media and builds on our work on semiotics.
Structuralism and post-structuralism sound complicated but they don’t need to be - you will already be familiar with aspects of both without realising it.
Structuralism: a definition
Structuralism is a theoretical perspective that emphasises the existence of universal structures underlying the surface differences of media texts.
For example, the way universal aspects of narrative and genre help us to understand cultural products.
You can find out more here from Tom Nicholas's WTF channel and his introduction to structuralism:
Key theorist: Claude Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss argues we are socialised by our culture - we understand the world based on the structures of society and media.
He suggests that media and culture is often based around binary oppositions - a key narrative theory we will return to.
Narrative and genre
Two of the key aspects of structuralism and the media are narrative and genre - the next two topics we will study.
Another classic structuralist approach is auteur theory - the idea that media producers (e.g. film directors) communicate distinctive visions identifiable by audiences through themes or conventions.
Post-structuralism: a definition
Post-structuralism questions structuralism's emphasis on fixed meanings and underlying structures, arguing that meaning is fluid, unstable, and shaped by power dynamics and context.
Post-structuralism challenges the idea of fixed truths, suggesting meaning is polysemic and emphasising the audience’s role as a producer of meaning rather than a mere consumer. It feels relevant to the digital social media age we now find ourselves in.
Structuralism: blog tasks
Create a new blog task called 'Structuralism and post-structuralism' on your Media 1 Exam blog (exam teacher). Complete the following tasks:
Part 1: Media Factsheet reading
Use our brilliant Media Factsheet archive to find Factsheet #90 Applying Structuralism and Post-Structuralism. Read the Factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) What is the definition of structuralism provided by the Factsheet? 2) What are binary oppositions and why are they important? 3) How do genre and auteur theory link to structuralism? 4) Look at page 4 of the factsheet. What is post-structuralism? 5) What is your own opinion on this theory? Do you agree that we use established structures to understand the media (such as narrative and genre) or is the power now with audiences in a digital, post-structuralist media landscape?
Part 2: The Mitchells vs The Machines analysis
Watch the trailer for The Mitchells vs The Machines:
Write an analysis of the trailer from both a structuralist and post-structuralist perspective.
The following may help you:
Structuralist: what established narratives, genres or conventions can be found in the trailer?
Post-structuralist: how does the trailer reject traditional structures and instead offer something new (e.g. incorporating elements of YouTube meme culture, audiences as producers of meaning or subverting expectations of narrative or character).
Reception theory is extremely useful when decoding media texts - and allows us to explore how different audiences may react to a media product.
It's also one of AQA's key audience theories for the new specification which means there may well be an exam question asking you to apply the theory to a particular media text. Make sure you have confidently learned these notes then complete the blog tasks below. Reception theory: notes Studying media language means looking at the way in which the sign or text is interpreted and how the meaning comes across to the audience. All media is thought to be polysemic in that it can be interpreted in different ways – it is not simply passively accepted by the audience. Stuart Hall introduced the idea of three different readings.
Stuart Hall: reception theory
Hall suggested there are three types of reading:
Dominant, Preferred or Hegemonic Reading: what the producer/creator intends – the ‘natural’ reading
Negotiated Reading: a middle ground between the producer’s intentions and the audience’s individual views
Oppositional or ‘Counter-Hegemonic’ Reading: an alternative reading that is actively against the producer’s intentions.
Here's a video from the excellent Media Insider on Reception theory:
Reception theory: example exam question
Sample AQA question for Paper 2:
According to reception theory, ‘the media attempts to transmit specific messages to audiences, but audiences are free to interpret these messages in a variety of ways – or even reject them’.
How valid are reception theory’s claims about audience responses? [25 marks]
Reception theory: blog tasks
Create a new blog post called ‘Reception theory’. Work through the following tasks:
Part 1) Applying Reception theory to adverts
Look back at the adverts you have been analysing in last week's lessons on Reading an Image and media codes (RBK 50 Cent and one of your choice). 1) What are the preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings for the RBK 50 Cent advert?
2) What are the preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings for the advert of your own choice that you analysed for last week's work?
Remember to highlight or bold any media terminology you are using.
1) Complete Activity 1 on page 2 of the factsheet. Choose a media text you have enjoyed and apply the sender-message-channel-receiver model to the text. There is an example of how to do this in the factsheet (the freediving YouTube video).
2) What are the definitions of 'encoding' and 'decoding'?
3) Why did Stuart Hall criticise the sender-message-channel-receiver model?
4) What was Hall's circuit of communication model?
5) What does the factsheet say about Hall's Reception theory?
6) Look at the final page. How does it suggest Reception theory could be criticised?
Complete for homework - due date on Show my Homework.
It's brilliant to see several of you already asking about reading lists or additional work you can be doing to get ahead in Media.
This kind of attitude is exactly what you need if you want to aim for A/A* grades in your A Levels and below you will find all the extras you need to aim for that A* in Media.
Media Theory at A Level by Mark Dixon
I'd be tempted to make this my top recommendation for A Level Media. It covers all the theories in the A Level Media specification and if you visit Mark Dixon's Essential Media Theory website you can sign up to view sample exam answers and more for free. Highly recommended! Note that if you are eligible for the Post-16 bursary then you will have some resources provided for you (including this book).
A Level Media Textbooks
There are textbooks available for the AQA A Level Media Studies course. These are written by the people writing the AQA exams so they can be helpful to understand what the exam board are thinking about a topic or product. Important note: if you're eligible for the Post-16 bursary (or even think you might be eligible) then the school may be able to buy some of these books for you! Speak to your tutor or Mr Pall to find out more.
The textbook details:
AQA Media Studies for A Level: Student Book - Revised Edition
Author(s): Stephanie Hendry, Elspeth Stevenson
Paperback ISBN: 9781398388017
Paperback cost: £42
Digital edition ISBN: 9781398387911
Digital cost: £12
PAGES: 344
AQA Media Studies for A Level : Close Study Products
Author(s): Stephanie Hendry, Elspeth Stevenson
Paperback ISBN: 9781398388024
Paperback cost: £13
Digital edition ISBN: 9781398387942
Digital cost: £3.50
PAGES: 96
Reading around the subject
I've been incredibly impressed that so many Year 12 students want to read beyond textbooks and have requested some university-level reading to help boost understanding (and personal statements further down the line!) Here's our top tips for reading around the subject in Media:
Media Magazine
The best reading for A Level Media is free to you - by reading copies of Media Magazine (you can find these in our Media Magazine archive.) This magazine is designed specifically for A Level Media students and contains articles about the terminology, concepts and media products we are studying - plus lots more!
If you're looking for books by media academics, it really depends what topic you are interested in. For example...
Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky is a great read if you're interested in the impact the internet has had on business, media and the world. Shirky is a great writer and you'll find this easy to read.
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler is the classic text for feminism and gender discussions - it's still a key media theory today and can also help with Sociology and English Literature. Beware though - it's a challenging read!
Creative Mentor Network The Creative Mentor Network is an incredible opportunity for post-16 students to make connections in the creative and media industries by shadowing a professional for several weeks. We’ve had a number of students complete the project and develop a fantastic range of contacts and experiences that will help them to get a job in the creative industries in future. You can find more details on the CMN website or watch the video below (featuring our very own Hussein from a few years ago!)
BFI Film Academy
The BFI Film Academy is a national talent development project for young aspiring filmmakers organised by the BFI. It is aimed at 16-19 year olds and this year's focus is on Animation & Video Effects. It's extremely competitive and difficult to win a place but if you do there are funds available to pay your expenses and it's a quite incredible opportunity to meet people from the industry and learn professional-level skills. You can find out more about this project and other opportunities at the BFI Film Academy website here.
The ability to 'decode' a media text is a critical skill for A Level Media students.
It's vital that you can break a text down into its key conventions (typical features) and explore what effect the different aspects may have on an audience. Media codes
A media code is simply something in a media product that communicates meaning to an audience.
There are several different types of media code:
Technical
Written or verbal
Symbolic or non-verbal
Narrative
Technical codes
Technical codes include the following:
Camerawork/photographic
Lighting
Sound
Editing
Written or verbal codes
Written or verbal codes involve the words selected for the media product and what they communicate:
Language/words
Slogan or anchorage text (for advert)
Cover lines / main flash / title (for magazine cover)
Dialogue (if analysing a TV/film text)
Written codes are sometimes called lexical codes (simply another way of saying ‘related to language’).
Symbolic or non-verbal codes
Symbolic or non-verbal codes include the following:
Mise-en-scene (CLAMPS)
Body language/facial expression
Colour codes
Typographic codes (e.g. font/typography)
Narrative codes
Roland Barthes suggests narratives are driven by specific codes. The two most common narrative codes he discusses are:
Enigma codes: something that creates a question the audience want to see answered.
Action codes: something that promises drama.
Reading an image - media codes blog tasks
Your blog tasks are to be completed on your Media 1 Exam blog (exam teacher) and are as follows:
Create a new blogpost called 'Reading an image - media codes'. 1) Analyse this RBK 50 Cent advert using the media codes you learned in the lesson: Technical, Written or verbal, Symbolic or non-verbal, Narrative. Write a paragraph for each one exploring the way meanings are created using those media codes.
2) Next, analyse a print advert ofyour choice using the same media codes: Technical, Written or verbal, Symbolic or non-verbal, Narrative. Make sure you add your chosen print advert using the 'Add image' button in blogger (use Google Images to find the advert first and save it to your pictures or downloads).
For both adverts, remember to put media language in bold or highlight/colour it.
When writing any media analysis, always ask yourself key questions: What meanings are being created for the audience? How? Who do you think is the target audience for this product and what effect might the product have on that audience? How does it address/attract that audience? What are the deeper connotations created by the media language choices in the product and do they reflect aspects of culture, society or ideology? Due date on Show My Homework
Mise-en-scene is a critical aspect to our work on film language and textual analysis. Remember the mnemonic that will help you recall the different aspects of mise-en-scene: CLAMPS.
Costume
Lighting
Actor (placement and movement)
Make-up
Props
Setting
This is a great video introduction to mise-en-scene from YouTube:
Mise-en-scene blog tasks Create a blogpost called 'Mise-en-scene blog tasks' on your Media 2 Coursework blog and complete the following tasks from your Film and TV Language booklet: 1) Find a distinctive still image and write an analysis of the mise-en-scene. Use each of the aspects you've learned in the lesson. 2) Find TWO film or TV extracts on YouTube from different genres (e.g. horror, sci-fi, costume drama). Embed them in your blogpost and write a comparison of the mise-en-scene in each. You'll have a certain amount of lesson time for this but will need to complete the rest for homework - deadline on Google Classroom. Reminder: your Mise-en-scene scene recreation video project is also homework for mise-en-scene - make sure you complete all aspects of the practical filmmaking task too!
Mise-en-scene is crucial for film and TV producers to communicate genre and get across important details about the characters and narrative. Indeed, film genres are known for certain aspects of mise-en-scene - lighting, costume, make-up and more. In television, primetime shows such as X Factor use costume and make-up to transform 'ordinary' contestants into the next pop star or boyband. Practical task: create a 30-60 second recreation of an iconic movie or TV scene, trying to make the mise-en-scene as accurate as possible to the original clip.
Suggested scenes
Scream (1996) - opening scene
Rocky (1976) - training montage
Scary Movie - Wassup
The Blair Witch Project - apology scene
Example recreation: Fight Club (1999) - "I want you to hit me"
Here's an example recreation that some American film students did by taking the classic David Fincher movie Fight Club and recreating the "hit me" scene shot-by-shot. Here's the original:
...And here is the recreation with real thought behind the mise-en-scene and camerawork:
Mise-en-scene recreation - full task list:
Create a blogpost called 'Mise-en-scene recreation planning' and complete the following tasks:
1) Get into groups of up to four. Note: although the planning and filming can be done as a group, all students MUST edit their OWN version of the chosen scene. Make a note of who you are working with. 2) Create a plan of how you will do the recreation using CLAMPS. For each aspect of mise-en-scene, work out how you will recreate it as accurately as possible to the original.
Costume
Lighting
Actor placement, movement, expression
Make-up and hair
Props
Setting
3) Write a script and shot list of every shot you will need for the 30-60 second recreation. Use as much detail as possible or alternatively take screenshots of the original scene to help you. Use the BBC Writers' Room script library to see what real film and TV scripts look like. For your shot list, you can create a table or list of every shot in the scene you are recreating. Here's an example from a previous Media student's coursework. 4) Film your scene using one of your phones - we have phone tripods you can sign out from Mr Ray in DF06 if you need one. Alternatively, you can sign out a Canon DSLR if you'd like a more cinematic experience.
5) Edit your video to recreate 30-60 seconds of the original clip as accurately as possible. Add music if it is in the original scene. 6) Export your finished video, upload it to YouTube and post it to your blog along with a 100-word explanation of your work. Deadline: two weeks. Good luck!
