A Level Media Studies Reading List
Listed below is a collection of links, multimedia, resources and tasks designed to improve your basic media subject knowledge. Everything here is set against the media framework and the relevant concepts studied over the two year A Level course. Tasks are optional, but may help your understanding.
Terminology: Glossary for Beginners
Define each of these key subject-specific terms that will be used in the introduction unit. Challenge: Find examples to illustrate the term.
Genre, Narrative, Mise-en-scene, Proxemics, Juxtaposition, Rule of thirds, Intertextuality, Diegetic Sound, Non-diegetic Sound, Anchorage, Denotation, Connotation, Ideology, Media Conglomerate, Stereotype, Countertype, Archetype, Target Audience, Niche-Audience, (Media) Regulation
Narrative: Characters
Research Vladimir Propp's '8 Character Functions'. What character types does he identify in his theory? What is their function?
Task: Can you collaborate information in a table, then provide examples from ONE film where each character type is found, explaining how each character fits their function.
Characters: The Protagonist
Watch the video, what makes for a good protagonist (Video refers to as a 'leader', Propp calls them the 'hero')? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLNNiZjkEmc&list=PLEzQZpmbzckXLwKUP2DXzBSkmFjZe7w9w
Narrative: Plot Types
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots
Research Booker's '7 Basic Plots'.
Task: Can you provide your own film or TV show example for each of the 7 plot types?
The Importance of Colour in Storytelling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lINVnA3rVIE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXgFcNUWqX0
Challenge: Analyse a scene of your choice. How does colour help tell the story or create atmosphere in the scene?
Representation in Hollywood:
https://www.thoughtco.com/diversity-in-hollywood-3026690
Read the article, who are some of the underrepresented groups in Hollywood?
How Snow White changed the Film Industry
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/disneys-snow-white-the-risk-that-changed-filmmaking-forever/
Read the article, why was the film such a risk for Disney? What impact did it have for the company and Hollywood?
Representation in the Media: Ethnicity & Stereotyping
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zwpx39q/revision/1
Audience
Why do we choose our media? Theorists Blumler & Katz suggest that audiences are active in picking the media they wish to consume. We make decisions about what newspapers to read, films to watch and video games to play based on what they refer to as gratifications.
Task: Research the 4 gratifications Blumler & Katz suggest are offered by the media. What are they? What do they offer? Challenge: What shows, games, films, social media apps etc fit each of the 4 gratifications? Do any provide more than one gratification?
Disney
https://www.insider.com/why-disney-keeps-remaking-animated-movies-2020-5
Fantastic article on a current Disney production pattern - remaking their animated movies. Why? What are the pros and cons for both the company and the audience? (good example of Hesmondhalgh's Industry theory)
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/chart-every-company-that-disney-owns-172130.html
Go online and list 10 major companies that Disney owns.
Who Owns the Media?
Nice infographic on who owns the media (USA). Please note this was written BEFORE Disney's purchase of Fox in late 2019.
https://www.webfx.com/blog/internet/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media-infographic/
TV Streaming - The Ever-changing Future of Television
Read the following articles, how is TV changing? What are some of the major companies at the forefront of this change?
https://time.com/5736490/streaming-wars-disney-plus-apple-tv/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-30/what-the-streaming-wars-mean-for-the-future-of-tv-quicktake
Media Regulation
Find out which companies regulate the following media industries in the UK:
TV & Radio, Film, Video Games, Advertising, Newspapers.
Hegemony
An important term/concept often discussed in the subject. Understanding this will help you look as not only how representations are constructed, but WHY.
Task. read the article using the PDF (starts on page 18). Can you summarise in 5 bullet points of your own words?
Listed below is a collection of links, multimedia, resources and tasks designed to improve your basic media subject knowledge. Everything here is set against the media framework and the relevant concepts studied over the two year A Level course. Tasks are optional, but may help your understanding.
Terminology: Glossary for Beginners
Define each of these key subject-specific terms that will be used in the introduction unit. Challenge: Find examples to illustrate the term.
Genre, Narrative, Mise-en-scene, Proxemics, Juxtaposition, Rule of thirds, Intertextuality, Diegetic Sound, Non-diegetic Sound, Anchorage, Denotation, Connotation, Ideology, Media Conglomerate, Stereotype, Countertype, Archetype, Target Audience, Niche-Audience, (Media) Regulation
Narrative: Characters
Research Vladimir Propp's '8 Character Functions'. What character types does he identify in his theory? What is their function?
Task: Can you collaborate information in a table, then provide examples from ONE film where each character type is found, explaining how each character fits their function.
Characters: The Protagonist
Watch the video, what makes for a good protagonist (Video refers to as a 'leader', Propp calls them the 'hero')? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLNNiZjkEmc&list=PLEzQZpmbzckXLwKUP2DXzBSkmFjZe7w9w
Narrative: Plot Types
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots
Research Booker's '7 Basic Plots'.
Task: Can you provide your own film or TV show example for each of the 7 plot types?
The Importance of Colour in Storytelling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lINVnA3rVIE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXgFcNUWqX0
Challenge: Analyse a scene of your choice. How does colour help tell the story or create atmosphere in the scene?
Representation in Hollywood:
https://www.thoughtco.com/diversity-in-hollywood-3026690
Read the article, who are some of the underrepresented groups in Hollywood?
How Snow White changed the Film Industry
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/disneys-snow-white-the-risk-that-changed-filmmaking-forever/
Read the article, why was the film such a risk for Disney? What impact did it have for the company and Hollywood?
Representation in the Media: Ethnicity & Stereotyping
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zwpx39q/revision/1
Audience
Why do we choose our media? Theorists Blumler & Katz suggest that audiences are active in picking the media they wish to consume. We make decisions about what newspapers to read, films to watch and video games to play based on what they refer to as gratifications.
Task: Research the 4 gratifications Blumler & Katz suggest are offered by the media. What are they? What do they offer? Challenge: What shows, games, films, social media apps etc fit each of the 4 gratifications? Do any provide more than one gratification?
Disney
https://www.insider.com/why-disney-keeps-remaking-animated-movies-2020-5
Fantastic article on a current Disney production pattern - remaking their animated movies. Why? What are the pros and cons for both the company and the audience? (good example of Hesmondhalgh's Industry theory)
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/chart-every-company-that-disney-owns-172130.html
Go online and list 10 major companies that Disney owns.
Who Owns the Media?
Nice infographic on who owns the media (USA). Please note this was written BEFORE Disney's purchase of Fox in late 2019.
https://www.webfx.com/blog/internet/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media-infographic/
TV Streaming - The Ever-changing Future of Television
Read the following articles, how is TV changing? What are some of the major companies at the forefront of this change?
https://time.com/5736490/streaming-wars-disney-plus-apple-tv/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-30/what-the-streaming-wars-mean-for-the-future-of-tv-quicktake
Media Regulation
Find out which companies regulate the following media industries in the UK:
TV & Radio, Film, Video Games, Advertising, Newspapers.
Hegemony
An important term/concept often discussed in the subject. Understanding this will help you look as not only how representations are constructed, but WHY.
Task. read the article using the PDF (starts on page 18). Can you summarise in 5 bullet points of your own words?
mm65.pdf | |
File Size: | 4292 kb |
File Type: |
Reading List
Media Magazine Archive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0i5diL3vrEiSGxRNHIyZmM4Ums
Media Theory for A Level (Mark Dixon)
OCR A Level Media Studies - My revision Notes (Michael Rodgers, Hodder Education)
Film Art; An Introduction (Bordwell & Thompson)
Filmish (Edward Ross)
The Big Issue Magazine
Stranger Things - Season 1 Episode 1 (Netflix)
La Casa De Papel - Season 1 Episode 1 (Netflix)
Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Shag Chi & The Legend of the 10 Rings (2021)
BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show (Daily - BBC Radio 1 or BBC iPlayer)
The Guardian (Newspaper & Online)
The Daily Mail (Newspaper & Online)