October GCSE mock - pre-release materials

October mock exam: Music Press (print and online)

Pre-release briefing notes

We are loudproductions.com

We are a new media production company with serious attitude. We’re passionate about music and reckon there’s a major gap in the market where young people are simply not engaging in music magazines.

We also recognise that today’s dynamic 15-24 demographic wouldn’t be seen dead buying a magazine in WHSmiths, so we’re looking to launch a new online music magazine that our target audience can interact with on the web and on the move.

The key decisions: title, slogan, genre, features and design are still to be decided – and that’s where you come in. We want you to pitch an online music magazine that will fill that gap in the market and show that we are genuine players in the music press.

We are loudproductions.com

Preparation tasks

1. Research the following magazines online: NME, Mojo, Q, Vibe, The Wire, The Situation, Kerrang!, B&S, The Source, Rock Rap Confidential, BBC Music Magazine. What style of music does the magazine focus on? What artists are featured? Who do you think is the target audience for each magazine? How can you tell?

2. Find the following print music magazine covers on Google images: NME, Mojo, Q, Vibe, Kerrang!. What key conventions appear on every front cover? What artists are featured?

3. Brainstorm ideas for your music magazine: title, slogan, genre, features, USP etc. 

4. Come up with five creative ways you could promote your website to the 15-24 age range.

5. Think about the design of your website – what would it look like? What colours would you use? What artist would feature on the homepage? What different sections would appear in the menu bar? Feel free to sketch ideas out or mock it up on Photoshop.

Photoshop - colour workshop

1) Create a colour palette based on one of the following words:


Urban
Fashionable
Expensive
Skin-tone
Pastel
Vibrant

Fresh

Youthful

Earth

Autumn

Winter

Fruity

2) Choose an image from the internet that represents your chosen palette well and copy it. Download the empty Fruit Bowl image from the VLE > Media Studies > Shared documents and paste your image in the top corner. Then, use the eyedropper tool to colour the fruit bowl:

N.C.I.S Homework for Miss Rodden's class: Due Friday 5th October

Watch a Teen Drama this week.

Analyse it in terms of how the Narrative, Character, Iconography and Settings appeal to and attract a specific teenage target audience.

You may find the following prompt questions helpful:

Narrative:

1.    What types of narratives (storylines) do you think this Teen Drama may include and how do you know?

2.    What are the narrative hooks (what is it that draws the audience in and stops them from turning over)?

3.    Can you identify any narratives that would be typical of other genres (hybrid)?

Characters:

1.    What types of characters do you meet in this Teen Drama?

2.    What other types of characters do you expect to meet in this drama and why?

3.    How are the central characters introduced and what does this tell you?

4.    Are there any stereotypical characters? Why?

Settings:

1.    What types of settings (locations) are used in the drama?

2.    What clues does this give you about the style of the drama (types of narratives, characters etc)?

3.    How does this setting appeal to the primary audience (teenagers)?

4.    Can you identify any setting that could be typical of other genres?

Iconography:

1.    What can we see and how does that tell us this is a Teen Drama (visual codes)?

2.    What can we hear and how does that tell us this is a Teen Drama (sound codes)?

3.    What specific type of audience are these codes aiming to appeal to?

4.    Can you identify any iconography from other genres?

Audience:

1.    What types of teens do the themes, characters and settings appeal to?

2.    Create a primary audience profile (ethnicity, gender, age, interests, sexuality etc) using evidence from the opening sequence.

3.    What might the secondary audience be and why?

Minority Report - shot-by-shot analysis

Now you've learned everything you need to know about camerawork, it's time to put it into practice.

Download the Minority Report shot by shot analysis document here and then save it to your documents. Copy the images into your blog and write a detailed analysis of each one - the first one is done for you to provide an example.

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

Good luck!

Camera shots in action!

Now you've learned the different camera shots and angles, we need to put it into practice.

In groups of four, you will have to come up with a photo storyboard in the genre we give you, making sure you include each camera shot and angle we have learned.

You will then upload the photos to your blog and write a short analysis of each one explaining why you've used that shot and what the meaning of the image is.

Good luck!

Camerawork research task

Some of the key knowledge you'll need as you work through GCSE Media involves the 'language' of film and TV. That means how the meanings that we see on our screens are created by directors. Even though you've only just started studying Media, you're already an incredibly advanced consumer of moving image media and will understand a huge amount about the different meanings certain shots or transitions hold. You don't need a media teacher to tell you that a fade to black in a film probably means the passing of time, for example.

Today, we're going to start with camerawork. That means learning the different camera shots, movement and  - if you have time - transitions. Complete the following tasks on your blog:

1) Research the following camera shots: establishing shot, long shot, medium shot, medium close-up, close-up, extreme close-up, over-the-shoulder shot, high-angle shot, low-angle shot. For each one, find a definition or description (or, even better, an image to illustrate).

2) Research a variety of examples of camera movement. Here's a clue: one example is a tracking shot. How many other styles of camera movement can you find? Make sure you also include definitions.

3) A transition refers to editing - something we'll cover in detail another day. But you could research a few different styles of transition: the cut, dissolve or wipe, for example. Again, make sure you also include a definition.

You may feel the urge to cut and paste your responses but I'd strongly advise you to type it out - you'll be much more likely to remember it!

Good luck - and let's hope our individual blogs are really showing what fantastic media students we are...

Welcome to GCSE Media 2012-13

My name is Mr Halsey, I'm the new Head of Media here at Greenford and I'm very much looking forward to working with you on some brilliant projects over the next year. With 93% of GCSE students achieving an A*-C grade last year we've got a hard act to follow, but I'm more than confident we can do it. In fact, I think we'll see a fair number of A/A* grades too.

If you've got any questions about Media, or any concerns about the subject or what the course involves, please come and see me at any time. You'll usually find me in DF05 or DF07.

Let the outstanding media work begin!

Mr H
September 2012