Media Unit 4
Exam Prep
The Media Exam is woth 40%
Format
The examination will be in the form of a question and answer book. The examination will consist of two sections.
Section A will consist of short-answer and extended-answer questions, including questions with multiple parts. Questions may be drawn from any area of study and may refer to visual and/or written material. Questions relating to Unit 3, Area of study 2 and Area of study 3, and Unit 4, Area of study 1 will require students to write on the media production process for their media product in their selected media form, as defined on pages 22 and 23 of the adjusted study design.
Section A will be worth a total of 55 marks.
Section B will consist of two extended-answer questions derived from Unit 3, Area of study 1 and Unit 4, Area of study 2 worth 10 marks each.
Section B will be worth a total of 20 marks.
Questions relating to Unit 3, Area of study 1 in both sections will require students to write on the media product(s) selected for study, as defined on page 20 of the adjusted study design.
Unit 3, Area of study 1 and Unit 4, Area of study 2 will each contribute 40 per cent to the total marks for the examination. Unit 3, Area of study 2 and Area of study 3, and Unit 4, Area of study 1 will contribute a combined total of 20 per cent to the total marks for the examination.
All questions will be compulsory. The total marks for the examination will be 75. Answers are to be recorded in the spaces provided in the question and answer book.
Source: https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/exams/2020adjusted/AdjustedMedia-specs-w.pdf
SECTION A PART 1 - NARRATIVE AND IDEOLOGY
What you must know about narrative:
•Definition of each technical symbolic and written code for film
•A list of terminology for each code e.g. Editing = expressive, pace, rhythm, repetition, cutting etc,
•A definition of each film convention
•Examples of both codes and conventions in both texts, especially opening and closing of texts.
•A good understanding of reception context (how different types of audiences engage with media based on their context of receiving that text)
•An understanding of how both films were received
•The genre of both texts and convention of that genre
What you must know about ideology:
•What you must know about ideology:
•A firm understanding of what ideology means
•The difference between dominant and opposing ideologies
•A strong understanding of film representations and the manner in which they are constructed via codes and conventions
•The social ideological context under which a film is made (what was happening in society at the time) The cultural ideological context under which a film is made (the cultural field can include race, country, cultural groups, socio-economic status, etc.)
•The institutional ideological context under which a film is made (who made the film and how was it distributed? Which institution was it a product of?)
•The ideologies evident in both films.
•How ideologies have been represented in media products other than your narrative texts (superman and wonder woman)
•A strong understanding of how audiences from different periods of time engage with media products differently,
•Refer to each text equally
•If you are asked about how audiences react differently to media over time use AMERICAN BEAUTY!
•Remember, Name Describe Why Effect - NDWE
•Read tpsmediastudies.com over and over again
•Heaps of practice questions
•Read last year’s exam report
•Watch both movies again
•Read your text book!
WATCH:
SECTION A PART 2 - MEDIA PRODUCTION PROCESS
•In 2018 this was the weakest section of the exam. You need to know:
•Your specified audience for your media product and how you intended to engage that audience.
•The genre and personal style of your product
•The media codes and conventions you intended to include in your product
•How you intended to engage your audience in terms of narrative structure
•How the distribution process of feedback and refinement helped finalise your product
•The five stages of a media production process. Development, pre-production, production, post production and distribution
•You MUST be able to describe how explorations into genre, narrative, personal style, codes and conventions, research, experimentation, etc actually effected your media production design
•This means BE EXTREMELY SPECIFIC
•Re-read over your folio
•Have a clear understand of HOW you engaged your audience. HOW you structured your NARRATIVE
•Make a list of every piece of feedback you got and how you changed your film.
SECTION A PART 3 - AGENCY AND CONTROL IN AND OF THE MEDIA
•A clear understanding of the 3 communication theories
•An understanding of changing modes of media distribution such as twitch, steam, Netflix, YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, etc. (and the advantages and issues of each)
•Examples of the media influencing its audience (TAC ads, smoking PSA's, war of the worlds, nazi propaganda)
•The positive and negative effects of globalisation of media industries
•Ethical and legal issues in the media
•The many rationales for the regulation of media content in Australia
•The many government and industry organisations that regulate Australia's media. (do some research and have a clear understanding of what each organisation is responsible for.)
•Examples of audiences having agency over the media (social media activism, the Arab spring, user reviews, social influencers
•An understanding of how the relationship between the media and audiences has changed over time.
SECTION B - LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
In Section B of your exam you will be required to complete TWO 10 mark questions in Essay format. One question from each of your theories of work that you studied this year - Narrative & Ideology and Agency & Control. The biggest advice I can give here is to plan each of your essays before you being.
Each essay should contain the following:
• Introduction
• Topic sentences
• Evidence
• Media Language
• Conclusion
EXAMPLE QUESTIONS:
Narrative & Ideology
Media narratives can convey ideology through the selection and application of media codes and conventions. Analyse how media codes and conventions convey ideology in the media narratives that you have studied this year.
- 10 marks -
Agency & Control
The media has always been considered to have the capacity to influence, but these days the balance of power is changing and arguments about who can influence an audience and a market have become highly contested. Discuss how the change in methods of production, distribution, consumption or reception of media products has changed the extent of media influence.
- 10 marks -
(Source: http://www.mediaknite.org/exam-unit-34/)
TIPS
•Don’t turn it into an English response (stimulus question)
•Don’t give an opinion unless specifically asked for it
•Don’t confuse form with text (form = tv, film, radio, internet etc. Text = the Simpsons, GTA V, Hamish and Andy's gap year etc.)
•Know theories in detail
•The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA); The Australian Classification Board (ACB), government
•FreeTV, Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA), Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB), industry
•Research them, know what they do, understand their purpose
•Positive examples of media influence, know the stats
•You can answer in dot points and can draw diagrams
•Don’t waste your time on intros, get straight to it
•Don’t over answer
•Read questions carefully
•Be enthusiastic
•Don’t repeat yourself, use different examples
•Complete the exam in any order, start with something you know well
•Don’t cross out bad information
•Highlight words in question and answer, helps the assessor see where your marks are . But don’t highlight too much!
•Always re-read your answer after you have finished the question (for longer responses mainly)
Examination Criteria
The examination will be assessed against the following criteria:
The extended-answer question in Section B relating to Unit 3, Area of study 1 will be assessed against the following criteria, as appropriate:
• explanation of the characteristics of, and the construction of, media narratives
• analysis of media codes and conventions in conveying meaning
• discussion of relationships between media narratives and audiences, including construction, engagement, consumption and reading
• analysis and/or discussion of the relationships between media narratives, ideologies and institutional contexts
• use of appropriate media language
The extended-answer question in Section B relating to Unit 4, Area of study 2 will be assessed against the following criteria, as appropriate:
• analysis and/or discussion of the relationships between the media and its audience
• discussion of influences on and by the media and its audience
• analysis and/or evaluation of issues and/or challenges in the media
• use of media language
TASK:
Work collaboratively to break down and come up with a plan for understanding and preparingfor the exam criteria.
Helpful stuff:
Remember all examinations are modified. Therefore what you received in your SAC's can either go up or down depending on how you went in the exam.
Nat Knite's advice is GIVE IT YOUR ALL......ALL YEAR! Don't just wait for the exam.
Make sure you do this in and after READING TIME
Read the entire paper – INCLUDING THE BACK PAGE. This often has assessment criteria for your two extended responses in Section B. You can use these dot points as suggested topic sentences and paragraphs. Let the dot point guide your discussion for each extended response. They will also give you media language to integrate into your questions.
Look below for examples from the 209 Media exam paper...
Immediately after reading time, plan each question. This takes the pressure off you when you start each question. Students who have done well, will write a mini plan with key words, case studies, text examples and code and conventions for each question. YOU WILL HAVE TIME TO DO THIS. Anything that takes stress away gives you time.
Understand the question;
Exam Verbs matter!
Identify - show, reveal, point out
Describe - give details of
Explain - make clear, show the meaning of
Outline - highlight main features, not too much depth
Discuss - examine by argument, talk or write about
Evaluate - state the value or the degree of something
Analyse - break into parts & provide detailed
explanation
TIPS AND TRICKS
Narrative &Ideology:
●Know at least 3 scenes from each of your products really well
●Make sure you know how to name and define the ideology(ies) you have studied
●Know how to spell your products, directors, actors, etc
●Know how you can link a specific scene or character to an ideology
●Know how you can describe audiences and how they may experience media products differently.
Agency & Control:
●Know how the media is regulated, remembering that this process is hotly debated.
●Make sure you can illustrate your knowledge on current case studies and examples.
●Know the difference between anecdotes and evidence.
●Do not use ‘I think’ unless you are specifically asked for it. Rely on research, data and theories in which to base your response.
●Be specific in regards to communications theories and evidence
●Ensure you know case studies that relate to national and international issues.
●Ensure you are using appropriate media language and terminology.
The SAT:
●Know the 5 stages of a media production
●Know your audience and intention
●Know the codes and conventions of your chosen:
○ Media form
○ Genre
○Style
●Be specific about how you have applied codes and conventions
●Know the difference between feedback and reflection
●Describe how you used feedback and reflection to refine your product
●Don’t waste time describing your design or product unnecessarily.
Only say what needs to be said.
(Source: ATOM 2018 Exam Prep presentation ppt)