End of Year 12 Assessment

 Paper 1 Section A

1) Analyse the Close Study Product Score hair cream advert using narrative theory including Todorov. [9 marks]

Todorov's theory of equilibrium can be applied to the Score Hair Cream advert as the advert is used a solution to the threat against men's masculinity when using grooming products. The decriminalisation of homosexuality led to men being labelled as 'queer' which was seen as a huge insult to their manhood. For a 1967 male audience the equilibrium may be that they are lacking self confidence and they need grooming products but they do not want to risk being labelled as 'queer'  which would be the disequilibrium as the expectations of men then was to be strong, aggressive, not show emotions ( as that can be linked to femininity) etc and anything that challenges that would cause a disequilibrium as it would be challenging their manhood and masculinity. Therefore, the purpose of the Score Hair Cream and advert is to offer the male audience a new equilibrium and a solution to this problem. The advert offers a hypermasculine image of a man in a hunters clothes, carrying a gun and surrounded by provocatively dressed women that are looking up at him in desire. This image communicates the message that the hair cream will make men seem more masculine and desirable and that they would be able to get any woman they want.

Propp's character theory can also be applied to the Score Hair Cream advert as it creates a narrative that makes the male audience want to buy the product. In terms of narrative, the advert identifies the man as Propp's 'hero' as he is dressed as hunter and carrying a gun which suggests that he is protecting the women around him which means they are the 'princesses' as they are saved by the hero. This narrative of saving the damsel in distress links to men's masculinity as being needed and appreciated makes them feel better about themselves and boosts their egos. So the idea that they will seem more masculine with this product makes them want to buy it. Levi Strauss' binary opposition theory can be applied to the advert as there are clear contrasts such as masculine vs feminine which appeals to the audience as they would not want anything to challenge their masculinity. Also the man is seen as superior to the women as they are carrying him and are under him which makes them seem inferior. This also appeals to the male audience at the time were expected to be dominant and superior than women and the advert supports that idea.

2) “Postmodernity is said to be a culture of fragmentary sensations, eclectic nostalgia, disposable simulacra, and promiscuous superficiality.” – Jean Baudrillard

To what extent can your music video Close Study Products be described as postmodern? [20 marks]

One of the ways Dominic Strinati defined postmodernism is the 'media-isation of culture' meaning we make sense of reality through media texts. Through this definition the Letter to the Free music video by Common could be described as postmodern as the video is spreading the message about the historical oppression of black people and the injustices they have had to go through from hundreds of years ago to this day. This allows young people to learn about the history of black people in America and what they had to go through.The music video is linked to the Netflix documentary 13th which is about the effect the 13th amendment has had on thousands of black people in the prison system as the amendment is effectively a loophole as it says that slavery will be abolished except as a punishment for crime.To enforce this, the government started making petty crimes have high sentence rates so the prison rates significantly increased. Jameson discussed historical deafness by suggesting the media-isation of of history means we only understand historical events through media representation.When Common was asked about the significance of the floating black square motif he said that the black square is something that represents 'the infinite thing about blackness and blackness can't be defined in space or time'. This can be linked to Strinati's fourth way of defining postmodernism which is that postmodernism is confusion over space and time.On the other hand it could be argued that the Letter to the Free music video isn't postmodern as Baudrillard describes postmodernism as 'disposable simulacra' suggesting it is a small scale representation or something that lacks a deeper meaning which is not the case of this music video as the camera movements, lyrics,the setting all are a part of message and meaning. Additionally, Strinati described postmodernism as having emphasis on style over substance which is also not seen in this music video as Common tries focusing on the message it is trying to reach to the audience. The music video is in black and white perhaps so that it doesn't take any attention away from the lyrics and to emphasise the meaning of the song.

The Ghost Town music video by The Specials could be described as postmodern due to the pastiche and intertextuality used in the video. In the music video there is pastiche used as there are aspects of it that link to British hammer horror films and the gothic genre as they are driving through a dark mysterious tunnel and the car is swerving.Throughout the whole video they are in a car on a journey which playing on the classic hollywood road movie when they get to their destination they seem to be aimlessly throwing stones into the sea which mirrors the aimless, hopeless lives of the working class people at the time and the struggles they faced which could be linked to the social context at the time such as the high unemployment and the riots which must have seemed like a hopeless time. There is also a sense of social realism as they were referencing the social context at the time.Paul Gilroy's theory can be applied to the music video as the representations in the video are racially diverse and represents Britain's emerging multiculturalism. The music video includes a variety of camera angles and shots that add to the eerie atmosphere in the settings which helps create intertextuality of genres for instance mystery, thriller and horror. The low key lighting is also a reference to film noir and adds to the eerie atmosphere.

Gilroy's idea of diasporic identity can be applied to Common's Letter to the Free music video as the theory is about how black people have never felt a feeling of belonging or accepted in western societies even to this day. This idea can be seen in the music video as due to the constant racism and conflict black people face. One of the lyrics mirrors this theory, ' will the U.S ever be us lord willing' highlighting the black diasporic identity of never having a sense of belonging.

The Letter to the Free music video and the GhostTown music video can be seen as postmodern for a variety of different reasons mainly because of the message they are trying to spread as well as the link to the social context at the time of each video.

Paper 1 Section B

3) Identify three strategies used to promote Chicken to an audience. Explain a reason for each strategy. Each of the reasons must be different. [6 marks]

One strategy is playing the film at film festivals such as the Edinburgh film festival. This allows the film to be exposed to wider audiences and attract distribution deals and attracts people in the film industry that are looking for new talent and filmmakers.

Another strategy is traditional marketing such as film posters and trailers. Trailers allow people from around the world to have easy access and get an insight into film and what it is about. Posters attract the attention of wider audiences.

The third strategy is social media, for instance: twitter,facebook and instagram. As social media can be used in all countries this would make the target audience worldwide and attract different types of people easily and effectively as well as maintain the awareness of the film.

4) How do regulatory contexts shape the output of media industries? You should refer to your film industry Close Study Product, Chicken. [9 marks]

The BBFC is responsible for regulating films and categorising them into films that are appropriate for different ages.The focus is on helping children and families choose films that are appropriate and provide guidance for them to choose. It is funded by charged fee's as it is an independent body and it does not have a link to the government. Regulatory industries such as the BBFC do have an impact on outputs. Hesmondhalgh says that the creative industry is a "risky business", as one of the pressures businesses face is age ratings which could significantly impact their profit. For instance, if a film is targeting teenagers and is about teenagers but it rated 18, the film is going to struggle and isn't likely to make much profit. This is an example of one of the ways that regulatory contexts can shape and impact the output of media industries.

On the other hand, it could be argued that regulatory contexts don't always impact the output of media industries. This is seen with the independent film 'Chicken' as it is a micro-budget, art-house film that was privately funded. The film included challenging subject matters such as disability and working class struggles. The film was targeting a niche audience so it wasn't likely that the film was going to make a huge amount of profit, it was more focused on the message and lesson it was going to spread. Chicken was rated 15, but even if it had been rated 18 this would not have significantly affected the film as it wouldn't have made a lot of money, since the budget was only £110,00 and it was directed at a niche audience. This proves that regulatory contexts do not always impact output as regulations are less of a concern to independent productions for a niche audience such as Chicken.

5) How useful are media effects theories in evaluating the success of media products? Refer to your Radio Close Study Products, Life Hacks and War of the Worlds, in your answer. [20 marks]

Media effects theories can be used to evaluate the success of media products, but many other factors should be taken into account when evaluating the success of a product.

War of the Worlds is a famous broadcast of Orson Welles's radio play. It is a text of historical significance due to a long-running debate over the effect the broadcast had over audiences at the time.It tells the story of an alien invasion and the ensuing conflict between mankind and an extraterrestrial race from Mars. The initial reaction of audiences provided evidence for the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory, which states that audiences are passive and believe anything they see or hear in the media. Audiences were injected with the fear of an invasion and they believed it because the 1930s audience were unfamiliar to radio and it was new to them. This can have a dangerous effect on audiences for instance many people were panicking and were crowding the streets in fear. The two-step-flow model, can also be applied to War of the Worlds because of its use of academics and experts. The theory says that the audience are influenced by opinion leaders in the media who mediate how audiences should react to media texts. War of the Worlds uses opinion leaders and trusted journalistic voices to make the radio broadcast seem real and believable. Audiences usually trust the opinion of opinion leaders and experts and react the way they react. This theory suggests that the media is not all powerful and that other factors are important. On the other hand, it could be argued that audiences are not as passive as they were made out to be.The rise of Radio was damaging the newspaper industry's revenue as they were a new source of news for audiences, so the newspaper industry exaggerated the responses to prove to advertisers and regulators  that radio management was irresponsible and not to be trusted. This suggests that audiences may not have really been believing and panicking the radio broadcast and that the audience responses were just exaggerated.

 

Life Hacks is a radio broadcast that offers advice and talks about challenging and taboo topics to help audiences with their problems. Unlike War of the Worlds where audiences were passive, Blumler and Katz's uses and gratifications theory can be applied to Life Hacks. This theory is based on the idea that media audiences are active and make conscious decisions about the way they consume media. Audience may listen to Life Hacks for personal identity as they may see themselves reflected in the text and they may relate to the problems the radio hosts discuss. They could also listen to Life Hacks for surveillance as audiences receive useful information that they can incorporate into their daily lives as the Life Hacks content includes sex, relationships, and mental health.Additionally, Rokeach and DeFleur's dependency theory can be applied here which suggests that people have become dependent on the media and rely on it for information when making decisions. The Life Hacks audience may be dependent on the advice from the hosts to determine decisions in their lives.