The Overview

The course needs to begin by equipping all students with a common language [discourse] for engaging with the analysis and discussion of media texts. The first half-term will be work on the micro elements that will feed the macro studies of the second half-term which will be platforms. As the course progresses each feature will attempt to use extracts, texts and case-studies that will be relevant and useful to both the macro study and the cross media study and feed the ideas and techniques for the coursework.

For student knowledge to become student understanding the practical application of theory is pretty much essential. In order for this to occur a great deal of Module 1.0 and 1.5 is involved in making media texts. Students create an advertising photo-shoot, design pages for a magazine, create a web site and make 3 minutes of a film. All of this work is based on a solid grasp of media theory.

The first things media students need to be clear on are definitions of the key concepts that underpin this subject.


Forms
The toolbox could not begin without their covering the work of Barthes, Todorov, Propp and Levi-Strauss. The work of Barthes builds upon Saussare and Pierce to move semiology away from language signs to visual literacy. Todorov on narrative structure; Propp on understanding assigned roles [ciphers] and Strauss on Binary opposition and the construction of creative tensions within textual visions and understandings.

Areas to be covered include mise-en-scene; lighting; editing; cinematography; sound; narrative alignment; sfx; technology; shot selection; syntagymatic and paradigmatic selections; connotation; denotation; polysemics; anchorage; diegetic and non-diegetic sounds.

All students must be able to recognise, understand and analyse the function of each of these in all texts.

Audience
Every text is constructed with an audience in mind. The notion of audience psychology and sociology must be covered. Demographical models [ABC1 etc.] and psychographical [aspirers; mainstreamers; deviant] must be understood. The idea of the history and criticisms of mass audience theories is essential to a grasp of current audience models and how these shape the media we receive. Target, niche etc are all key ideas.


Representation
All texts present a view of the world. Whose? What is their intention, what is their perceived and less certain impact on audiences – stereotypes, role models, celebrity, branding, censorship, hegemony, pluralism. These are key foundations of textual study.

Institutions
Our area is mass media. Today more than ever we need to be aware of the impact ownership and control has for our world. Case- studies of global institutions is vital. The advertising module will be very relevant in this.


Cross-media study:
The work for the examination has to be the the result of individual research but this is conducted against a general background to each potential area explored in the classroom. Broadcast and Music are selections that offer opportunity for varied and stimulating encounters with texts and ones where each student has some relevant background learning and understanding to bring.
The focus must be on how audiences are constructed by each text and each platform and how audiences access, understand and use the texts. An inbuilt associated field to this will be how institutions utilise different platforms and texts to generate audiences and thus profit e.g. the way that internet access, music soundtracks, computer games etc. is used to exploit the audience for particular films.  The application of relevant media theory and contexts will be through class study which will focus on a particular text or set of texts such as 'Youth Drama' with the exploration of Skins and Misfits or in the case of Music the study of a particular band or artist or style of music.  students will then apply these 'models' to their own chosen texts.  In creating the background for case studies we will explore a range of issues and ideas.

Broadcast Issues

· Film – marketing [posters; trailers; interviews; franchises]

· E-media – the web; IMDB; review sites; bloggs

· Print – magazines [empire; sight and sound]; newspapers

· Radio – interviews; discussions; adverts

· Institutions – Hollywood; hybridity; audience construction;

· Celebrity – role models; branding/image


Music Industry Issues

· broadcast – MTV;

· print – magazines [Kerrang]; reviews;

· radio

· e-media – webs; i-tunes; you tube

· fashion and branding and gigs

· institutions – Sony