Statement of intent (updated)

Title: The Hallucination

A person experiences a hallucination on an ordinary day, causing him to panic. The protagonist is the person who experiences the hallucination, as we will experience the story from his point of view. The episode will end once narrative resolution has been created by the donor (the protagonist's brother outside the door). The ~2 minute extract will appear at the end of the show.

I plan to meet the brief by adding a multitude of locations. These will include outdoor as well as indoor locations. These locations will offer a wide variety of perspective and setting on the show. The two characters will be an innocent man (protagonist) who experiences a hallucination and his brother (donor). There will be a multitude of camera angles/shots in each scene, such as close-up, over the shoulder and tracking. This is because it will offer a wide variety of perspective on the scenes and will help create imagery and visualisation for the audience, helping them use their imagination to try and predict what happens next, especially with the tracking scene where the camera follows the protagonist. The narrative resolution will be the protagonist finding out that his hallucination as false. There will be lots of non-digetic sound/music to add suspense to the story, such as intense music, heartbeat sound effects and more. These sounds will help to add a theme of anxiety and mystery to the scenes. The protagonist will feel relieved that he was only experiencing a hallucination instead of a real event, whereas the donor will feel angry as he does not see the protagonist's perspective and he thinks that the protagonist has left him outside for too long - this creates dramatic irony for the audience. Narrative resolution will be created once this scene ends as this is when the protagonist learns of his hallucinations. One of the props that will be used is a knife. The protagonist will use this knife in an attempt to fight off his hallucination I will use an Asian character as my hero to subvert typical stereotypes of heroes.

My target audience will be Young teenagers/adults who enjoy themes of mystery. They will be people who enjoy traditional mystery/sci-fi films/tv shows such as Stranger Things and Doctor Who. My TV show will target this specific audience by incorporating themes of sci-fi in my show. The demographics of my audience would include middle class/working class people who love a good sci - fi story and young adult/teenage males who are mostly interested in mysterious shows. The psychographics of my audience would be those who like to watch and consume sci-fi media. The audience pleaseures that I will offer will be entertainment - sci-fi story and personal identity - the protagonist is a character who is struggling with a hallucination, could represent the viewer's hardships in life.

Blog tasks: Daily Mirror case study

Representation

1) What political party does the Daily Mirror support?

Labour

2) How does the Daily Mirror usually represent rich and powerful people?

Putting them on the front cover

3) How are celebrities usually presented in tabloid newspapers like the Daily Mirror? Look at the 'New Bond stars are revealed' story on the front page of the Daily Mirror.

As heroes and respectable people

4) How are the royal family presented in the double-page spread 'Kate told Harry to make peace... then they all met up for tea'? 

They are very good at resolving issues

5) Why do you think the Daily Mirror represents the royal family as a 'normal' family? Why might this appeal to Daily Mirror readers?

Because tabloid newspapers are much more casual and relate to their target audience

Industries

1) What company owns the Daily Mirror?

Reach PLC

2) What is the Daily Mirror's circulation in 2021? How many papers did the Daily Mirror used to sell back in the 1990s?

1990 - 3,000,000

2021 - 350,000

3) Why has the newspaper industry struggled in the last 20 years?

Online media

4) How has the Daily Mirror reacted to the decline in print sales and the growth of the internet?

Created their own social media accounts

5) List five of Galtung & Ruge's News Values and explain how they link to the stories in our CSP edition of the Daily Mirror.

• Immediacy: has it happened recently?
• Familiarity: is it culturally close to us in Britain?
• Amplitude: is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?
• Frequency: does the event happen fairly regularly?
• Unambiguity: is it clear and definite? 

Blog tasks: Daily Mirror case study

Language

1) Write the definition of the following key language for newspaper front pages (you may want to add an example for each from our Daily Mirror CSP):

Masthead: The title of a newspaper or magazine at the head of the first or editorial page

Pug: The prices, logo and issue number are placed here

Splash Head: The lead story
Slogan: A short and striking or memorable phrase used in advertising
Dateline: A line at the head of a dispatch or newspaper article showing the date and place of writing
Kicker: a line of newspaper type set above a headline
Byline: tells the reader who wrote the story
Standfirst: journalism an introductory paragraph in an article

2) How much does a copy of the Daily Mirror cost? (Note: the current cost is different to the CSP edition - I recommend learning both).

80p

3) What are the main stories on the CSP edition of the Daily Mirror (see above)? Make sure you learn the headline and what the stories are about.

Kate & Harry and MMR Vaccine

4) Why is the choice of news stories on the Mirror CSP front page typical of a tabloid newspaper?

Because it is about celebrity drama and controversial topics

5) What is the balance on the Daily Mirror front page between images, headlines and text?

Much more images and headlines which take up more space than text do


Audience

1) What is the target audience for the Daily Mirror?

Left-wing socialists

2) Why does the Mirror front page story appeal to the Daily Mirror audience?

Because it uses bright red colours and colloquial language

3) Why might a reader enjoy the Daily Mirror? Use Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratifications theory to add detail to your answer.

A reader can relate to the front cover stories

4) Why are print newspapers generally read by older audiences?

Because they are less experienced with technology

5) How is the 'Wills and Harry royal rift' story on the double page spread constructed to appeal to Daily Mirror readers? 

Paparazzi shot, large text and headings/subheadings

December PPE Paper 2: Learner Response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW: Great effort in section B!

EBI: You need to write more for section A

2) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for your Media PPE?

1

3) Use the mark scheme for this assessment to identify three points you could have made in any of the questions in Section A (Television). Look for the indicative content in the mark scheme - these are the suggested answers from AQA. (Note: the mark scheme for Question 5 has changed as the CSPs have been updated since this exam paper was first published).

CLAMPS

Propp's charater theory

Todorov's theory

4) There are three 20-mark essay questions in Media Paper 2. What will you do to improve your performance in the 20-mark essays in the March PPEs? 

Spend the most amount of time on these questions

5) Question 5 is a synoptic question that requires you to refer to other CSPs from the whole GCSE Media course. What other CSPs could you have used for this Question 5 on whether media products are just created to make money?

OMO, Doctor Strange, I Daniel Blake

Introduction to Newspapers

 1) What type of news can you typically find in a tabloid newspaper?

Gossip, sports, entertainment, but also serious news sometimes

2) What type of news can you typically find in a broadsheet newspaper?

Serious, formal news

3) If someone is left-wing, which political party are they likely to support? Which newspaper would they be likely to read?

Labour party, The Sun

4) If someone is right-wing, which political party are they likely to support? Which newspaper would they be likely to read?

Conservatives, The Daily Telegraph

5) Why has there been a decline in newspaper sales in the last 20 years?

Because online media has become more popular

6) Why is a free press important in a democracy like the UK?

Because people should have freedom of beliefs in politics and other news in a developed and liberal country like the UK

Videogames case study 2 - Kim Kardashian: Hollywood

 Language

1) What is the objective when playing the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game?

To become an a list celebrity within the game

2) What is an A-list celebrity? Why is it important in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

The highest tier of fame a famous person can become. It is important in the game as Kim Kardashian herself is an a list celebrity

3) How do you download the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game?

On a mobile device through the app store or google play

4) What is the narrative or storyline of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood? Where is it set?

You start out in LA, and then you must visit as many places as you can while garnering fame

5) What characters can you play as? What characters appear in the game?

You can customize your character to be anything, and celebrities that appear in game include: Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and more

Audience

1) Who is the intended audience for the Kim Kardashian Hollywood game? Why do you think this?

For young people (mainly girls) who look up to Kim Kardashian and want to be just as famous as her one day

2) What audience pleasures are provided by the game? Use Blumler & Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory.

Escapism: You put yourself in the shoes of a virtual character and interact with virtual people

3) Why is the game so addictive for audiences?

It shows people what fame is like

Read this article from Forbes on why the Kim Kardashian game is so successful. If the website is blocked in school, you can access the text of the article here.

4) Why does James Liu think Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is so successful?

It is really well put together and thought out for a mobile game whereas the other games in the industry like to rush games and not think carefully about mechanics or aesthetic

5) What does James Liu suggest is the reason players keep coming back to the game?

It is really addicting and simplistic


Representations

1) What representations of women can be found in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

Women empowerment, mainly includes female celebrities and the advertising is done from a female protagonist perspective

2) What representations of race, ethnicity or sexuality can be found in the game?

Many diverse range of characters ethnically, also lgbtq relationships can take place in game

3) How does the game both reinforce and subvert stereotypes in the media?

Subverts stereotypes by giving women power

Reinforces them by suggesting that women need to look "glamourous" or "pretty" and need make up and nice designer clothes to succeed as a celebrity and become famous

4) What does the game suggest regarding modern perceptions of celebrity and how to get famous?

You must look good fashion wise and speak to famous people and have managers and contractors

5) How might someone criticise the representation of celebrity in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

It makes it seem simple and easy to achieve fame and undermines actual achievement into pressing a few buttons on screen

Industries

1) How much does Kim Kardashian: Hollywood cost?

Free

2) How does the game make money?

In-App purchases

3) What subscriptions are available to Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

VIP subscriptions

4) How was Kim Kardashian: Hollywood marketed and promoted?

Kim Kardashian herself posted about it on her Instagram page

5) How does Kim Kardashian: Hollywood use media convergence to cross-promote the game and the Kardashian brand?

By including a wide range of famous and recognisable celebrities worldwide

Videogames case study 1: Lara Croft Go

 Create a blogpost called 'Lara Croft Go CSP case study' and complete all the following questions under the subheadings Language, Representation, Industries and Audience. 

Language

1) Who is Lara Croft and when did she first appear in a videogame?

Lara croft is the main character of Tomb Raider. She first appeared in 19996

2) What classic films influenced the creation of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games?

Indiana Jones

3) How has Lara Croft and Tomb Raider moved beyond just being a videogame?

Merchandise

4) What devices can you play Lara Croft Go on?

Mobile devices

5) What type of game is Lara Croft Go?

Puzzle game

6) How does Lara Croft Go use narrative (storyline) to make the game enjoyable for the audience?

It makes you progress through multiple puzzles and adventures

7) What iconography can be found in Lara Croft Go? How does this help communicate the genre of the game?

A jungle theme to portray adventure

8) What other characters or enemies feature in the game?

Animals that appear in the backdrop

9) What is the setting for Lara Croft Go? How does this compare to previous Lara Croft or Tomb Raider games?

A jungle whereas other games may be in an ancient temple

10) Read this BBC article on the history of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider. How has the character of Lara Croft evolved over the last 20 years? 

She has been less sexualised and has become more of a representation for female protagonists

Representation

1) How are women usually represented in videogames?

As side characters, weak vulnerable people who need saving

2) How does the character of Lara Croft reinforce female stereotypes in the media?

Heavily sexualised with a tank top and high waisted shorts which is not typically ideal for an explorer

3) How does the character of Lara Croft subvert female stereotypes in the media?

A female protagonist, and adventurer, a hero

4) Why do some people believe the videogames industry is sexist and needs to change?

Not enough women working in the industry

5) Do you think Lara Croft is an empowering feminist icon or just another objectified woman designed to appeal to male gamers?

A mix of both


Industries

1) What does PEGI stand for?

Pan European Game Information

2) What is PEGI's job?

Give appropriate rating information on video games

3) Which company created Lara Croft Go?

Square enix

4) What two popular videogame franchises were combined to create Lara Croft Go?

Tomb Raider and Hitman Go

5) What else is part of the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise?

Merchandise

Audience

1) Why might an audience enjoy playing Lara Croft Go?

Puzzle game to invoke curiosity and problem solving

2) Where and when might an audience play a game like Lara Croft Go? Think about the device it is played on and the times of the day someone might want to play the game.

A mobile device when the person is bored like somewhere waiting for a train

3) How did Square Enix design Lara Croft to make it appealing to an audience?

Simple and smooth

4) Which of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory might apply to Lara Croft Go?

Pleasure from solving puzzles

5) Who is the target audience for Lara Croft Go? How does brand loyalty contribute to this target audience?

Fans of Hitman Go and Tomb Raider


Exam practice optional extension task:

“Videogames are increasingly played and enjoyed by a wider and more diverse audience." 

Does your study of Lara Croft Go support this view?

Write a detailed three-paragraph answer to this question using the information you have learned in this case study.

Grade 8/9 extension tasks


Language
1) Watch some Lara Croft Go gameplay online or, even better, play the game yourself. How is the game constructed to attract and maintain the engagement of an audience?

2) How is narrative, character, iconography and setting used to create intertextuality? (Links to other genres and media texts)

Representation
1) Read this NME feature on the history of the Lara Croft character. Do you agree that she is now a 'feminist icon' rather than a 'trapezoid-boobed pinup'? What do these terms mean?

2) Have later versions of the Tomb Raider/Lara Croft franchise featured a less-sexualised version of the character? Does this suggest society is changing in its attitude towards women?

Industries
1) Why do videogame producers prefer the self-regulation of PEGI to government regulation? Why is videogame regulation increasingly important in the 21st century?

2) Watch the full lecture embedded above: Distilling a franchise - the making of Lara Croft Go. How did the designers make conscious decisions based on previous franchises to create a successful game?

Audience
1) How has the marketing of Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise changed over the last 20 years and how might an audience respond to this? Think about reception theory - preferred and oppositional readings. 

2) Does Lara Croft Go target a female audience? Why do you think female gamers dominate the phone/tablet market?