Y12 exam - Media Paper 2: Learner response

Media Paper 2: Learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to). 

WWW - Q1 is excellent: good focus on the question and detailed analysis of the unseen text. You also focus on the Q in the 25 mark essay which shows good exam technique.

EBI - I think you need to revise Hall's reception theory for Q2 and focus more on the preferred and oppositional readings. That would then allow you to get into the high level debates for these texts: East v West, capitalism, left wing v right wing etc.

2) Focus on the unseen question and identify two aspects of the poster that you could have written about in your answer.

• the visual codes and iconography of the image including colour and setting as it relates to the thriller/horror/supernatural etc genre (isolated setting, low key lighting, blue hue)

•  the use of props to denote the narrative and genre elements

3) Look at the indicative content for Q1 again and make a note of any theories or examples of media terminology you could have used in your answer.

Genre conventions

Stereotypical conventions

Stereotypes of the thriller genre

Genre conventions in thriller genre

Propp's character theory

4) Now focus on the TV 25-marker. Pick out three arguments, phrases or theories from the essay that you could use in a future question on Capital and Deutschland 83.

Capital is a state-of-the-nation three-part drama broadcast by the BBC in 2015. It generally met with a positive critical reception but provides evidence of the validity of Hall’s theory through the political debate it sparked in British media. The Daily Mail’s review of capital described it as ‘more packed with left-wing causes than Jeremy Corbyn’s diary’ which suggests a preferred reading that is left- wing and socialist. Indeed, an analysis of characters and representations supports this idea of producers promoting a ‘woke’, left-wing agenda. Roger, the upper-middle-class banker is presented largely negatively, famously proclaiming “What use is 30 grand to anyone?” In contrast, the immigrant Kamal family are presented as close-knit, integrated (“Usman gets vertigo if he goes north of the river”) and kind – particularly when providing free coriander to a bemused Arabella Yount. Quentina, an illegal immigrant, is presented as hardworking and exploited while Roger’s powerful German boss appears clueless as to how his department actually makes money. Overall, the audience are encouraged to take a sympathetic reading to working class, immigrant or non-white characters. Indeed, the BBC has often been criticised for a left-wing bias and conservatives may well point to this reading of Capital as evidence.

D83 is another text that provides a compelling argument for the validity of Hall’s Reception theory. Interestingly, D83 is a text that enjoyed a very different reception globally compared to when first broadcast in Germany. With the period drama based on the relatively recent events of 1983 and the. Cold War, perhaps audiences in Germany did not appreciate the representation of the East/West divide and therefore rejected the producers’ preferred reading. Just like Capital, it could be argued D83 has a left-wing bias in its portrayal of different social classes and political perspectives. In two key party/BBQ scenes, the East is portrayed as joyous and relaxed through Martin’s mother’s birthday party while General Edel’s BBQ in the West towards the end of the episode is awkward, tense and unwelcoming. This fetishisation of the working class is relatively common in the creative industries and perhaps suggests the producers are deliberately encoding a pro-left-wing bias. In contrast to this, however, it could be argued that D83 as a whole reinforces hegemonic capitalist ideologies and ultimately takes a pro-Western viewpoint. The West is presented as more colourful and desirable with key aspects of mise-en-scene and sound reinforcing this. Martin is dressed in the iconic red Puma T-shirt as he runs through Bonn, ending up in the beautifully stacked supermarket as the song ‘Sweet Dreams’ plays in the background. The policemen are presented eating ice creams as the stark contrast between East and West seems to unconsciously reinforce a preference for capitalist freedoms. In evaluating the validity of Hall’s theory, the key question here is whether the producers have deliberately encoded these value judgements or whether this is an example of the hegemonic dominance of capitalist, right-wing ideologies in western media products.

In conclusion, the idea that audiences can interpret media products in different ways is impossible to reject. However, when exploring the validity of Hall’s Reception theory it is important to consider the power of ingrained hegemonic ideologies in the wider media and society and how much these unconsciously influence the encoding and decoding of meanings in media products such as television dramas.

5) Finally, identify three things you need to revise for Media Paper 2 before your next assessment or mock exam.

• Practice question son different types of 25 markers and layout a just plan for each to ensure how to answer them to gain the top marks for it.
• Stuart Hall's Reception Theory
• Focus on the preferred and oppositional readings