December mock exam: Learner Response blog tasks

 

1) Type up any feedback on your paper (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential). If you only have marks and a grade on the paper, write a WWW/EBI yourself based on your scores.

www-this is a mock exam so we still have time to put things right but we need to use this as a lesson before February.

ebi-you need to have a go at every question. The more you receiver and learn the material the more you revise and learn the material the more more confident you will be in this

2) Use the mark scheme for this Paper 2 mock to read the answers AQA were looking for. First, write down a definition and example of non-diegetic sound (Q1.1 and 1.2). 

a.all sounds generated within the world of the drama

b.any example of dialogue from the extract such as ‘When Lyra says, “So you’re a

kitchen boy then?”

3) Next, identify three points you could have made in Q1.3 - camerawork and the extract. Look for the indicative content in the mark scheme - these are the suggested answers from AQA.

• The opening shot in the extract focuses on the omelette in Will’s hand – almost a

close-up – with handheld camera movement following the plate to the table. This

focus on the food Will has cooked seems to establish him as the less dominant

person in the relationship. The medium shot of Lyra suspiciously looking at the food

reinforces this power imbalance in their relationship.

• Camera angle is used in an interesting way in the extract. Will is often shown from a

low angle which should suggest power or dominance. However, his expression and

body language is very timid so in fact seems to further emphasise Lyra’s confidence.

When Lyra is sitting at the table, the camera is deliberately placed at Lyra’s level so

she is not presented as weak or vulnerable.

• The wide shot and slow dolly/tracking through the open doors shows both characters

together sitting at the table. This deliberately places both characters in the same

frame as the conversation becomes more friendly and less guarded. The

camerawork is communicating the growing friendship between Lyra and Will and

helps to foreshadow the suggestion (in the very next shot) from Will that they team

up and work together. The slow dolly/track at this point signals to the audience that

something important is happening; their relationship is changing. It works in a similar

way to a zoom.

4) Now look at Q1.4 in the mark scheme - pick out two points from the mark scheme that you could have included in your answer.

Non-verbal communication

• Will’s expression and body language is very timid which subverts masculine

stereotypes. In contrast, Lyra’s movements and expressions exude confidence. This

can be seen in the extract both outside at the table and later when discussing which

beds they will take.

Mise-en-scene

• Lyra’s costume subverts feminine stereotypes. It is blue, practical and does not

emphasise her figure or draw attention. It helps to establish Lyra as a practical,

confident character who is used to surviving on her own.

5) Focus on Q2 - the 20-mark essay on representations of age and social and cultural contexts. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your answer.

• Although the idea of ‘teenage’ was not new, teenagers as a distinct category

developed rapidly in the post-war years and was well established by 1963. The idea

of the ‘generation gap’ as a social issue was still new and much-discussed.

• Media representations of teens/young adults usually identify this group by their

attitudes, behaviour, language, clothing and music. There are many negative

stereotypes of teenagers in television drama in which characteristics such as

laziness, anti-social behaviour, inability to concentrate and self-indulgence are

portrayed as ‘typical’.

• There are also positive representations of teens in which attributes such as freedom,

independence, creativity and social awareness are likely to be emphasised. Some

frequently represented characteristics of teenagers may be seen as positive by

younger audiences but as negative by older audiences. These include

rebelliousness, openness to change, liberal values on matters such as sexuality and

a much stronger commitment to friendship groups than to family or country.

• The use of spectres in HDM also drives a strong dividing line between younger

characters and adults – with the two girls that Will and Lyra run into saying ‘We’re

OK on our own, aren’t we’.

6) Turning your attention to Section B, write a definition and example of user-generated content - use the mark scheme to check it.

• material created by those whose main role is as users of media such as newspapers, television,

radio, magazines, the internet or web or online systems

• my Facebook profile

7) Look at Q4 - the 20-mark essay on the power of influencers. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your own answer. 

• There is an army of influencers: social media users and celebrities with large, devoted

followings, who give their followers access to a carefully curated version of their lives. In

this “authentic” context, sponsored content, known as “sponcon”, has proved a potent tool

for selling products.

• By the end of 2019, the influencer marketing industry was worth some $8bn a year. One

recent report by Insider Intelligence predicted that it would grow to $15bn globally by the

end of 2022.

• Marcus Rashford demonstrates this with his commercial partnerships with Burberry, Nike,

Coca-Cola and more. The fact he appeals to such mainstream brands is evidence of his

power in the digital age.

8) Now look at Q5 - the 20-mark essay on regulation and the internet. Again, pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your own answer.

• the relationship between technology, media industries and media products

• the ways in which the media re-present the world and construct versions of reality

• the ways aspects of reality may be represented differently depending on the purposes of the

producers

9) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for your Media mock exam? Be honest here - it's a good chance to think about how to approach the next set of mock exams.

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10) List three key things you want to revise before the next mock exams in February (e.g. particular CSPs, terminology, exam technique etc.)

CSP

mise-en-scene

camera angles