MIGRAIN October assessment 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; Q2 and Q4 show your potential in media. You understand the texts and some of the theory. If you can apply this consistently, you will make real progress. 

EBI; Some major concerns. Mixing up denotation and connotation is a fatal mistake in media. You clearly need to urgently revise/learn genre. For 20 mark questions, you need much more depth... a short essay rather than 3 paragraphs.

2) Read the mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.

Question 1 - Todorov: disequilibrium suggested by gun; character eye line looking off-screen suggests danger or threat; tagline references ‘survival’; no hint of new equilibrium.

Question 2 - 

• Similarities: urban setting; single (male) character dressed for urban environment; similar composition and colour scheme; possible connotations of determination, overcoming difficult backgrounds, poverty, stereotypical masculinity, danger or threat, binary opposition (‘The Showdown’).
• Differences: Ill Manors allows us to ‘get to know’ the character while Nike is deliberately ambiguous; both use the sky background to create meaning but in very different ways (looming clouds v rising sun).

Question 3 - Neale “repetition and difference” – allows producers to evolve genre but maintain audience; Abercrombie “television producers set out to exploit genre conventions... economic sense” ... “Genres permit the creation and maintenance of a loyal audience.”

Question 4 - 

• Preferred or dominant readings: Vibe as opinion leader (two-step flow theory), defining ‘cool’ on behalf of audience.
• Oppositional or counter-hegemonic readings: reinforcement of negative black stereotypes (‘Sex, drugs and R&B’)
• Negotiated readings: an understanding and appreciation that many audiences will adopt somewhere between the two extremes – an acceptance of urban or hip-hop culture without perhaps identifying personally (Uses & Gratifications theory).

3) Read the exemplar response from one of the Y12s (one of the best, which is a strong B grade). Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment. 

• Question 1 - "the prop of the gun held by the young male on the poster indicates that there may be an element of violence or conflict throughout Ill manors".
• Question 2 - "however in figure 1, using a white male and depicting him run down, estate style are is quite atypical of who audiences usually associate these locations with".
• Question 3 - "Media producers may find genre important in the production of different media texts. This is because by utilising key aspects of genre that have proven to be enjoyed by audiences, it is more likely for media texts to be more successful".
• Question 4 - "The mis-en-scene of this poster enables this positive hegemonic reading to be made".
  

4) Did you get any media terminology or theory wrong in the assessment? Make a note of it here for future revision, including theories/terminology that you could have used but didn't.
Throughout the second question, I mixed up the words connote and denote.

5) Identify your strongest question. Why did you do better on this question?
My strongest question would have to be question 2, as I scored the highest marks in relation to the maximum amount of marks that could be awarded. This reason I think I did better on this question is because is was the topic that I remembered and understood the most. 


6) Identify your weakest question. Why did you score lower on this particular task?
My weakest question was question 1 because I had a hard time remembering Todorov's theory which was the main theory to include in the question. I definitely need to spend more time learning the theories.

7) Re-write your weakest answer in full. Use the mark scheme to identify anticipated content you can add to your response and make sure your typed re-draft is a top-level answer.

Question 1 -

From analysing the poster, it is clear to see that there are some elements of narrative theory, including the theories of Todorov and Barthes. 

Using Todorov's theory of equilibrium, the first aspect of his theory is disequilibrium; this is demonstrated through the gun. The gun suggests elements of violence and danger, creating a disequilibrium in the narrative. As a result of the gun used as a prop, this creates an enigma for the consumer as they may have questions such as: "why is the male holding a gun and why would he need it in the first place". Enigma codes are very important in keeping the audience engaged to the narrative. Other elements of the poster such as the secondary image of the urban estate setting on the poster suggests that this film will come under the genre of urban genre. A new equilibrium is not demonstrated or is not very easy to read as the male on the poster is holding a gun, which only encouraged negative connotations. 


8) Email your re-written answer (7) to the next person below you on the blog list. Ask them to provide a WWW/EBI response. 

• WWW: Analysed the poster well and included Todorov's theory. Also included the use of enigma codes
• EBI: Could have included another theory such as Propps' theory.