1. A2 Media Revision Session 29th
May 2014
1b: Media Languages
“Media Languages” means: how do mise en scene, editing, sound and
camerawork combine to create meaning for the audience?
“meaning” = how does your product convey genre, narrative, representations
to the target audience.
How to analyse your WEBSITE for this question:
How do the target audience READ your website? Have you constructed it so the
same dominant, closed readings (Hall) are available to the audience?
How conventional is your website in terms of:
 Use of colour (similar to E4, ITV?)
 Font (American Typewriter for E4?)
 Layout (how does it mimic existing soap websites?)
 Visualcontent (engages audience with narrative & characters)
 User generated content (uses and gratifications- audience feel involved
with the soap and the characters by exchanging communication with the institution
via social media)
 Synergy with other brands
 Use of images in creating regional ID and class

2. Collective ID: brief suggested plan for each essay question that could come up.
REMEMBER, questions may be worded differently; it is up to you to figure out
what you are being asked.
1. discuss how differentgroups of people are represented by the media
a. DO NOT ANSWER, TOO VAGUE
2. How do previous reps compareto contemporary?
a. Buck/coon/minstrel= modern rap and hip hop
b. HV = video vixens, Black Men Magazine, Beyonce, Rihanna
c. Mulatto = good hair, light skin
3. What are the social implications of media reps?
a. Effects on the audience of media reps
b. Beyonce drunk in love and audience tributes and tutorials
c. Good hair, negative impact on female audiences and construction of ideal self
d. Rap and hip hop, pugilistic eroticismand misogynistic portrayals of women.
Men are expected to act “gangsta” so women are forced to act as “hos”
e. Oppositionalreps created by audiences who feel that media do not represent
them- Nap85
f. Oppositionalreps lead to postmodern mass media reps and less filtered reps of
women e.g. Lupita Nyong’O, Winston in New Girl, Viola Davis on red carpet.
4. To what extent is human ID mediated?
a. ID filtered in layers
b. Mass media reps are used to make money- conglomerates try to homogenise
audiences
c. Making audiences chase unrealistic ideals e.g hair, masculinity, skin colour,
body shape
d. Oppositionaltexts created to show audiences rejecting mediated identities.
Rihanna parody “PermItUp”
e. Mass media realise audience are starting to reject existing reps and begin to
commoditise new reps e.g. Lupita on cover of People. Audience wantmore of
her, conglomerates make money by supplying. Will there soon be new ideals
and pressures to conformto?