Tv 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).

Total = 17

Grade = C

WWW = You know the Tv CSPs brilliantly so it's just a case of working on exam technique to move up to the higher level grades.

EBI = Question focus: by far the biggest factor in Q2... use wording form question and stay ruthlessly focused on what it is asking you to do.

- Revise postmodern terms for Q1

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment (even if you got full marks for the question).

Q1)

• There are many examples of intertextuality: the main central image suggests a bridge

between James Bond and Austin Powers (bond parody) with Tower Bridge in the background

reinforcing London as a location; Samuel L. Jackon’s image nods to both Tarantino films and

the Blaxploitation genre (Tarantino is also referenced by the martial arts female suggesting

the Kill Bill movies); Michael Caine (bottom right) appears to be reprising his role in

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy; the image at the top is visually reminiscent of

Matt Damon’s Bourne films (e.g. The Bourne Identity).

Q2)

Capitol - 

• The programme can be defined as an example of a ‘state of the nation’ series, explicitly

dealing with contemporary issues associated with ideological positioning.

Deutschland 83' - 

• The narrative is constructed from the viewpoint of the Stasi, positioning the American attack

as the threat.

3) The first question demanded a response using postmodern terminology. Write a definition here of the three main terms:

Bricolage: Mixture of old and new texts 
Pastiche: The recreation of a text or genre 
Intertextuality: The referencing of other media texts 

4) Read this exemplar answer for the 25-mark question in the assessment. Select a quote from the essay for each of the following aspects from the mark scheme:

a) analysis of the products that focuses on contexts and ideological positioning

 - Capital is a state-of-the-nation drama and this genre immediately gives it an urgency and realism that reflect the political and cultural contexts of its setting.

- In Deutschland 83 (D83), the historical drama / spy thriller genre inevitably constructs an ideological position in their representation of contexts.

- Although the Daily Mail heavily criticised Capital for featuring ‘more leftwing causes than a Jeremy Corbyn’s diary’ it could be argued that the focus on house prices and hard work actually reinforces dominant hegemonic ideologies most closely associated with right-wing capitalist values.

- fetishisation of the working class in D83

b) use of media theory

- Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, 

- western capitalist ideologies are being unconsciously reinforced through the construction of the narrative and key elements of mise-en-scene.

- western capitalist ideologies are being unconsciously reinforced through theconstruction of the narrative and key elements of mise-en-scene.

- dominant or preferred reading

c) a judgement or conclusion on the question

In conclusion, it is impossible to ignore the ideological positions constructed by television dramas and Capital and D83 are no exception to this. However, it could be argued that different audiences can read these fictional genres in different ways depending on their own perspectives and therefore social, cultural and political contexts are not the only aspect to this process. 

d) examples from the TV CSPs

-  Sympathetic takes on immigration and asylum, the demonisation of bankers (Roger and his boss Lothar presented as clueless in their meeting with the young upstart Mark) and Quentina’s lawyer being played by a black female actress would all suggest a more liberal ideology underpinning the show.

- The supermarket scene in the West where Martin first sees the plentiful food, colourful fruit and policemen eating ice creams presents the West as offering a much higher standard of living than the East and therefore reinforcing the dominant capitalist ideology we see across so much of western media.

e) use of media terminology 

 mise-en-scene.

split-screen editing

visual effects

5) Based on this assessment, write three things you need to revise before the upcoming end of Year 12 exams.

Exam techniques, Media terminology and Question focus