MIGRAIN october assessment 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- your very final paragraph is the best in the whole assessment-you correctly discuss op positional reading of vibe magazine.the rest of your answers are frankly on wake up call for how steep the step-up to A level
EBI-put simply,you didn't kn ow most your theories.
there is basically no theory used in most of your answers.
narrative theories?genre theories@you need so much more information and details in your answers
-you need to do some serious work and revision to do.




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 - i missed out on explaining about the actual theory which was todrov's theory 
question 2 
the main point that i missed out was linking all my ideas together and give it in similarities and differences.
question 3-
the main point that i missed out was to talk about how genre is important producers and audiences
question 4-the main point that i missed out was negotiated reading which covers both the aspects.

3) Read this exemplar response from a previous Year 12 (a strong B grade). Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment. 
question 1 -need to talk about props
question 2-connotation and denotation of the environment shown in the picture 
question 3-need to give examples of genre

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.#

Tzvetan Todorov proposed a theory of equilibrium:

Equilibrium: An existing state of harmony

Disequilibrium: Equilibrium is disrupted by an unfortunate event or evil character which leads to a chain of events involving conflict

New Equilibrium: The evil forces are defeated, the conflict is resolved and harmony exists once more

Character theory: Propp

Vladimir Propp came up with a list of stock characters in narratives by examining Russian fairytales. He called them the seven spheres of action:

The Villain: Creates a complication in the narrative

The Donor: Gives the hero something that will help in the resolution

The Helper: Helps the hero in restoring the resolution

The Princess: Has to be saved by the hero

The Dispatcher: Sends the hero on a task

The Hero: Central protagonist, saves the day and restores equilibrium

The False Hero: Rare character that appears to be good but is revealed to have been bad all along.

Genre: notes

Genres may be identified by the following:

Narrative structures
Plot
Typical situations, characters and relationships

Visual iconography
Mise-en-scene: props, costumes, locations etc.
Cinematography

Ideology and themes
Representations, values and ideologies

Daniel Chandler suggests definitions of genre tend to be based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content (such as themes or settings - iconography) and/or form (including structure and style) which are shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them.


Genre: institution and audience

Tolson (1996) suggests that genre “mediates between industry and audience”.

Abercrombie suggests that “television producers set out to exploit genre conventions... It... makes sound economic sense.” 

Abercromie adds: “Genres permit the creation and maintenance of a loyal audience which becomes used to seeing programmes within a genre.”

Genres of order and integration

Some theorists (including Schatz) have suggested there are only two genres:

Genres of order: western, gangster, action, sci-fi etc. Identified by hero (dominant; male), setting (contested, unstable), conflict (external; fighting), resolution (death). 

Genres of integration: comedies, musicals, rom-coms etc. 
Identified by heroes (couple or collective); setting (civilised space); conflict (internal; emotional); resolution (love).


Neale: “Repetition and difference”

Steve Neale declares that “genres are instances of repetition and difference” (Neale 1980). He adds:  “Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre” - mere repetition would not attract an audience.

Buckingham (1993) agrees, suggesting contemporary theory sees genre as dynamic: “Genre is not... simply "given" by the culture: rather, it is in a constant process of negotiation and change”.

Schatz develops this idea that genres are dynamic and suggests they go through a cycle:

Innovation: genre codes are established
Classical: conventions are repeated
Parody: codes become cliched and are mocked
Deconstruction: the genre is experimented with to establish new or different conventions

5) Identify your strongest question. Why did you do better on this question?
my strongest question is question 4 as that was the only answer where i linked my media theory and wrote in specific details with media terminology.



6) Identify your weakest question. Why did you score lower on this particular task?
the weakest question is question 1 becuase i didn't link the theory and didn't mention at all what the theory is about which the question was asking me to do.