Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Smith
TV Drama Exemplar
AS Media AFL
The headmaster is smartly dressed in a jacket and v neck jumper covering a shirt and tie. This shows
that he is well off and suggests that he is middle class. He drives an estate car which also means that
he wants a plain car for transport rather than to show off. His language and posture shows an
authority which comes with age. His manners while speaking to a younger person shows that he has
power. The girl Sam is at the opposite end of the spectrum. She is shown as a timid character by the
camera angles and the close up facial expressions of worry. We know she is young because she
wears fashionable clothes rather than work clothes.
Camera shots are used to show different situations and character relationships and feelings. The
establishing shot shows a country setting and the next shot shows a character. In the foreground we
see Paul and another character in a shabby hat and in the background we see other middle aged
working class characters all similarly dressed. This long shot shows the community at work and
shows the close relationship between all the men.
Mise en scene is extremely important such as the character costumes and props, most of the
characters are wearing outdoor lumberjack outfits which connote masculinity and outdoor work.
However the girl within the clip is the only character wearing normal feminine clothing. Her top is
cream which has connotations with purity and innocence. This reinforces her youth when she is
juxtaposed with the older characters, therefore creating representations of age. The older character
such as the headmaster is in a formal suit which has connotations (Roland Barthes 1964) with
authority and power making him appear dominant within the group. His red tie could represent danger
and oppositional rivalry between the younger girl and himself. The establishing shot shows the
Scottish highlands and scenery, showing the audience the drama is set in a rural place. The old brick
buildings give a traditional old feeling to the drama, suggesting the girl is out of place within a place
meant for the older generation.
The Extract is set in Scotland where A Girl is obviously staying with another family. It Is Soon
discovered she has run away from home and is not the Age she has claimed to be. It hints towards
this before we (the audience) are even told. When she hesitates whilst driving a car that she says she
can drive...The man Paul McDonald is the older character who is like the father figure to the girl he is
shown as a cleche man of the house character. He works as some kind of builder as he is shown at
the beginning carrying some tools. When he finds out the girl has lied to him he reacts in a way that
most teenagers can relate towards there parents...when the girl and the man [are seen] the camera
seems to be at a lower angle of the man showing his superiority as an adult whereas the girl is viewed
at a higher angle looking down at her representing inferiority.
One way the extract represents age is the way that nearly all the men on the building site are probably
30+, which coincides with the ideology that only older men are into DIY. When we see the headmaster
the camera is pointing slightly upwards which signifies that with age comes importance; and that he
has been at the school for a long time. The general mise en scene of the school suggests that it is a
well established school that has probably been there for quite a long time. From a camera work
perspective the younger people are rarely seen on their own and when they often dont have much on
screen time. This matches the ideology that children must be seen and not heard which influences
the audiences thoughts to focus on if the director does not believe that children are very important or
central characters.
Name............................................................
Mr Smith
TV Drama Exemplar
AS Media AFL
AGE ON TV
The representation of people of different ages has changed massively over the years. Up until the
1950s, there were really only two age groups shown in films and television (adult and child). This was
because that most children left school at a young age and went straight to work and became adults. In
the 1950s more young people started staying in education and began leading very different lives from
both children and adults and so developed the idea of the teenager
Having said that, there are still some stereotypes associated with different ages:
Children often shown as being young, innocent, naive, pure, sweet, helpless, powerless
Teenagers Often shown as being aggressive, moody, lazy, criminals, hate school,
20s-30s Often shown as the ideal age for love, parties, fun, making money, being glamourous
and attractive. In films the heroes are often this age group.
Middle Aged often shown as being past it, unattractive, not aware of popular culture, uncool,
boring lives, dominant over others, no real connection to their kids, grumpy. In films the
villains are often from this age group.
Elderly often shown as being unattractive, slow, weak, ill, confused, pathetic, powerless, not
important, dependent on others. If you get age as an issue in the exam, you should be
thinking about the following things when watching the clip:
Can I identify what approximate age the characters are?
Are people from different age groups shown as having different interests, personalities, attitudes,
behaviours? If so, how?
Is their age represented as being important in their life?
Are people from particular age groups portrayed as being better, more powerful, than others?
Are people from particular age groups portrayed as being abnormal /weaker/ more pathetic than
others?
How do other characters in the clip treat the characters from different age groups?
What is the message the clip is trying to portray about age?
Name............................................................
Mr Smith
TV Drama Exemplar
AS Media AFL
Candidates
are
expected
to
demonstrate
the
following
in
the
context
of
the
content
described:
AO1
Demonstrate
knowledge
and
understanding
of
media
concepts,
contexts
and
critical
debates,
using
terminology
appropriately
and
with
accurate
and
coherent
written
expression.
AO2
Apply
knowledge
and
understanding
to
show
how
meanings
are
created
when
analysing
media
products.
Assessment will take place across three criteria:
Explanation/analysis/argument (20 marks) AO1 Specific
Use of examples (20 marks) AO2 Specific
Use of terminology (10 marks) AO1 Specific
Camera Shots, Angle, Movement and Composition
Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, twoshot, aerial shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot, and variations of these.
Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.
Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.
Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field deep and shallow focus,
focus pulls.
Editing
Includes transition of image and sound continuity and non-continuity systems
Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eye line match, graphic match, action match, jump cut,
crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway; insert
Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short
take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.
Sound
Diegetic and non-diegetic sound; synchronous/asynchronous sound; sound effects;
sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address,
sound mixing, sound perspective
Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.
Mise en scne
Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties,
lighting; colour and design.
Task
1
Using
the
mark
scheme
overleaf
assess
and
grade
the
4
extracts
from
the
January
2010
examination.
Highlight
key
terminology
from
the
lists
above
as
well
as
underlining
sentences
which
relate
explicitly
to
AO1.
Similarly
highlight
where
examples
have
been
used
(AO2).
You
must
write
an
explanation
for
each
extract
stating
why
you
have
awarded
them
a
specific
grade.
Task
2
Improve
the
lowest
band
extract.
Using
word
and
the
track
changes
function
improve
the
lowest
band
response.
Ensure
that
you
include
key
terminology
as
well
as
examples
and
explanation
Name............................................................
Mr Smith
TV Drama Exemplar
AS Media AFL
Minimal understanding of the way that technical aspects are used to construct the extracts representations
Of minimal relevance to set question or a brief response (under one and a half sides of answer booklet).
Use of examples (0-7 marks)
Basic understanding of the way that technical aspects are used to construct the extracts representations
Offers a partial range of examples (at least two technical areas covered)
Proficient understanding of the way that technical aspects are used to construct the extracts representations
Offers frequent textual analysis from the extract award marks to reflect the range and appropriateness of examples
Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently. Sentences and paragraphs, consistently relevant, have been well
structured, using appropriate technical terminology. There may be few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Name............................................................