Key term
Eduqas A-Level Media Studies A680QS
Media Language
Topic overviewThe language of media analysis: signs, codes and modesDenotation and connotationBarthes, signification and mythCamerawork, framing and editingMise-en-scène, colour and lightingSound and music as media languageLayout, typography and print designCodes and conventions of genreNeale on repetition, difference and genre changeNarrative structure and TodorovNarrative devices: enigma, character and point of viewLévi-Strauss, structuralism and binary oppositionsBaudrillard, simulation and hyperrealityIntertextuality, parody and pasticheMedia language, ideology and developing technology
Media Representations
Topic overviewRepresentation, selection and constructionHall and representation as the production of meaningCodes, concepts and shared conceptual mapsHall on stereotyping, power and otheringPositive and negative uses of stereotypesUnder-representation, misrepresentation and symbolic annihilationRealism, verisimilitude and claims about realitySocial, cultural and historical context in representationGauntlett, identity and pick-and-mix media resourcesvan Zoonen, gender as discourse and the body as spectaclebell hooks: feminism, race and classButler and gender performativityGilroy, race, civilisationism and postcolonial theoryRepresentations of sexuality, class and disabilityDiscourse, ideology and audience readings of representations
Media Industries
Topic overviewProduction, distribution and circulationOwnership models and patterns of controlConglomerates, vertical and horizontal integrationCurran and Seaton on power and media ownershipHesmondhalgh and the cultural industriesFunding: commercial, subscription and public moneyPublic service broadcasting and the BBCRegulation and the UK regulatorsLivingstone and Lunt on citizens and consumersRegulation in a global and digital ageConvergence, digital technology and distributionMarketing, promotion and maintaining audiencesIndividual producers and the independent sectorGlobalisation and the international media market
Media Audiences
Topic overviewHow audiences are grouped and categorisedPsychographics, lifestyle and cultural capitalTargeting mass and specialised audiencesAttracting, reaching and constructing audiencesMode of address and audience positioningPassive audience models and the effects debateBandura and social learning theoryGerbner and cultivation theoryActive audiences and uses and gratificationsHall and reception theoryJenkins, fandom and participatory cultureShirky and the end of the audienceConsumption, technology and audience measurementAudience interpretation, identity and social context
Contexts of Media
Topic overviewWhat media contexts are and why they matterSocial contexts: values, attitudes and beliefsCultural contexts and cultural changeRepresenting minority groups and products made by themEconomic contexts: ownership and fundingProduction outside the commercial mainstreamPolitical contexts: ideology and powerRegulation and the stateHistorical contexts: genre conventions as historically relativeHistorical change in representationTechnological change, production, distribution and circulationGlobal contexts and non-English-language media
Newspapers
Topic overviewNewspaper front pages: masthead, splash and layoutTabloid and quality press: codes, conventions and registerSemiotics, structuralism and ideology in newspaper languageNews values, selection and the construction of realityRepresentation of events, individuals and social groups in newspapersThe Daily Mirror as an evolving productThe Times as an evolving productNewspaper ownership, conglomerates and controlFunding, paywalls and the decline of print circulationPress regulation, IPSO and the Leveson aftermathNewspapers online: convergence and digital distributionNewspaper audiences: categorisation, targeting and addressAudience responses, reception theory and the end of audience
Advertising and Marketing
Topic overviewAdvertising media language: codes and conventionsSemiotics and structuralism in advertisingIntertextuality, genre and persuasion in advertisingThe Tide print advertisement (1950s)Gender representation in 1950s advertisingThe Kiss of the Vampire film poster (1963)Representation and gender in the Kiss of the Vampire posterSuper. Human. and the language of the Paralympic filmDisability representation in Super. Human.Historical contexts: sixty years of advertising changeAdvertising audiences: grouping, targeting and addressAudience interpretation and reception in advertisingMarketing, branding and cross-media campaigns
Music Video
Topic overviewMusic video as a form: conventions, functions and developmentCamerawork, editing and mise-en-scène in music videoNarrative, intertextuality and postmodernism in music videoSemiotics, myth and ideology in music videoRepresentation, stereotyping and identity in music videoGender, objectification and performativity in music videoEthnicity, race and postcolonial readings in music videoFormation, Beyoncé (2016)Turntables, Janelle Monáe (2020)Underdog, Alicia Keys (2020)Riptide, Vance Joy (2013)Seventeen Going Under, Sam Fender (2021)Little Bit of Love, Tom Grennan (2021)
Radio
Topic overviewRadio as a form: its history, formats and the listening experiencePublic service broadcasting and the BBC's missionFunding radio: the licence fee, advertising and sponsorshipRegulating radio: Ofcom, the BBC Charter and impartialityOwnership and concentration in the commercial radio industryPodcasting and the on-demand audio economyDigital technology, convergence and BBC SoundsRadio audiences: reach, targeting and measurementAudience theory applied to radioWoman's HourHave You Heard George's Podcast (BBC Sounds)
Video Games
Topic overviewVideo games as a media formThe Assassin's Creed franchiseUbisoft: ownership, structure and global productionMaking a major game: budgets, teams and working conditionsDistribution, platforms and monetisationMarketing, regulation and the debate about effectsGame audiences: who plays and how they are reachedGames and historical context: representing the pastGlobal markets, localisation and cultural adaptationConvergence and the franchise across mediaHardware cycles, technology and accessGames, society and contemporary debate
Film Industries and Marketing
Topic overviewProduction in the film industryDistribution and release strategiesExhibition, box office and the cinema audienceFilm funding, budgets and public subsidyConglomerate ownership, integration and diversificationThe independent and specialised film sectorFilm marketing across convergent platformsRegulation, classification and the film industryBlack Panther: production and the Marvel blockbuster modelMarketing and distributing Black PantherI, Daniel Blake: independent production and fundingMarketing and distributing I, Daniel Blake
Television in the Global Age
Topic overviewTelevision in the global age: transnational production and co-productionPublic service broadcasting in a global marketplaceStreaming services and the changing distribution of televisionOwnership, funding and the economics of television dramaRegulation of television in the UK and across bordersMarketing television drama and targeting audiences nationally and globallyFandom, niche audiences and how audiences interpret television dramaGenre, narrative and media language in television dramaRepresentation, identity and ideology in television dramaPeaky Blinders (BBC Two, 2013)The Bridge (Denmark/Sweden, 2015)Black Mirror: 'San Junipero' (Netflix, 2016)The Returned (France, 2012)Killing Eve (BBC America/BBC Three, 2018)Tehran (Israel, 2020)
Magazines: Mainstream and Alternative
Topic overviewMagazine cover codes, layout and designSemiotics, structuralism and ideology in magazine languageGenre conventions and the historically relative magazineGender representation in magazines and feminist theoryStereotyping, ideology and under-represented groupsMagazine industries: ownership, funding and circulationMagazine audiences: targeting, niche and specialised readersAudience reception, interpretation and cultivationWoman (23–29 August 1964)Adbusters (May/June 2016)Woman's Realm (7–13 February 1965)Huck (February/March 2016)Vogue (July 1965)The Big Issue (17–23 October 2016)
Media in the Online Age
Topic overviewMedia language of the home page and the YouTube channelConvergence, participatory culture and user-generated contentSelf-representation and identity onlineRepresenting under-represented groups onlineOnline media industries: production, distribution and circulationInfluencers, monetisation and the economics of vloggingAlgorithms, curation and the attention economyRegulating online contentOnline audiences: fandom, niche reach and the end of audienceZoe Sugg's YouTube channelJJ Olatunji (KSI) and his YouTube channelThiiird online magazineAttitude magazine and website
Media Industries
- 14 subtopics
- 42 things to know
- Components 1 and 2
What Media Industries covers
Media Industries is examined in both written papers — the theoretical framework and the media contexts run through every section of the course and are applied to whichever set products a centre has chosen. It covers production, distribution and circulation, ownership models and patterns of control, conglomerates, vertical and horizontal integration, Curran and Seaton on power and media ownership, Hesmondhalgh and the cultural industries, funding: commercial, subscription and public money, public service broadcasting and the BBC, regulation and the UK regulators, Livingstone and Lunt on citizens and consumers, regulation in a global and digital age, convergence, digital technology and distribution, marketing, promotion and maintaining audiences, individual producers and the independent sector and globalisation and the international media market.
Where it is assessed
Components 1 and 2
The framework and the media contexts run through both written papers.
Check the Eduqas specification ↗The 14 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Production, distribution and circulationMedia distribution, circulation in the media industries and what is meant by the specialised nature of media production.Open →
- Ownership models and patterns of controlPatterns of ownership in the media, media conglomerate and independent media producer.Open →
- Conglomerates, vertical and horizontal integrationVertical integration, horizontal integration and synergy in the media industries.Open →
- Curran and Seaton on power and media ownershipCurran and Seaton's first key idea about ownership, curran and Seaton's third key idea and logic of profit and power in this theory.Open →
- Hesmondhalgh and the cultural industriesHesmondhalgh's first key idea, hesmondhalgh's second key idea and hesmondhalgh's third key idea, about the internet.Open →
- Funding: commercial, subscription and public moneyMain ways a media product can be funded, commercial funding and subscription model.Open →
- Public service broadcasting and the BBCPublic service broadcasting, main public service broadcasters in the UK and licence fee.Open →
- Regulation and the UK regulatorsMedia regulation, ofcom Broadcasting Code and BBFC age categories used for cinema films.Open →
- Livingstone and Lunt on citizens and consumersLivingstone and Lunt's first key idea, furthering the interests of citizens and furthering the interests of consumers.Open →
- Regulation in a global and digital ageRole of individual producers in regulation debates, safe harbour for an online platform and content quota.Open →
- Convergence, digital technology and distributionMedia convergence, technological convergence and economic convergence.Open →
- Marketing, promotion and maintaining audiencesMarketing campaign in the film industry, teaser trailer and brand identity for a newspaper.Open →
- Individual producers and the independent sectorIndividual producer in the media industries, long tail and indie game developer.Open →
- Globalisation and the international media marketGlobalisation in the media industries, cultural imperialism and format sale.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
How are media products paid for, and what does commercial funding depend on?
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Explain what media regulation is, name the UK broadcasting regulator, and say what its code covers.
Process
What three processes does the study of media industries cover?
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What is meant by patterns of ownership in the media?
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Which theorists argue that ownership of the media is concentrated in a few profit-driven firms?
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Whose theory explains how cultural industry companies minimise risk and maximise audiences?
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Define public service broadcasting.
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Which theorists analyse the tension between citizens and consumers in UK regulation?
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Why has the internet made media regulation harder?
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Define media convergence.
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Why must media organisations maintain audiences as well as attract them?
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What is meant by an individual producer in the media industries?
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What is globalisation in the media industries?
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Define media distribution.
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Define a media conglomerate.
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Define vertical integration.
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State Curran and Seaton's first key idea about ownership.
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State Hesmondhalgh's first key idea.
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Name the main ways a media product can be funded.
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Name the main public service broadcasters in the UK.
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What is media regulation?
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State Livingstone and Lunt's first key idea.
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What is meant by the role of individual producers in regulation debates?
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What is technological convergence?
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What is a marketing campaign in the film industry?
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How has digital technology empowered individual producers?
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Why do studios target global markets?
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What is meant by circulation in the media industries?
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What is an independent media producer?
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Define horizontal integration.
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What do Curran and Seaton say about the effects of media concentration?
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What does Hesmondhalgh mean by formatting a cultural product?
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What is meant by commercial funding?
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How is the BBC's mission usually summarised?
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Which body regulates broadcasting in the UK?
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What does furthering the interests of citizens mean in this theory?
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How do online platforms regulate content themselves?
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What is meant by economic convergence?
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What is a teaser trailer?
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Why is George the Poet's podcast significant for the radio industry?
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What is cultural imperialism?
Take Media Industries further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Diversification vs Synergy
Diversification: spreading a company across different markets. Synergy: making a company's existing products promote each other.
Vertical integration vs Horizontal integration
Vertical integration: ownership of successive stages of one industry by a single company. Horizontal integration: Ownership of rival businesses at the same stage of production.
Curran and Seaton vs Hesmondhalgh
Curran and Seaton: the theorists who analyse concentrated ownership and its effect on diversity. Hesmondhalgh: The theorist who analyses how companies minimise risk and maximise audiences.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What three processes does the study of media industries cover?
Model answer
Media industries are studied through production, distribution and circulation. Production creates the product, distribution supplies it to audiences, and circulation describes how it then spreads.
- 2
Define media distribution.
Model answer
Distribution is the process of delivering a finished media product to its audience. Distribution covers cinema release, broadcast scheduling, retail sale and streaming.
- 3
What is meant by circulation in the media industries?
Model answer
Circulation describes how a media product travels and is passed on once it has been released. Word of mouth, resharing and fan activity all extend circulation.
- 4
Why is distribution often called the most powerful stage of the film industry?
Model answer
Distributors decide which films reach cinemas, how many screens they get and how they are marketed. A film that is never distributed cannot find an audience.
- 5
Explain what is meant by the specialised nature of media production.
Model answer
Media production is specialised because it depends on trained professionals working in clearly defined roles. Camera, sound, editing and design are separate crafts with separate training.
- 6
What does it mean to call media production institutionalised?
Model answer
Media production is institutionalised because it takes place inside organisations with their own rules and routines. House style, hierarchy and commissioning processes all shape the product.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Media Industries revision questions
- What does Media Industries cover in Eduqas A-Level Media Studies?
- 14 subtopics: production, distribution and circulation, ownership models and patterns of control, conglomerates, vertical and horizontal integration, curran and seaton on power and media ownership, hesmondhalgh and the cultural industries, funding: commercial, subscription and public money, public service broadcasting and the bbc, regulation and the uk regulators, livingstone and lunt on citizens and consumers, regulation in a global and digital age, convergence, digital technology and distribution, marketing, promotion and maintaining audiences, individual producers and the independent sector and globalisation and the international media market. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Media Industries organised?
- By the Eduqas A680QS specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Media Industries, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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