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
Television in the Global Age
- 15 subtopics
- 45 things to know
- Component 2
What Television in the Global Age covers
Television in the Global Age is examined in Component 2, Media Forms and Products in Depth. It covers television in the global age: transnational production and co-production, public service broadcasting in a global marketplace, streaming services and the changing distribution of television, ownership, funding and the economics of television drama, regulation of television in the UK and across borders, marketing television drama and targeting audiences nationally and globally, fandom, niche audiences and how audiences interpret television drama, genre, narrative and media language in television drama, representation, identity and ideology in television drama, Peaky 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) and Tehran (Israel, 2020).
The 15 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Television in the global age: transnational production and co-productionTelevision co-production, why Nordic noir became a valuable export for Scandinavian broadcasters and television format sale.Open →
- Public service broadcasting in a global marketplacePublic service broadcasting, three duties in the BBC's founding mission and term 'commissioning.Open →
- Streaming services and the changing distribution of televisionHow viewing data shapes commissioning at a streaming service, one way an algorithmic recommendation system affects what audiences watch and long tail.Open →
- Ownership, funding and the economics of television dramaMedia conglomerate, vertical integration in television and horizontal integration in television.Open →
- Regulation of television in the UK and across bordersTwo areas the Broadcasting Code covers, struggle Livingstone and Lunt identify in UK regulation policy and age certificate.Open →
- Marketing television drama and targeting audiences nationally and globallyPurpose of a television trailer, two elements of a television marketing campaign besides the trailer and second-screen viewing.Open →
- Fandom, niche audiences and how audiences interpret television dramaJenkins's idea of 'textual poaching, fan-produced content around a television drama and three positions Hall identifies for decoding a message.Open →
- Genre, narrative and media language in television dramaGenre hybrid, why subverting a genre convention can be effective and denotation and connotation.Open →
- Representation, identity and ideology in television dramaStereotyping and power, ethnocentrism, identity resources, gender as discourse and as performance, and how one drama can be read as reinforcing or challenging a type.Open →
- Peaky Blinders (BBC Two, 2013)A period gang drama: its opening sequence and anachronistic soundtrack, the family at its centre and its heritage, who made and funded it, and how it travelled.Open →
- The Bridge (Denmark/Sweden, 2015)A Nordic noir co-production set on a national border: its detective, its conventions, its funding, its remakes, and what its success says about subtitled drama.Open →
- Black Mirror: 'San Junipero' (Netflix, 2016)An anthology episode about a simulated world, love and old age; its period styling, its unusual ending, and what streaming changed about how it was made.Open →
- The Returned (France, 2012)Premise of the first episode and how The Returned creates unease without explicit horror.Open →
- Killing Eve (BBC America/BBC Three, 2018)Carolyn Martens's function in the narrative, BBC America and unusual about Killing Eve's American ratings across its first season.Open →
- Tehran (Israel, 2020)A spy thriller set in Iran: its agent and her cover, where it was really filmed, contested representation, and why global streamers buy national drama.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
What is a genre hybrid, and what decides which conventions a broadcaster keeps?
Numbers
Describe the opening of Peaky Blinders and the effect of the music laid over it.
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What is meant by a television co-production?
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What is public service broadcasting?
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What is a media conglomerate?
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Which body regulates broadcast television in the UK?
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What is the purpose of a television trailer?
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How do fans extend a television drama beyond its episodes?
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Why is a drama's version of a city a representation rather than a record?
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Which two countries co-produced The Bridge, and which broadcasters showed it?
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Who created Black Mirror, and who wrote 'San Junipero'?
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Who created The Returned, and which French channel first showed it?
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Who developed Killing Eve for television, and from what source?
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Which Israeli broadcaster first showed Tehran?
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Give two reasons producers enter international co-production deals.
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How is the BBC paid for?
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What does SVOD stand for, and what does it describe?
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Define vertical integration in television.
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What is the watershed, and when does it fall?
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State two elements of a television marketing campaign besides the trailer.
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Explain Jenkins's idea of 'textual poaching'.
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How does a television drama balance repetition and difference?
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Why can a drama made in one country be misread in another?
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Who created Peaky Blinders, and in which city is the drama set?
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Which British channel brought The Bridge to UK viewers?
Numbers
Which broadcaster showed the first two series of Black Mirror, and what changed in 2016?
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What is the premise of the first episode?
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Which two characters drive the narrative?
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Which service carries Tehran outside Israel?
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What does the term 'transnational television' describe?
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State the three duties in the BBC's founding mission.
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How does a box set release differ from weekly scheduling?
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Define horizontal integration in television.
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State two areas the Broadcasting Code covers.
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How do broadcasters use social media hashtags during transmission?
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What does Jenkins mean by participatory culture?
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How does a television drama borrow from other genres?
Process
How does Hall describe the process of stereotyping?
Numbers
In what year does the first episode of Peaky Blinders open, and why does that matter?
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Which bridge gives the series its name, and what does it connect?
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What is San Junipero within the story?
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Which teenage character gives the first episode its title?
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Which production company made Killing Eve, and which broadcasters showed it?
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Who is the central character in Tehran, and what is her mission?
Take Television in the Global Age further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
A co-production vs A format sale
A co-production: making one programme together. A format sale: licensing the idea so another country makes its own.
Demographic targeting vs Psychographic targeting
Demographic targeting: targeting by age, gender and social class. Psychographic targeting: Targeting by lifestyle, values and taste.
Steve Neale vs Claude Lévi-Strauss
Steve Neale: the theorist who treats genre as repetition with variation. Claude Lévi-Strauss: The theorist who treats narrative structure as binary oppositions.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is meant by a television co-production?
Model answer
A co-production is a drama financed and made by two or more companies, often in different countries. Each partner contributes money or facilities and shares the rights.
- 2
Give two reasons producers enter international co-production deals.
Model answer
Co-production spreads the cost and risk of an expensive drama across several partners. Access to another country's tax incentives and broadcast slots is the second reason.
- 3
What does the term 'transnational television' describe?
Model answer
Transnational television describes programmes made, funded or watched across national borders rather than within one country. Finance, production teams and audiences are drawn from several territories.
- 4
Explain why Nordic noir became a valuable export for Scandinavian broadcasters.
Model answer
Nordic noir offered a distinctive visual style and strong social themes that travelled well to other markets. Foreign broadcasters could buy the finished series far more cheaply than commissioning their own drama.
- 5
What is a television format sale?
Model answer
A format sale licenses the idea and structure of a programme so that another country can remake it locally. The original producer earns a fee without exporting the finished episodes.
- 6
What does a television distributor do?
Model answer
A distributor takes finished programmes to broadcasters and platforms in other countries. Rights are licensed territory by territory and for a fixed period.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Television in the Global Age revision questions
- What does Television in the Global Age cover in Eduqas A-Level Media Studies?
- 15 subtopics: television in the global age: transnational production and co-production, public service broadcasting in a global marketplace, streaming services and the changing distribution of television, ownership, funding and the economics of television drama, regulation of television in the uk and across borders, marketing television drama and targeting audiences nationally and globally, fandom, niche audiences and how audiences interpret television drama, genre, narrative and media language in television drama, representation, identity and ideology in television drama, peaky 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) and tehran (israel, 2020). Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Television in the Global Age organised?
- By the Eduqas A680QS specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Television in the Global Age, 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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