Collective Identity of mothers

You Tube Video


How does your example compose, light, write, frame, crop, caption, brand, target and censor its representation?


Composition
The 'mother' represented in this video is composed to look very glamorous. Her hair is styled, dyed and brushed to perfection giving a very perfect representation of motherhood.
We first see her without makeup, but with manicured nails.
Her setting within her bedroom is full of muted greys, browns and neutral tones. The calm atmosphere this creates gives the impression of a very collected mother. The lack of clothes strewn over the floor or children's toys everywhere again makes this a very stylised representation. The only hint that this mother may not be entirely organised are the ruffled bed sheets or an unmade duvet.
The setting of the kitchen is likewise very tidy, clean and glossy looking. The flooring is wood, probably oak and buys into the expensive lifestyle that this 'mother' leads.


Lighting:
Natural lighting is used whenever possible. Natural light shines on the 'mother's' face to give a flattering look. In the bedroom the lighting is very natural shining directly on her face, to the extent that despite the lack of makeup this mother looks refreshed and not tired.
The lighting used in the kitchen consists of natural lighting, but also artificial, mid-level warm lighting under the kitchen cupboards.




Writing
The representation of this 'mother' is obviously very artificial as her words have been semi-scripted. There has been time to consider what she wants to say to her audience and the type of 'mother' that she wants to present. She drops in the type of milk she drinks, 'almond' and the range of fruit that she has styled on her porridge.
She uses the personal pronoun 'you' to talk directly to her audience and try to represent herself as a 'normal' mother, one who can communicate and is open and friendly.
Her conversations with her children are calm, friendly and shows clips of her trying to educate her

Framing
The camera angles used are either mid shots or high angle shots. Both shot choices are very flattering for the subject




Cropping/Editing/Sensoring
The 'day in the life' of this you tube video is highly edited. We jump cut from Anna with no make up to her introducing what she had for lunch. This again is a highly stylised representation of a 'mother' almost a 'yummy mummy' as none of the process and daily routine has been included,

Branding
The Saccone Joly's are their own brand. They have built their own empire of distinct You Tube videos. Within the first 40 seconds of the video both Costa and Buxton are used to show the brands of coffee and water this mother drinks. Mid-range costing products are used rather than a glass of tap water and an instant coffee brand.
However, the branding within the video such as Ocado and Duchy both give more evidence to the representation of 'yummy mummy'.  


Targeting
The demographic of the Anna Saccone videos would possibly be other mothers who are interested in her children and her daily routine. However,

Representations

Representation in the Media

By definition, all media texts are re-presentations of reality. This means that they are intentionally composed, lit, written, framed, cropped, captioned, branded, targeted and censored by their producers, and that they are entirely artificial versions of the reality we perceive around us. When studying the media it is vital to remember this - every media form, from a home video to a glossy magazine, is a representation of someone's concept of existence, codified into a series of signs and symbols which can be read by an audience. However, it is important to note that without the media, our perception of reality would be very limited, and that we, as an audience, need these artificial texts to mediate our view of the world, in other words we need the media to make sense of reality. Therefore representation is a fluid, two-way process: producers position a text somewhere in relation to reality and audiences assess a text on its relationship to reality.

How does your example compose, light, write, frame, crop, caption, brand, target and censor its representation?

Markscheme

G325 Critical Perspectives In Media

Candidates must choose one of the following topic areas, in advance of the examination and, through specific case studies, texts, debates and research of the candidates’ choice, prepare to demonstrate understanding of the contemporary issue. This understanding must combine knowledge of at least two media and a range of texts, industries, audiences and debates, but these are to be selected by the centre / candidate. The assessment of the response will be generic, allowing for the broadest possible range of responses within the topic area chosen. Each topic is accompanied by four prompt questions, and candidates must be prepared to answer an exam question that relates to one or more of these four prompts. There should be emphasis on the historical, the contemporary and the future in relation to the chosen topic, with most attention on the present. Centres are thus advised to ensure that study materials for this unit are up to date and relevant.

Topic Content Prompts

Candidates are free to study any media texts, theories, case studies, debates and issues, providing they relate to the four prompts for the topic area selected. The exam question will relate to one or more of the prompts.

Media and Collective Identity

1. How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic / social / collective groups of people in different ways?
    

1. How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?
2. What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?
3. To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’?
    
   Candidates might explore combinations of any media representation across two media, or two different representations across two media. Some examples are:
   National cinema, television representations, magazines and gender, representations of youth and youth culture, post-9/11 representations of Islam, absence / presence of people with disability in two media.
   Further Guidance
   Section 1
   In order for candidates to be best prepared for the exam, it is suggested that preparation for G325 should take place alongside production work. However, centres are not recommended to design A2 production briefs purely to be ‘suitable‘ for G325. Rather, candidates should be guided in reflective, theoretical evaluation of production as an ongoing way of learning throughout their AS and A2 studies. Question 1(a) directly requests an evaluation of how candidates’ media production skills have developed progressively from AS to A2, so centres are advised to guide candidates through regular ‘audits’ of skills development. As the question for 1(b) is different in focus for each assessment session, and draws from a list of possible concepts, candidates should either prepare to answer on more than one of their productions (so they can choose the production in response to the specific demands of the question) or prepare an evaluation of one production which covers all of the possible concepts.
   Section 2
   In order to be fully prepared for the specific requirements of the question, the material studied by candidates must cover these three elements:

1. Historical – dependent on the requirements of the topic, candidates must summarise the development of the media forms in question in theoretical contexts.
2. Contemporary – current issues within the topic area.
3. Future – candidates must demonstrate personal engagement with debates about the future of the media forms / issues that the topic relates to.
    

In order to preserve the flexibility and freedom for candidates / centres to tailor the topics to their own preferences / interests, the list of examples offered above should be taken as a starting point but certainly not as a prescribed set of content. However, centres should approach a topic with the following general guidance in mind. Credit will be given for work which can be adapted to the specific requirements of the question

For example, a candidate studying computer / video games for Post-modern Media will need to consider the status of games as post-modern in relation to their subversion of traditional text-reader relations, and discuss the avatar (embodiment of the player in character form onscreen) in terms of how this might challenge a traditional understanding of media representation. To cover the historical, contemporary and future perspectives, they will need to study the history of computer games as a media form, the current industry and contemporary theories / debates, and perspectives on the future of gaming in terms of players, designers and industries.

In addition, candidates will need to offer a balance of media theories, knowledge of texts and industries and personal engagement with issues and debates.

What are we aiming for?

Please read the exemplar essays on SMHW.
https://highdownschool.showmyhomework.co.uk/teacher/homeworks/8632742-english-exemplar-essays


Come up with 10 top tips for Section B of this exam.

Gramsci

Find out about Gramsci's theories on representation and put a post on your blog on how you think his ideas link to the representations you have researched so far.
Mrs S

Welcome to Media Studies A2!

G325 What is it all about?

Please read the document on SMHW to understand what Part A of your examination is about.