Media Studies Annotated Exemplars

AS90277 v2 (2.2) Close read unfamiliar media text

Level 2 3 Credits

Achievement Criteria

Achievement / Achievement with Merit / Achievement with Excellence /
·  Describe how elements of media language contribute to meaning in unfamiliar media text. / ·  Explain how elements of media language contribute to meaning in unfamiliar media text. / ·  Analyse how elements of media language contribute to meaning in unfamiliar media text.

Moving Image Media Texts

Not Achieved
Example 1
Text: Donnie Darko
Element of media language: Slow Motion / Comments
Slow motion is used in the scene right at the end when Donnie is setting fire to the school and while the Sparkle Motion girls are performing. / The use of slow motion is described.
This element of film language is shown by slowing down the Sparkle Motion girls dancing and having the audience stand up and clap in slow motion, while Donnie is setting fire to the school at the exact same time. / Description of how the element is used includes barely sufficient description of what slow motion is.
The element of film language ‘slow motion’ is used to create a more dramatic effect and to show the viewers how the audience and Sparkle Motion girls will be affected by this action Donnie is performing. / The response attempts to provide a reason why the element is used but is not accurate and does not provide sufficient specific detail to make the comment clear.
Slow motion is also commonly used in films such as horrors and thrillers to show the viewers the intensity that the characters are going to or are experiencing. / The generalised reason for the use of slow motion is not comprehensive and not very clearly expressed.
The slow motion also shows what the audience thinks of Donnie at the same time. / The student claims an effect but does not provide any details of what the audience thinks, does not describe how this effect is achieved and is not convincing.
Example 2
Text: Donnie Darko
Element of media language: Music / Comments
Music is used to help establish a sense of pace of the accompanying scene. The emotional colouring of the music also reinforces the mood of the scene. Music used for a chase scene becomes louder to underscore a dramatically important action. Repetition can link shots, scenes, and sequences. / A general comment is made about the use of the music in the scene.
The use of the music is described in some more specific detail.
The sound of music changes as the scene progresses, thus as the mood of the scene changes, so too does the mood of the music, therefore enhancing the experience for the audience. / However, there is no specific and clear description of the effect created in the actual scene or of how that effect was created.
When Jerry Dandridge says, “For real,” the music is made up of long dramatic beats (probably on a piano or keyboard). As the pace of the scene increases, so too does the beat of the music. / The response describes the use and effect of music in general terms but it is not clear whether this is intended to refer to the actual scene studied or to moving image texts in general.
Example 3
Text: The Beach
Element of media language: Close Up (CU) / Comments
Camera shot sizes are very important as they allow us to see certain amounts of the scene at a time. / The response provides a brief general introduction to shots.
In this scene [arrival on one side of the island], when the three are hiding in the crops, lots of close ups are used on Richard as he is the main character and it is important to see his facial expressions to interpret his thoughts and moves. / There is a brief description of the use of the element which contains some limited implied description of what a CU is, and why it is used.
We mainly focus on Richard’s face with a close up, but as the monkey approaches with the armed men, we have a low angle shot of the men and a looking room of the monkey. This makes it seem as if we are looking from Richards POV [point of view] and it also establishes the men as not only dangerous but also dominating. / The response moves on to discussion of other shots without describing a clear effect (e.g. specific emotions or reactions shown etc) or how it is created.
Achieved (Low –close to Not Achieved)
Example 1
Text: Donnie Darko
Element of media language: Music / Comments
The diegetic music in this scene starts off with a slow, peaceful song that Cherita dances/performs to. This music is played so the audience can relax and the suspense created after will make the viewer more tense. / The student describes the element of language and what it is used for in general terms.
After Cherita’s performance is over, The Sparkle Motion girls perform to a much faster upbeat song. / The student describes a specific example of the use of the element with minimal detail.
This is played to warn the viewer that something dramatic is about to occur, for example something that will affect other cast members in a serious way or something that helps to add to the sequence and create the image of suspicion and the tangent world by creating these images and alerting the viewers. The viewers can then relate this to their understanding of how they feel about this scene. / Explanation of why the element is used is confused and not sufficiently accurate to justify Achievement with Merit.
In this scene the viewers would probably feel anxious and tense because they know something’s going to happen but haven’t yet any clues as to what it is. / A limited and superficial effect comment is made, but is largely suppositional.
The music is then faded, but not stopped completely because the Sparkle Motion girls are still performing while the suspense is being created but a suspenseful song is played on the top of the Sparkle Motion girls performance song to create suspense and help the slow motion fit into the scene. / Description of the use of the element continues and the student makes a further limited and superficial effect and attempts to explain why the element is used.
There is no explanation required for Achievement with Merit of why the use of the element contributes to the meaning in the manner claimed.
Diegetic music is faded and raised throughout the scene to draw the viewers’ attention to a certain pace or thing in the scene. An example of this was when Jim Cunningham’s face was lit up by the flame. The intense music over the top of the Sparkle Motion girls performance music got louder when this face was shown so the audience’s attention is focused on his face so they know it’s Jim’s house Donnie is burning down. / The student describes more details of how the element is used and provides a second specific example of the use of the element.
The response describes how the element of music is used to link events occurring in two different places at the same time.
A limited and superficial effect comment is made.
This is a common technique in film and specifically used on movies that want to create suspense or portray a certain emotion to the viewers. / There is some attempt to refer to wider implications but the comments are too generalised to justify consideration of Achievement with Excellence, and are not supported by any specific examples from other texts.
Example 2
Text: Fright Night
Element of media language: Music / Comments
Music is used to help establish a sense of pace of the accompanying scene. The emotional colouring of the music also reinforces the mood of the scene. Music used for a chase scene becomes louder to underscore a dramatically important action. Repetition can link shots, scenes, and sequences. / The response describes the use and effect of music in general terms but it is not clear whether this is intended to refer to the actual scene studied or to moving image texts in general.
The sound of music changes as the scene progresses, thus as the mood of the scene changes, so too does the mood of the music, therefore enhancing the experience for the audience. / A generalised and non-specific comment is made about the use of the music in the scene.
When Jerry Dandridge says, “For real,” the music is made up of long dramatic beats (probably on a piano or keyboard). As the pace of the scene increases, so too does the beat of the music. / The use of the music is described in some more specific detail.
However, there is no specific and clear description of the effect created in the actual scene or of how that effect was created.
Example 3
Text: ‘Hurt’ Johnny Cash music video
Element of media language: BCU (Big Close Up) / Comments
The element of film language, Big Close Up, is used throughout the music video perhaps suggesting Cash has a lot of emotion and hurt [that] are expressed throughout the video. / An element of film language and a reason for its use/effect are briefly identified.
One particular example is when he sings, “…the needle tears a hole…” Cash’s tired and worn face fills almost the whole frame just leaving a very small talking space. His face shows the pain a needle can cause as it pierces your skin. / One specific example of how it is used in the video is described in some detail. The description provides barely sufficient detail to demonstrate what the shot referred to is, although the term BCU is a little loosely interpreted.
The contribution to meaning is described, including how it is created by the use of the BCU.
This contributes to the meaning of the film and especially the lyric as a large amount of the song is based on him “hurting himself today.”
When this song was composed he was clearly a sad and upset man. / A further implied effect is described but there is no description of how the audience knows this.
Achieved (High –close to Achieved with Merit)
Example 1
Text: Stroke
Element of media language: Overhead Angle (bird’s eye view) / Comments
The overhead angle shots on Dorothy show us many things. We see how tranquil and at peace she is as she is shown drifting around with no direct objective. / The name of the shot describes what it is.
We also see how small and insignificant she is in comparison to her surroundings, as if she is a small fish in a big pond. She is not disturbing her surroundings or hurting anything. / The descriptions of what the shot shows unpack the meaning of the term further.
The descriptions also include a description of several effects and how they are achieved by the use of the shot, although some of this is implied rather than stated clearly and specifically. This also implies some limited explanation of why the shot is used but requires further explanation, perhaps in terms of comparison to the use of different shots.
The overhead shots may also symbolise her vulnerability to attack, although she is not in danger at this moment. This may foreshadow the danger of the attack yet to come. / The further effect of foreshadowing raises the quality of the response to wider considerations.
However, the response does not include sufficient detailed explanation of why the shot is used and has the effect claimed for Achievement with Merit.
Example 2
Text: Blade Runner – first scene
Element of media language: Mise-en-Scène,
Character Positioning / Comments
[Accompanied by a screen shot illustrating the characters’ positioning in the scene]
Another mise en scène element that was used to create an atmosphere is character positioning.
The purpose of character placement is to show character relationships, as relationships between characters can influence how a scene is presented. Character positioning shows how the characters relate to each other, and what the audience is supposed to think of them. / The response provides a detailed general description of the element of language and its use and purpose (effect / contribution to meaning) in moving image media texts.
There is some but very limited description in general terms of how the contribution to meaning occurs.
For example, in Clip 55 we see two characters sitting at opposite ends of a table. This indicates that the characters have differences. We also see in the clip that the man in the suit has a bigger chair than Leon, which means that he is the more dominant and has more power. / The response describes a specific example of the use of character positioning in the scene.
The effect this has on the audience is that they see that the characters have a relationship and can also tell by their positioning who is the more dominant character. / The response describes a contribution to meaning.
The effect is not explained, and other interpretations could be made of this positioning without further detail and explanation.
We can also see that the physical distance between the characters is a long way. This suggests an alienation between them. / A further effect is described and a possible but very vague explanation for the effect provided.
The audience would also want to know more about what their relationship is, and how it continues through the movie. / The response concludes with a statement of what further information the audience might require.