OSP: Rashford & Kardashian - Audience and Industry

The second part of our OSP CSP work is on the Audience and Industry contexts for Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian.

This will focus more on how technology, the internet and social media have changed society and culture for audiences and industries. 

Audience

Target audience: demographics and psychographics

What is the target audience for two CSPs? 

• Demographics: CAGE? 
• Psychographics? 

Audience engagement

Instagram engagement rate is a measure of how much audiences engage with posts (e.g. likes, comments). An engagement rate of 1-3% is considered good and anything 6%+ is extremely high.

Marcus Rashford’s power as an influencer is shown by his engagement rate of 6% (although recently this has dropped to 3.2% due to increasing his follower count and focusing more on football rather than his brand development).

Source: https://starngage.com/app/gb/influencers/marcusrashford

Kim Kardashian's engagement rate is lower at 0.33% but she has over 350 million followers so can still reach and engage with huge audiences.

Celebrity influences: appeal to audiences

What is the appeal of Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian to audiences? Think about their campaigns, use of social media and brand associations. Also, consider their appeal to different audiences.

Use Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory:

• Diversion
• Personal Identity
• Personal Relationships
• Surveillance/information

Industries

Marcus Rashford net worth

Marcus Rashford’s net worth has been estimated at around £16m (source: Sunday Times rich list). This includes:

• £300,000 per week from Manchester United (£15.6m a year)
• £2m endorsement deal with Nike
• Additional deals with Burberry, Jaguar Land Rover, Coca-Cola and others

He is also the youngest person to top the Sunday Times Giving List for raising £20m for good causes.

Kim Kardashian net worth

Kim Kardashian’s net worth has been estimated at $1.7 BILLION. This is from:

• The Kardashians TV show on Hulu is a $100m deal
• Her brands SKIMS, KKW Beauty and many more

Celebrity commercial partners & products

Watch the following videos of Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian to get an understanding of their brands and commercial partners.

• What do the companies get from an association with Rashford or Kardashian?
• Thinking about media language, how do these adverts create an emotional connection between the brand and audience? 
• How do the clips help Rashford or Kardashian control or build their own brand?

Marcus Rashford: Black History Month

Marcus Rashford: Nike - New Normal

Marcus Rashford: Coca-Cola

Kim Kardashian: Meat alternative

Kim Kardashian Hollywood mobile game

Industries: ownership, control and regulation

Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian’s online presence is partly driven by their excellent use of social media.

But who owns Twitter/X? Who owns Instagram? How much money do they make? How are they regulated?

These are key questions for GCSE Media students.

Twitter/X

• Twitter was started by Jack Dorsey in 2006. It has over 500 million active users worldwide. 
• Twitter’s revenue is around $3 billion. 
• Twitter makes most of its money through advertising – promoted tweets or ‘trend takeovers’.
• Marcus Rashford has 7m X followers, Kim Kardashian 75m. 
• In 2022 Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 BILLION and has since added controversial new features and renamed it X.

Instagram

• Instagram is an image and video sharing site launched in 2010. 
• In 2012 it was bought by Facebook for $1 billion. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company is now called Meta – a global conglomerate.
• Instagram has over a billion active users worldwide and more than 25 million users in the UK alone.
• Instagram revenue in 2023 was $61 BILLION.
• Marcus Rashford has over 17m Instagram followers, Kim Kardashian 350m.

Instagram: a danger to teenagers?

• Over 40% of Instagram users are aged under 23.
• Research suggests that Instagram is damaging to mental health – particularly for teenage girls.
• Facebook’s own research suggested this – but they allegedly kept this secret.
• The research suggested one in three girls felt bad about their bodies and Instagram made this worse. It is also linked to increased anxiety and depression.

Media regulation: how do you regulate the internet and social media?

The government is introducing the Online Safety bill to try and add regulation of the internet to Ofcom’s role as media regulator. This includes:

• Sending threatening posts being punishable by jail sentences.
• Platforms like X and Instagram having to actively prevent users seeing harmful material – or risk being fined by Ofcom.
• Platforms paying Ofcom to regulate their content.

Critics of the law have suggested social media is impossible to regulate – there is too much content – or users’ freedom of speech will be compromised.

Internet regulation: key questions

The internet is very difficult to regulate because it is global but governments are national. Also, corporations like Amazon or Facebook are now more powerful than some governments.

Media theorist Clay Shirky describes the change with digital media as going from: “Filter then publish to publish then filter”. 

Anyone can publish almost anything instantly and the audience then has to filter the content they engage with.

Here's Clay Shirky talking about how the internet is changing communication - watch the first three minutes:

Finally, here is Marcus Rashford talking to Sky Sports News about what should be done about online abuse: 

OSP: Audience and Industries blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to complete our OSP work:

Audience

1) Who are the potential target audiences for Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian's online content? Try and cover both demographics and psychographics.

2) Marcus Rashford’s online presence is partly driven by his excellent use of social media. How does he use social media to engage with his fans and make them feel part of his brand?

3) What is Instagram engagement rate and what engagement rates do Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian have? 

4) Go to Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian's X or Instagram account. Find and screenshot/link three posts that show the different aspects of their brand e.g. Relatable person (normal, down to earth), Campaigner (interested in politics), Celebrity (e.g. awards ceremony or fashion), Brand promotion (e.g. selling a product).

5) What audience pleasures are provided by Marcus Rashford's online presence? What about Kim Kardashian? Try and apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory here. 

6) Applying Stuart Hall's Reception theory, what would a preferred and oppositional reading of Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian's online presence be?

• Preferred reading (people who support Rashford/Kardashian): 
• Oppositional reading (people who criticise Rashford/Kardashian): 

Industries

1) What is Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian's net worth and how does their online presence help them to make money? 

2) What companies/brands are Rashford and Kardashian associated with? Why might they want to be linked to those celebrities?

3) Research Twitter/X and Instagram. Who owns the companies, how do they make money and how much profit did they make last year?

4) What are the worries about Instagram’s negative effects?

5) How do social media platforms manage online abuse on their platforms and why has Marcus Rashford drawn attention to this? How might this change in the future?

6) What happened by law in 2022 that changed the way the internet is regulated? Write three changes that this new law may bring in and explain why it is difficult to regulate the internet.

Due date: on Google Classroom

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Look at this Marcus Rashford tweet. How does this help Rashford create a positive representation of himself and also control the media narrative?

Read this Guardian feature on Marcus Rashford being a Hero of 2020. What representation of Rashford does this offer?

Read this Guardian Books interview with Marcus Rashford. How does Rashford's work on reading and literacy help his reputation? Can you find any other interesting representations here?

Read this news story on Rashford being named one of the top ten most powerful black Britons. What does this suggest about race and ethnicity in Britain and the British media?

How does Marcus Rashford's online presence reflect modern society and culture?

Read this Sky Sports interview with Marcus Rashford saying online abuse should be easier to stop. What does he think the companies should be doing to regulate it?

If you want to test yourself at A Level or even degree level, try reading this chapter from A Level Media theorist Clay Shirky called Publish, Then Filter. How does Shirky suggest the internet has changed the way we engage with the media?

December mock exam: revision and preparation

Your December mock exam is a great opportunity to practice a full 90-minute exam and revise some of the CSPs we have studied so far. 

Your December exam will be one full Paper 2 (Television and Online, Social and Participatory Media). Below is a full guide to what you need to revise for each section of the exam.   

Know your exam

One of the most important aspects of preparing for examinations is knowing exactly what topics could come up and where. For your December exam, this is what will come up:

December mock exam - Wednesday 18 December

Section A: Television

• Short extract from either Doctor Who – An Unearthly Child (1963) or His Dark Materials – The City of Magpies (2020).
• The extract will be shown twice and you can make notes. There will then be three questions on the extract (2 marks, 8 marks, 12 marks).
• The final question is a 20-mark essay on BOTH of your TV Close-Study Products.
• The TV index with links to all original blogposts is here.

Section B: Online, Social and Participatory Media

• Short 2-mark question on media terminology.
• Two 20-mark essays on Online, Social and Participatory Media - celebrities/influencers Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian. 
• This is what we're studying now and these posts can be found on the main Year 2 Media blog. For example, OSP Language and Representation is here.

Your real Paper 2 in the summer may have questions on Newspapers in Section B. However, these will not appear in your December mock exam as we have not studied the topic yet.

How to revise

Revision is a very personal thing and everyone has different techniques. Personally, I strongly recommend using flash cards (they are often called record cards if you are trying to buy them online or in WHSmiths). The simple act of distilling topics into a few key words or phrases to put on the card will seriously help in remembering the key information in the final exams. I have spare flash cards in DF07 if you'd like some. Media students in the past have created three sets of revision cards:

• Media terminology
• Media theory
• CSPs

The two topics you need to focus on particularly in December are:

• Television
• OSP - Influencers, Rashford and Kardashian

Good luck with your revision and give this mock exam your best shot!

Due date on Google Classroom

OSP: Rashford & Kardashian - Language and Representation

Our OSP CSPs are the online presence of Manchester Utd and England footballer Marcus Rashford and celebrity influencer Kim Kardashian.

This is an in-depth CSP so we need to study all four areas of the theoretical framework: Language, Representation, Audience and Industry. This first case study will focus on Language and Representation.

Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford is a Manchester Utd and England footballer who has used social media and the internet to create a strong brand. He has been praised for his high-profile campaigns on food poverty (putting pressure on the government to provide free school meals in holidays during Covid-19) as well as homelessness and books for children. 

We need to study his website, social media and how he has created his Marcus Rashford brand. 

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian is one of the most successful social media influencers of all time. She uses her social media presence to promote herself and her brands to her 350 million followers. Kardashian is highly sought after as a brand ambassador and is paid millions of dollars by companies to promote their products.

With Kim Kardashian, we need to study the influence of celebrities and how she has managed to build a billion dollar empire using social media and celebrity.

Language analysis

GLOW glossary words

Convergence: When two or more media forms can be accessed in one place or one device e.g Marcus Rashford’s website also links to his books, social media feeds and video content. 

Online engagement/dialogue: Communication online e.g between a celebrity and a fan. 

Endorsement: When a celebrity or influential figure recommends something to the public. 

Website conventions

Website key conventions include:

• Logo/brand identity
• Navigation – menus
• Central image
• Multimedia features – e.g. video 
• Social media links / integration

Social media conventions

Social media key conventions include:

• Logo/brand identity
• Bio (personal details/information)
• Profile image
• Background/banner image
• Images and video
• Online engagement/audience interaction

Media Language: Genre and narrative

Marcus Rashford has created a strong personal brand that merges different genres – footballer, campaigner / activist, influencer, celebrity.

His online presence emphasises his working class background and how hard his mum worked as a single parent. This creates a narrative of success against the odds. He then uses this to drive his campaigning work on food poverty and reading.

Kardashian, in contrast, is far more focused on fashion, wealth and celebrity. She herself said she wanted to be famous more than anything.

Marcus Rashford story:

MOTD Mural:

Real reason behind Kim Kardashian's fame:

Representations

Marcus Rashford’s online presence offers a real mix of representations – some reinforcing stereotypes of masculinity, footballers and race/ethnicity but others subverting them. He also looks to challenge stereotypes regarding poverty, benefits and social class.

Kim Kardashian could be viewed as an empowering businesswoman – building a billion dollar empire. But she also reinforces negative stereotypes regarding female appearance and the importance of celebrity.

Use Daniel Chandler’s representation theory of CAGE to analyse representations in the media. Here's an example for Marcus Rashford’s online presence:

• C – Class (social class – working class people)
• A – Age (youth)
• G – Gender (masculinity)
• E – Ethnicity (black British)

OSP: Language and Representation blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to cover the Language and Representation key concepts for our OSP CSPs:

Language

1) Make two lists - one of website conventions used on Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian's official website and one of social media conventions found on their Instagram pages. 

2) How does Marcus Rashford's website and social media promote his brand? Give at least three examples of different pages / posts / images from his website or social media. 

3) How does Kim Kardashian's website and social media promote her brand? Give at least three examples of different pages / posts / images from her brand websites or social media. 

4) How does Marcus Rashford's online presence use the narrative of his childhood upbringing to create a positive brand identity?

5) How does Kim Kardashian's website and social media promote other media products or websites using the Kardashian brand (e.g. Keeping Up With The Kardashians TV show)? 

Representations

1) How does Marcus Rashford use different aspects of mise-en-scene (e.g. clothes/costume/ settings/locations) to create representations of himself on his website and social media? 

2) What examples can you find of website pages, social media posts or aspects of his brand that create a positive representation of Marcus Rashford? You may wish to comment on his discussion of family or his campaigns - his page on the FareShare campaign website may help with this question.

3) How does Marcus Rashford's online presence challenge stereotypes? Think about gender (masculinity), race/ethnicity, social class or football here. 

4)  What representation of celebrity is created by Kim Kardashian's website and social media? How are audience encouraged to view celebrity? 

5) What gender stereotypes are reinforced or challenged in Kim Kardashian's online presence? 

Due date: on Google Classroom

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Look at this Marcus Rashford tweet. How does this help Rashford create a positive representation of himself and also control the media narrative?

Read this Guardian feature on Marcus Rashford being a Hero of 2020. What representation of Rashford does this offer?

Read this Guardian Books interview with Marcus Rashford. How does Rashford's work on reading and literacy help his reputation? Can you find any other interesting representations here?

Read this news story on Rashford being named one of the top ten most powerful black Britons. What does this suggest about race and ethnicity in Britain and the British media?

How do Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian's online presence reflect modern society and culture?

Coursework: draft deadline

The draft deadline for your Media coursework is approaching.

This is 30% of your overall GCSE so it's a brilliant opportunity to get a load of marks in the bank before taking on the exams in the summer. Your draft deadline is: 

Deadline: week commencing Monday 9 December

Your Media teacher will confirm the exact lesson date for your deadline.

On the deadline day, you need to submit one of the following:

Two exported MP4 video files for your two health drink TV adverts

or

Three PDF files for your three health drink print adverts

These need to be in your folder in the student area of Media Shared.

You may also want to submit an updated Statement of Intent for re-marking. 

Your draft production work will be marked and given feedback. You will then get a chance to re-edit or re-draft your coursework before the final deadline.

Good luck!

OSP: Introduction to influencers

Our new topic is Online, Social and Participatory Media - or OSP for short.

There are two CSPs to study here but we'll be looking at them alongside each other - Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian's social media and online presence. This is an in-depth CSP and needs to be studied with reference to all four elements of the Theoretical Framework (Language, Representation, Industries, Audience) and all relevant contexts. 

But before we study these two celebrities in detail, we need to look at the rise of social media influencers and the impact this has had on media, society and culture.

The rise of influencers

The rise of influencers is a major change in media and culture due to technology, the internet and social media. Influencers give brands a new and powerful way to reach audiences but critics think that social media stars are taking advantage of their relationship with their followers.

User-generated content

Influencers exist because of changes in technology and the internet. This created social media sites like YouTube and Facebook and led to the rise in user-generated content.

User-generated content (UGC) is any content—text, videos, images, reviews, etc.—created by people, rather than brands.

UGC means audiences can be producers as well as consumers – we create and share media as well as viewing it.

How do influencers make money?

Kim Kardashian is worth an estimated $1.7 BILLION which shows how much money influencers can make.

It is estimated that Kardashian can make anywhere from $500,000 to $2 million for each promoted Instagram post. She has also endorsed and promoted 57 brands which range from one-off posts to long-term contracts.

Influencers and their impact on media and culture

Are influencers having a positive or negative impact on society, media and culture? You need to be able to form your own opinion on this question. To help you, watch the following video from the BBC on how influencers make money and see if it changes your views:

Here's the extended 28-minute Panorama if you'd like to see more:

Extension - Bad Influencer: Belle Gibson & The Great Insta Con

The danger with user-generated content is whether we can trust what we see on social media. Belle Gibson was one of the first lifestyle influencers but ended up in a controversy over faking cancer diagnoses to promote her posts. This is a preview of a BBC3 documentary on Belle Gibson and the Great Insta Con:

Introduction to OSP: Influencers blog tasks

Read this article in The Week magazine on the rise of social media influencers and answer the following questions:  

1) What years did YouTube, Twitter and Instagram launch?

2) What is the definition of an influencer?

3) Give an example of an influencer and how many followers they have. Try and add some additional information, brand associations or other statistics if you can.

4) How big is the influencer industry according to the article?

5) What are the problems associated with being an influencer?

6) Why is it suggested that audiences actually like being sold products by influencers?

7) What representation of beauty is often found on Instagram or other influencer sites?

8) What is YOUR opinion on influencers? Are they a positive or negative influence on our society and culture? Why?

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Read this Forbes article on how covid and TikTok have changed the influencer market in the last couple of years. What does this tell us about society and media culture - are we becoming more creative and independent or is this just another way to sell more products to more people? 

Complete this for homework if you don't finish it in the lesson - due date on Google Classroom.

Coursework: Statement of Intent

The first 10 marks of our coursework are for a written Statement of Intent.

This is simply a Word or Google Document in which we write what we are planning to make for our coursework. Your completed summer project will give you most of the information you need for this - particularly the planning section - but you may have changed or developed your idea since the summer. Your preliminary exercise learner response may also help you consider what you plan to create for your real coursework production.

Our coursework brief for 2025 can be found here - remember you need to choose either video or print adverts.

The Statement of Intent word count is 300 words - you can go slightly above this if you want to but you need to keep it close to 300.

This Statement of Intent guidance will help you if you're not sure what to write - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access it. The most important thing is that you cover media language, representations and the target audience in your Statement of Intent.

Another tip is that you can use subheadings and bullet points in your Statement of Intent - it doesn't need to all be in paragraphs. In fact, bullet points are very useful for keeping the word count down. 

Finally, here is an example statement of intent from a previous year - note this was a different brief but the layout and use of media terminology and theory may help you. 

Here's the Statement of Intent mark scheme: 

Statement of Intent: task

1) Write your Statement of Intent on a Word or Google Doc - word count 300 words. Use this Statement of Intent guidance document to help you.

Submit your Statement of Intent to your teacher by emailing them the Word or Google Document. 

Due date: on Google Classroom

Preliminary exercise feedback and learner response

The preliminary exercise is a brilliant opportunity to learn the basics of filmmaking before creating your actual coursework project.

You now need to create a blogpost called 'Preliminary exercise learner response' and complete the following tasks as your feedback and learner response:

1) Type up your teacher's feedback in full. If you've received your feedback via email, you can simply cut and paste it from the email into your blog.

2) Using a combination of your own reflection on the preliminary exercise and the feedback you were given, write two WWW bullet points (What Went Well) and two EBI bullet points (Even Better If) for your preliminary exercise. 

3) What have you learned from the preliminary exercise that will help you in the actual coursework project? List three things you have learned or will do differently as a result of this exercise. You may want to comment on organisation, actors, filming, editing or something else entirely but be specific.

4) Complete any learner response tasks or questions from your teacher. 

Deadline on Google Classroom.

Year 11 Paper 1 assessment: Learner response

The Paper 1 assessment was a great opportunity to revise some of the content from last year and develop our exam technique. 

Every time we do a paper like this it helps us to learn how the questions are structured, how to answer social and cultural context questions and how to manage our time.

We now need to complete a learner response to the assessment to help reflect on what we are learning and how we can improve our exam technique. You may find reading the mark scheme useful for reflecting on these exams - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access these documents:

• Year 11 assessment - Paper 1 mark scheme

Year 11 Paper 1 assessment: Learner Response

Create a blogpost called 'Paper 1 assessment learner response'.

1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).

2) Look at the mark scheme for this assessment. For Question 2 (12 mark unseen) use the indicative content in the mark scheme to identify three points that you could have referred to in your answer.

3) For Question 3 (Galaxy - narrative features) use the mark scheme to write down the main narrative theories and how we can link them to the Galaxy advert CSP. 

4) Now look at Question 4 - Tatler and social/cultural contexts. Use the mark scheme to identify three points you could have made in your answer here.

5) On Section B, focus on Question 7 - film industry and Black Widow. Use the mark scheme to identify three ways Black Widow was marketed to its audience.

6) Finally, write down three things you are going to work on before your next mock exam in December (e.g. time management; revising CSPs etc.)

If you don't finish this LR in the lesson your papers are returned, complete for homework - due date on Google Classroom.

Year 11 Media assessment: revision and preparation

Year 11 assessment week is coming up before the next set of interims. As we're focused on coursework currently, we are going to give you a mini-Paper 1 assessment to help revise content from last year.

Your assessment will be similar to the exam you did at the end of last year but this time will focus on Paper 1. Your exact date will depend on the timetable as these assessments are in-class. Your Media teacher will be able to tell you when your assessment will run.  

Below is a full guide to what you need to revise for this assessment.   

Know your exams

One of the most important aspects of preparing for examinations is knowing exactly what topics could come up in each exam. For your Paper 1 assessment, this is what might come up:

Paper 1

Paper 1 Section A: Language and Representation

• Unseen text: advert, social media screengrab or music promotion of some kind. Multiple choice questions plus media language analysis (12 marks). 
• Advertising & Marketing: OMO advert, Galaxy Audrey Hepburn advert and the NHS Represent blood donation campaign. 
• Magazines: Tatler and Heat.

Paper 1 Section B: Audience and Industry

• Media Industries / Audience questions - media terminology / theory / regulation etc. (2 marks).
• Film Industry: Black Widow and I, Daniel Blake. 
• Music Video: BLACKPINK - How You Like That and Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.
• Radio: Launch of BBC Radio 1 - Tony Blackburn, Kiss FM Breakfast with Jordan and Perri.

Your real Paper 1 exam will also contain a 20-mark essay on either Film, Radio, Music Video, Newspapers or Videogames/Online, Social and Participatory Media but this will not be part of this assessment as it is only half the full exam. 

Paper 2

You will not be taking Paper 2 as part of this assessment but we will take on a full 90-minute Paper 2 as part of the December mock exams. More details on that nearer the time!  

How to revise

Revision is a very personal thing and everyone has different techniques. Personally, I strongly recommend using flash cards (they are often called record cards if you are trying to buy them online or in WHSmiths). The simple act of distilling topics into a few key words or phrases to put on the card will seriously help in remembering the key information in the final exams. We recommend having three sections to your revision cards:

1. Media terminology and key words
2. Media theories
3. CSPs

I have spare flash cards in DF07 if you'd like some.  

Good luck with your revision and give this assessment your best shot!

Coursework: Pre-production

Pre-production tasks are vital - this is where you plan all the key details that make your coursework successful.

Over the next two weeks we will be both finalising our pre-production and creating our actual productions.

Note: this is the point we will be making our decision of which aspect of the brief to complete - two video adverts OR three print adverts.

Video adverts pre-production: blog tasks

Watch this great video on low-budget filmmaking from our friend D4Darius on YouTube - it's more aimed at narrative filmmaking but we can still learn from these tips for filming an advert:

Create a blogpost called 'Video adverts pre-production'. You may want to look over the original AQA brief here to check the minimum requirements. 

Work through the following four tasks:

1) Create TWO scripts for your two different adverts

You need to write two complete scripts for your adverts and format it like a real TV script (see picture on the right).

There is lots of help out there for top-quality script writing. A good place to start is the BBC Writers' Room which has top tips, a whole script library of real examples (like the Doctor Who script pictured). Although these are TV dramas and not adverts it is still very useful to learn how to write a good script.

Make sure you include both stage directions and dialogue - and as you can see from the example, often the stage directions are much more detailed than the dialogue. Try and make your script look like a professional example in terms of layout - either in your blogpost or on a linked Google Doc. 

2) Shot list

Once you have two full scripts you are happy with, you can turn them into a shot list (or shot lists) containing EVERY shot you plan to film for your adverts AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing. You'll know from your preliminary exercise that missing a shot, continuity errors or not having enough material makes editing much more difficult. A good shot list will help you avoid this. In particular, make sure you plan lots of extra shots that you may not need but can help you with editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. In particular, make sure you get lots of additional shots of the product as these will be vital in your adverts. 

I advise using a simple table on Google Docs to set out your shot list - you can find an example here for a student film shot list. It makes sense to write your shot list by scene or location (like in the example linked) rather than a huge list of every shot in the adverts in chronological order. 

3) Mise-en-scene

What iconography or mise-en-scene are you including to ensure your audience understands your adverts and the message you are communicating? Plan your cast, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. This can be simply completed using your blog or on a Google Doc - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details. Remember the mise-en-scene mnemonic: CLAMPS. 

Costume:

Lighting / time of day:

Actors - casting, placement, movement: 

Make-up and hair: 

Props:

Setting: 

4) Shooting schedule 

Plan a shooting schedule for your filming over the next week. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Google Docs or Sheets or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it!

Print advert pre-production: blog tasks

Create a blogpost called 'Print adverts pre-production'. You may want to look over the original AQA brief here to check the minimum requirements. 

Work through the following four tasks:

1) Plan your advertising campaign

Plan out your THREE adverts in the same way you did for your summer project. Plan the following:

1) What brand of health drink are you going to use? You can use an existing drink.

2) New slogan for the health drink (MUST be original - cannot be existing slogan): 

3) Main character(s) that will appear in your adverts: 

4) Main image 1: What will your first advert look like? 

5) Main image 2: What will your second advert look like? 

6) Main image 3: What will your third advert look like? Remember, they all need to be different images but part of the same campaign for the same health drink.

7) What will you use for the secondary image in each advert? This may be a product shot or similar. Remember, this needs to be three different images just like the main images. 

8) Who will be in your adverts?

9) Write the 70 words that will appear on each advert - this may be information about the product or the benefits that it will bring to the audience.

10) How will your adverts appeal to your 15-30 year old target audience? 

 

2) Sketch out your THREE adverts

Draw THREE sketches on plain A4 paper. Make sure you include all the minimum requirements of the brief - e.g. two images, 70 words of text etc.

 

3) Plan your photoshoot and mise-en-scene

What iconography or mise-en-scene are you including to ensure your audience understands your advert and the message you are trying to communicate? Plan your model, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. Will you take your photos in class using a studio set up (lighting and backdrop) or use a location outside of school?

This can be simply completed using your blog or Microsoft Word - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details. Remember the mise-en-scene mnemonic: CLAMPS.

4) Write your shooting schedule 

Plan a shooting schedule for your photos and advert design over the next two weeks. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Word or Excel or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it!

Deadline: on Google Classroom

Coursework: Preliminary exercise 2024

The first aspect of your GCSE Media Studies coursework is a preliminary exercise that introduces the basics of filming and editing.

This is a brilliant opportunity to get to know the technical skills you will need to excel in your coursework. You may even film a production that you can end up using as part of your actual coursework!

Preliminary exercise: Health drink advert

Your preliminary exercise involves filming and editing a 30-40 second health drink advert - similar to your coursework. The advert needs to be appropriate to the advertising brief we have been given in terms of content and target audience. 

The advert must include the product (a 'pack shot' or the product being consumed), a main character, match-on-action editing and at least three different shot types (e.g. establishing shot, close-up, over-the-shoulder shot) and two types of camera movement (e.g. pan, handheld camera etc.) It also must include a logo and slogan at the end of the advert.

Key filming and editing skills

Watch this great introduction to filmmaking - it covers the basics of the creative process:



Match-on-action

Match on action (or cutting on action) is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot showing the same action of the subject in the first shot.

This creates the impression of continuity - the action creates a 'visual bridge' which is easy for the audience to follow.

Look at this YouTube clip for a basic match on action example: 

Health drink advert examples

Here's a reminder of some health drink adverts you can use as inspiration for your preliminary exercise:

Lucozade (this is an energy drink not a health drink but the advert is great):

 

Boost energy (note: this is another energy drink, not a health drink, but it's a great, well-edited advert): 

Vitamin Water: 

Huel: 

Preliminary exercise tasks: Health drink advert

Task: Create a a 30-40 second health drink advert - similar to your coursework. The advert needs to be appropriate to the advertising brief we have been given in terms of content and target audience. 

Length: approximately 30-40 seconds.

Equipment: Smart phone or a school camcorder (limited numbers available). Note: you may need to bring in the cable to capture the videos from your phone or use data to upload to Google Drive / iCloud.

Groups: None. You MUST work individually. However, other people can act in your scene or operate equipment (e.g. camera, sound) as long as they are directed by the candidate submitting the work. You may want to get into groups of two or three to help each other complete this task.

What your TV advert needs to include

Content: The advert must include the product (a 'pack shot' or the product being consumed), a main character, match-on-action editing and at least three different shot types (e.g. establishing shot, close-up, over-the-shoulder shot) and two types of camera movement (e.g. pan, handheld camera etc.) It also must include a logo and slogan at the end of the advert.

Camerawork: You must include at least three different shot types but you will hopefully include much more (e.g. long shot, medium shot, close-up, extreme close-up, over-the-shoulder shot and either a high or low angle shot. You also must include both fixed camera shots and camera movement (e.g. handheld, tracking, pan etc.)

Editing: You must include match-on-action continuity editing and edit to clearly communicate the meaning of your advert.

Sound: You must include diegetic sound (from within the world of the TV advert) which will be dialogue and any background sound. You also need to include non-diegetic sound (e.g. music or voiceover) to help communicate your key messages about the product. 

Deadlines

Planning and filming: This week's lessons.

Editing and final deadline: Next week.

Specific deadlines: see Google Classroom.


Initial tasks: planning

Before creating anything in Media you need to plan out exactly what you are going to do. You need to complete the following planning tasks on your blog before you can film anything:

Create a blogpost called 'Coursework preliminary exercise' and produce the following.

1) Write a 100 word statement of intent explaining what you are going to make for your preliminary exercise.

Statement of intent: 100 words explaining what you plan to make.

Example statement of intent [147 words]: 

I plan to make a 30 second advert about a student struggling in school due to tiredness and behaviour issues who is helped by their rehydrating health drink. The beginning of the advert will have a montage editing sequence of different issues that the student is having with a soundtrack that fits a negative overall mood. My character will be in school uniform that is deliberately messed up to help communicate the struggles the student is experiencing.

The middle of the advert will involve the character discovering the product with close-up shots of the product (pack shot) and also the character drinking the product. The advert will then end with the character alert, in perfect uniform and answering a question in class and being successful. The final seconds will have a logo and slogan of the health drink with a voiceover saying the product name and slogan. [147 words]

2) Write a script for your preliminary exercise on your blog. This needs to include stage directions AND dialogue. To see how a TV drama script is presented, and to look at professional examples, check out the BBC Writers' Room and click on Script Library. These will not be advert scripts but the layout will be the same.

3) Casting: Who will be in your preliminary exercise advert?

4) Plan your locations: Where you will film your preliminary exercise? (You can film off-site if you wish to do this for homework - this is what we would strongly recommend). Important note: You CANNOT take any students out of any other lessons OR disturb any other lessons in the school. If you wish to film in-school then you will need to film with Mr Ray supervising or after school with a Media teacher present. 

5) Write your shot list: every shot you plan to film. This needs to be far MORE shots than you will actually use in the final edited version - plan extra angles, close-ups, long shots and more. You can find an example shot list here. This is for a narrative film but the layout will be the same. 

Extension task - Storyboard: Draw a 5-frame storyboard mapping out your key shots. Storyboard sheets are available in DF07.

Your planning needs to be completed this week. Good luck! 

Re-cap: Summer Project 2024 tasks

The summer project is a fantastic opportunity to start planning your Media Studies coursework.

Coursework is 30% of your overall GCSE so it can make a huge difference to your final grade. It's also a chance for us to develop and demonstrate our creativity and technical ability. 

Your summer project contains compulsory and optional elements; everybody will be researching TV adverts, choosing a health drink and coming up with a concept for their adverts and then writing a Statement of Intent first draft. However, if you wish to plan and film your production over the summer while you have time available we would fully support you in this approach.

You can find your coursework brief for 2025 here. 

Summer project tasks

Complete the following tasks on a blogpost on your Media blog called 'Summer Project: coursework planning':

1) Research: health drink TV adverts

Watch the following adverts and answer the questions below.

Innocent Drinks

Watch the following adverts for Innocent drinks (these are from different campaigns).

Innocent example 1: 

Innocent example 2:

Innocent example 3: 

Answer the following questions:

1) What is the unique selling point of the product? 

2) What audience do you think this is aimed at? Add as much detail as possible (e.g. demographics, psychographics) and explain why.

3) What do you notice about the technical construction of the advert? Pick out one thing you like about the advert from camerawork, editing, sound or mise-en-scene. You may want to focus on TV advert conventions such as voiceover for example. 

4) What representations can you find in the advert? This may be representations of people or groups or perhaps the brand itself.

Extension: What narrative is offered by the adverts? Try and apply narrative theory here.

Lucozade

Note: Lucozade isn't a health drink so we can't use it as our chosen brand but is a great example of drink advertising to our target audience of 15-30 year olds. Lucozade adverts are also great for lifestyle elements.

Lucozade example 1: 

Lucozade example 2:

 

Answer the following questions:

1) What is the unique selling point of the product? 

2) What audience do you think this is aimed at? Add as much detail as possible (e.g. demographics, psychographics) and explain why.

3) What do you notice about the technical construction of the advert? Pick out one thing you like about the advert from camerawork, editing, sound or mise-en-scene. You may want to focus on TV advert conventions such as voiceover for example. 

4) What representations can you find in the advert? This may be representations of people or groups or perhaps the brand itself.

Extension: What narrative is offered by the adverts? Try and apply narrative theory here.

Other health drink adverts

Watch these additional health drink adverts and see which will inspire your coursework idea.

Boost energy (note: this is another energy drink, not a health drink, but it's a great, well-edited advert): 

Vitamin Water: 

Huel: 

O'cean one8 Active Water: 

Choose one of the above adverts and answer the following questions: 

1) What is the unique selling point of the product? 

2) What audience do you think this is aimed at? Add as much detail as possible (e.g. demographics, psychographics) and explain why.

3) What do you notice about the technical construction of the advert? Pick out one thing you like about the advert from camerawork, editing, sound or mise-en-scene. You may want to focus on TV advert conventions such as voiceover for example. 

4) What representations can you find in the advert? This may be representations of people or groups or perhaps the brand itself.

Extension: What narrative is offered by the adverts? Try and apply narrative theory here.

Additional research: optional extension
Depending on your coursework plan and the type of advert you wish to create, you may want to research additional TV adverts (either for health drinks or more generally). You may want to simply research particularly creative adverts - this article on the best adverts of all time could be useful. 

Whatever you watch, make sure you write some additional notes or bullet points about these adverts on your blog so you are documenting your research.


2) TV advert planning 

Plan out the brand of health drink you are going to use along with the narrative and character for your two adverts. You also need to plan elements like the slogan, settings, music and more.

Answer the following TV advert pitch questions with your original idea for health drink TV adverts aimed at teenagers and young adults:

1) What brand of health drink are you going to use? You can use an existing drink.

2) New slogan for the health drink (MUST be original - cannot be existing slogan): 

3) Main character(s) that will appear in your adverts: 

4) Narrative: What will happen in your first advert? 

5) Narrative: What will happen in your second advert? 

6) Where will you film your adverts? You need a different location for each advert.

7) Who will be in your adverts? 

8) What music will you use for your adverts? What voiceover will you use and who will you use to record the voiceover? Note: for music you can use existing music tracks.

9) How will your adverts appeal to your 15-30 year old target audience? 

10) What TV channel and programme would your advert appear during and why? Remember the brief states a mainstream TV channel or streaming service. 

3) Statement of Intent

On the same Summer Project blogpost, write the rough first draft of your genuine 300-word Statement of Intent for the adverts you plan to create. The final draft of this document will be submitted to the exam board alongside your TV adverts and is worth 10 marks of the overall 60 marks available.

Guidance is provided by AQA in their NEA Student Booklet. 

We have also produced a Statement of Intent suggested content document to help you too. You'll need your Greenford Google login to open these documents. 


Summer project deadline: all tasks above due in the second lesson back in September.


Summer project: optional extensions

Pre-production tasks
Some students have already expressed an interest in filming their TV adverts over the summer break. This makes a huge amount of sense - far more availability of actors, much more time to schedule filming etc. However, if you want to do this, you need to complete the following aspects of pre-production and make sure you have parental permission to do this:

Script
Write scripts for your TV adverts. You can find guidance on writing an advert script here. You can also find guidance and professional examples of what TV scripts look like on the BBC Writers' Room website but note this focuses more on film or TV drama. 

Shot list
Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film for the adverts AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. I advise using a simple table on Microsoft Word to set out your shot list - you can find an example here for a student film shot list. It makes sense to write your shot list by scene or location rather than a huge list of every shot in chronological order. 

Mise-en-scene
What iconography or mise-en-scene are you including to ensure your audience understands the message of your adverts? Plan your cast, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. This can be simply completed using your blog or Microsoft Word - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details. 

Shooting schedule 
Plan a shooting schedule for your filming over the summer. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Google Docs / Word or Excel or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it!

Non-assessed participants
You will need to provide a written record of all non-assessed participants in your production work. Keep a record of everyone involved - actors, camerawork, sound etc. You will also need a keep a record of any non-original sound you used and note it on the Candidate Record Form. Keep these on your blog for easy reference when submitting your work later this year.

Production: Filming 
Once you have completed your pre-production tasks, you can film as planned. If you are unable to film over the summer, we will have time to film this production in September.

Good luck!