Q1. Three sets of signs are potentially useful (but this is only 8 marks of work):
the signs that constitute the Father Christmas, the signs that combine as
words to provide anchorage and the signs that draw significance from this
anchored context.
The Father Christmas is fairly crudely constituted (being iconic with low
motivation) by colour, styling, positioning to offer instant recognition,
reassurance, benevolence, a warm welcome and a clear focus.
Here is signification at four levels: reference (denotation), association
(connotation), myth and ideology.
The setting suggests an urban, business-oriented, consumerist Christmas.
There is warmth here but nothing particularly spiritual unless the audience
identifies a star in the east among the white spots in the sky (which may be
stars or snow and add either way to the manufactured ‘magic’).
The words provide anchorage through a tag-line (“when it comes to
Christmas, there’s no place like…Manchester”).
Q5. Demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical framework of media
Examples might include:
- impact of TV violence
- decline of moral standards
- drug misuse
- consumerism
- impact of texting on literacy.
Q7. how media organisations maintain, including through marketing, varieties of
audiences nationally and globally
processes of production, distribution and circulation by organisations,
groups and individuals in a global context
the relationship of recent technological change and media production,
distribution and circulation
the significance of economic factors, including commercial and not-for-profit
public funding, to media industries and their products
the impact of ‘new’ digital technologies on media regulation, including the
role of individual producers
how processes of production, distribution and circulation shape media
products
cultural industries as summarised by Hesmondhalgh:
o cultural industries
o commodification
o convergence
o diversity
o innovation
o conglomeration
o vertical integration
o cultural imperialism.