• Icon – Sign that physically resembles what it signifies
• Index – Sign that has a direct, causal relationship with what it signifies.
• Paradigm – Sets of signs from which one is chosen to convey meaning
• Syntagm – The structure or order in which elements are combined.
• Diegesis – Fictional world in which the narrative takes place.
• ‘Genre as cultural category’ – Genres are not just textual features but cultural constructs shaped by audiences.
• Mytheme – Mythemes combine to form myths or stories.
• Cultural codes – Systems of meaning that are understood and shared by a particular culture.
• Intertextuality – The way in which texts refer to or draw on other texts, creating a network of meaning through references.
• Implosion – The collapse of boundaries between reality and representation.
• Simulacra – A representation or imitation of a person or thing.
• Hegemony – The dominance of one social group over others, maintained through ideology rather than force.
• Intersectionality – Concept that examines how various social identities (like race, gender, sexuality, and class) intersect.
• Orientalism – A concept by Edward Said that critiques how Western cultures represent Eastern societies as exotic, backward, or uncivilized.
• Cumulation – The process by which repeated messages or representations accumulate over time, reinforcing a particular idea or ideology.
• Enculturation – The process through which individuals learn and adopt the values and norms of their culture.
• Bardic function – The role media plays in maintaining and disseminating dominant social values.

Capitalism

Economic and Political system where a countries trade and industry are controlled by a private owner. The intent is for private profit insted of for the state.

Populism

Political approach that aims to recognise and appeal to normal people who feel that their concerns are ignored by established elite groups.

Consumerism

The promotion of the interests of consumers. This is the idea that media products target the interests of their consumers to create products that they would enjoy.

Globalisation

The process of a business or organisation developing international relationships/influence in order to operate on an international scale.

Patriarchy

A societal belief that men hold the most power and positions of social, political and economic privilages when compared to women.

Feminism

The premotion of womens rights in order to form equality across all aspects of life between men and women.

Individualism

A social view that individuals should have freedom over their own actions rather than being restricted over collective/state control.

Self-managerialism

An approach of self discipline where we are required to manage are selfs in aspects of life such as health and physical appearance.

Neoliberalism

A model of free market capitalism that premotes greatly reduced government spending, deregulation, globalisation, free trade and privatisation.

Imperialism

Expanding the power and influence of a country through colonisation, use of military force or other means like media production.

Historical

How media products reflect historical issues and events. For example, how a media product reflects the historical events of the time it was produced.

Economic

How media products reflect the economic/financial contexts of how they were produced. This can be through the impact of production budget and how a media product is funded.

Cultural

How media products reflect the beliefs, meanings and practices of a specific group of people. This could be through the use of reflecting cultural issues/events or constructing cultural attitudes of these issues/beliefs. It can also reflect how culture changes through time and products can help people understand why they were created.

Social

How media products reflect and construct social attitudes of the time the product was produced. This could include the premotion of changing gender roles, racial changes and ethnic inequalities. Products will look to address these changing social issues and construct an understanding of them influenced by the time the product

Deconstruction of media texts refers to braking down media to get to its intended meaning. Figure one can be deconstructed by looking at what each signs signifies to create a meaning. For example, the denotation of the main figure in this advert is a man wearing a Louis Vuitton skirt. However, if we look at the deeper meaning, this conotates that Luis Vuitton is showing how gender in fashion is no longer sterotypical and it is showing that they are trying to show the inclusivity of fashion. Similarly, Cultural codes refer to how each reader interprets signs in different ways. This can be seen in Figure one becuse of the use of a ethnic model Manu Rios. This can be interpreted differently by differnt people becuse the people from the same culture as the model will see representation through this advert becuse it is presenting an under represented culture as being the main image. The advert also mixes signifiers of both masculinity and femininity by having a male showing his muscles wearing a skirt. This signifies that gender is fluid in fashion and shows representation of this fluidity.

Questions	What went well?	What could be improved?	What I am going to do to make the improvements
1	I had an alright understanding of what deconstruction meant and I used an example from Figure 1	I need to back up my points using media terminology and also understand what cultural codes are.	I could do this by going back over the terminology and putting it into practice in questions.
2	I had a good understanding of how each of the Television programmes are regulated.	More specific knowledge is needed and a more clear answer.	I could do this by doing practice questions to understand how to form a concise answer.
3	I had a fine understanding of both the video games.	A better understanding of what social and cultural codes are.	I could again look back over terminology.
4	I was able to give details of both the magazines including statistics.	I need to improve how I form my argument to get my point across.	I could do this by doing lots of past paper questions.

Media Language	Media Audience	Media Representation	Media Industries
– Barthes. – Strauss. – Todorov. – Neal. – Baudrillard.	– Gerbner. – Shirky. – Jenkins. – Bandura.	– Gauntlett. – Butler. – Hooks. – Gilroy. – Hall. – Van Zoonen.	-Hesmond-halgh. – Curran & Seaton. – Livingstone & Lunt.

Questions	What went well?	What could be improved?	What am I going to do to make improvements?
1	Talked about the correct signs.	I would need to explain more about how the signs like to the question and use more terminology.	Revise media terminology and put them in context.
2	Good knowledge of ghost town	More analysis	Look at Ghost Town more.
3	Good background knowledge of Score	Add a conclusion.	Practice questions.
4	Good understanding of terminology	Create a better structure for my answer.	Review essays and create plans.
5	Fairly good understanding of terminology	Explained my answer better	Make notes on the terminology including examples.
6	Good understanding of Daily Mail.	Should have wrote more	I could develop my notes on The Daily Mail.
7	Good understanding of how blinded by the light was produced and distributed.	I should have created a better flow between my paragraphs and wrote more.	I could do this by practice questions.

Stephen Neal believes that Genre is distinguished by purpose and content.

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
Week 1	Feedback	Work on Magazine	Work on Magazine	Dr MM away	Inset Work on Magazine	Work on Magazine
Week 2	Work on Magazine	Genre	Work on Magazine	Work on Magazine	Work on Magazine	Work on Magazine
Week 3	Look at Statement of intent	Look at Statement of intent	Look at Statement of intent	Finish Product 1 and statement of intent	Finish Product 1 and statement of intent	Finish Product 1 and statement of intent
Week 4	Sports Day	Plan Music video story	Dr MM HE Trip Plan Music video locations	Dr MM HE Trip Plan Music video locations	Dr MM HE Trip	Film
Week 5	Edit	Edit	Edit	Edit	Edit	Film
Week 6	Edit	Edit	Edit	Edit	Edit	Film
Week 7	Edit	Edit	Edit	Edit	Final Submission

I will create 2 media products for brief 4. I have chosen this brief because I have always enjoyed music and especially the visual component as I find it fascinating. I took this brief up because I am interested in narrative theory and seeing how music related media have their own narrative. For example, I really like Todorov’s theory that in every media product, the characters go through stages. They start in an equilibrium, something disrupts it, and they resolve the conflict, creating a new equilibrium.  

The target audience that I will be aiming my products at will be teenagers that enjoy music. This will be 15–21-year-olds who enjoy the visual and textual components to music and who enjoy reading about and discovering new aspiring artists. In terms of Young and Rubicam’s Psychometric profiles, my target audience will be the explorer’s. This is because they like to discover new concepts and genres of music. In terms of Katz and Blumler’s Uses and Gratifications theory, I aim to create products that target people who want to seek media to fill emotional experiences and escape their ordinary lives. I enjoy reading the NME music magazine so I will ensure that the style, tone, and flow of my magazine matches that of NME’s style. I enjoy their style because of its busy front covers and detailed content. As for my music video, I am influenced by self-directed videos by artists. This is because it shows their own story through a video that is created exactly how they envisioned it.  

I want both my music video and my magazine to be linked in content and representation. This will look like my magazine and my music video both featuring a sponsorship. I will consistently reinforce the branding for the sponsorship through out the video and have specific articles based on the sponsorships. I will ensure that throughout my products, my indexical signs are consistent and provide the correct meaning that I want to put across.