Pack A

Sectors and Products of the Media Industry

Sectors

Traditional Media

Traditional media includes the following sectors:

Film
Television
Radio
Print publishing

New Media

There are four new media sectors you need to know

Computer Games
The Internet
Interactive Media
Digital Publishing

These Sectors make products, there are 3 stages to the production process:

Pre-Production - Planning the product, designing it and getting it ready to be made.
Production - Making the product. e.g. Filming the movie
Post-Production - Editing the product e.g. putting the scenes together into one long film.

Products

Video, Audio and Music

Video as a media product is also known as moving picture. It includes television programmes, film and video that is shared via streaming platforms.

Audio products include sound tracks, sound effects and
audio books.

Music products cover bands, solo artists and instrumental music.

SFX and VFX

Special effects (SFX) are effects that happen in the real world and include:

Stunts, props, animatronics, live-action weather such as rain and wind, prosthetics and pyrotechnics

Visual effects (VFX) are created by computers

Green screens are often used so that new backgrounds may be digitally added
Unwanted items, such as wires may be digitally removed
Landscapes can be altered – for instance, a mud track could be replaced with grass

Animation

Animation makes use of a series of drawings or graphics which are rapidly sequenced to show movement.

Techniques include:

Hand-drawn animation
Computer generated animation, such as 3D animation films
Stop-motion animation

Digital Imaging and Graphics

Digital imaging is the creation of photos,
illustration and graphics using computers

Hardware used for digital imaging:

Digital images are created using digital cameras and scanners
Personal computers are used to create computer generated digital images

Software used for digital imaging:

Digital images are edited with software such as Adobe Photoshop, Serif Affinity Photo and GIMP
Illustration is created using software such as Adobe Illustrator and Serif Affinity Designer
Page layouts are made using desktop publishing software (DTP) such as Adobe InDesign and Serif Affinity Publisher

Websites and Multimedia

Websites contain text, images and graphics and are delivered via the Internet.

Multimedia products make use of similar media, however, they are delivered via programs installed on computers.

Social Media and Apps

Social media platforms allow users to post user generated content such as photos and text.

These platforms are usually funded by advertising
They make heavy use of media such as photos and graphics that layout text and images

Apps are installed onto smartphones, tablets and smart televisions.

They include:

games
shopping
navigation
office and work
email
social media apps

AR and VR

Augmented reality (AR) - makes use of real world footage and superimposes digitally created graphics.

Snapchat - adding overlays onto a user’s face
Pokemon GO – adding characters to places in the real world
Interior decoration – such as IKEA place – allowing
furniture and decoration to be added to a room

Virtual reality (VR) - creates an entirely computer generated world

Digital Games

Digital games are designed to entertain

They are played on consoles, handheld computers, personal computers and portable devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.

Some games are also played via the Internet on websites and services such as Nvidia GeForce Now.

Comics and Graphic Novels

Comics and graphic novels are paper based print published products.

Comics are similar to magazines, whilst graphic novels are like illustrated books.

Comic strips are often contained in newspapers.

Whilst graphic novels often have stories aimed at young people, such as superheroes, they may also contain adult themes.

eBooks

e-Books use a special display that uses e-ink.

The screen is typically limited to black and white, however, it reflects light like a real book, making it work very well to read a book on a sunny beach.

E-books are suited to novels, however, due to the limited screen capabilities, they don’t work well for magazines or heavily illustrated books.

Job Roles in the Media Industry

All jobs in the media industry have creative and technical elements to them. More senior roles also have management responsibilities.

Creative Roles

Creative roles allow significant opportunities for imagination and original ideas.

The following are creative job roles given in the specification:

Animator
Content creator
Copy writer
Graphic designer
Illustrator / graphic artist
Photographer
Script writer
Web designer

Technical Roles

There are many technical roles that are required in both production and post-production

The following technical roles are given on the specification:

Camera operator
Sound editor
Audio technician
Video editor
Games programmer / developer
Web developer

Senior Roles

For the specification you need to be aware of:

Production manager – responsible for coordination between different departments.

May be responsible for scheduling and budgets

Editor – in print and digital publishing an editor will be responsible for deciding the content that will be published in books, magazines or newspapers.

They may alter the tone or structure of copy or decide on the images and titles to be used

Creative director – they head up a creative team, lead the strategy and look of a design project.

This position is often seen in TV, film and games production and graphic design.

Campaign manager – responsible for planning and managing marketing campaigns.

Purpose, Style, Content and Layout

Purpose

Media products are all made for a reason, they may have more than one purpose. We categorise the purposes as:

Advertise

Advertising is about trying to pursuade viewers or listeners to purchase a product.

Promote

Promoting is about trying to convince viewers or listeners that the brand is good and they should buy products from the brand.

Entertain

This is the primary purpose of the majority of films produced.

A large proportion of television is created to entertain, including drama, sport and comedy.

Live shows of bands, and other performing artists will make use
of audio technicians, special effects, such as pyrotechnics, lighting and video to enhance the experience for the audience to entertain them.

Educate

A textbook will educate students
about a subject.

An instructional video will train people.

This website is a media product whose purpose is to educate you.

Inform

A website for a new smartphone may inform customers with a technical specification.

A cereal packet will inform customers about nutritional information.

A news broadcast will inform viewers and listeners about prominent events.

Influence

The objective of many adverts is to influence the behaviour or choices of viewers or listeners.

Video of influencers reviewing
and using products.

Leaflets, posters and television adverts by government health
departments to change behaviour.

Style, Content and Layout

Conventions of Genre

Look at the DVD cases above.

They all have the DVD logo at the top
The name of the film is written sideways left to right from the front of the case.
They all have the studio logo at the bottom.

This is a convention for DVD cases.

Different products have different
conventions in how they are designed.

Position

The positioning of elements in a design is important in it achieving its purpose.

The mini cereal boxes shown have the purposes of informing customers which cereal is in the box and enticing them.

Each box positions the name in the top right
Illustrated characters
are placed on the left
A photo of the cereal
is placed centre right
Nutritional information
is at the bottom

Colour

Colour helps in achieving a specific purpose for media products.

For example:

Colours have meanings – such as
red for stop or error – this is useful
when showing errors on web pages
Colours may give a warm or cold
feeling – so blues may work
when selling a fridge, whilst
orange and reds may work
well for a heating company
Colours have associations – for
instance, green is associated with
nature, the environment and money

Adapting Style

Printed adverts come in all different sizes, from leaflets to billboards so with all that extra space, more information can be shown and the design needs to adapt to fill the space it has.

Visual and Audio

The style in which graphics, video,
photos, or sound is used is important.

Different styles evoke different emotions and feelings from an audience, for example:

A fast food advert for a burger may use blacks and reds and images of fire with a loud, booming voice like a sports announcer talking about the burger, whereas, a healthy eating advert will use greens and browns and typically have a softer, calmer voiceover.

Formal/Informal Language

The type of language used in media
products changes depending on the
type of product and purpose. For instance:

A documentary will typically use formal language
A soap opera will use informal language, or language appropriate to each character

Client Requirements and Audience

What is a client?

A client is the company, charity or person who commissions a media product such as an advert, TV programme or film to be made.

Client requirements

The client requirements will normally include the following:

The type of product that needs to be made - magazine, poster, video, film, music etc.
The purpose the end product is being made for - advertise, inform, educate, etc.
The target audience for the product
The client ethos
The content that needs to be in the product - movie might be based on a book so the content is already set out.
Any theme that needs to be used - Nike make a range of trainers, an advert for Air Jordans will have a basketball theme.
The particular genre of product that is being produced - Action, Adventure, Comedy, Rap, Pop, Men's, Women's etc.
The timescale that is available to make the product - How long you have to make it. How long each stage of production will take.
The style that the product needs to take - the colours, fonts, logos and slogans that the client company may already have established.

Client ethos

Each company has their own ethos or values. These guide their vision and direction.

They will also guide the products and services that they create.

It is important that marketing media products such as advertisements reflect the client ethos and values

Target Audience

The target audience are the particular types of people that a product is aimed at.

Companies will use research to find out what kind of people will be most interested in their product.

Potential customers are separated into categories, each person may belong to more than 1 category. This is called audience segmentation.

Audience segmentation categories:

Age
Gender
Occupation and income
Education
Location
Interests and lifestyle

It is important to segment audiences so that a product is able to focus on a particular audience.

If a product is aimed at people who are 40-60 years old, this would enable an advertiser to build a television advert that focuses on this group.

Audience characteristics influence the design and production of media products. For instance, an expensive restaurant
located in an affluent area will have refined menus and use elegant advertising.

Client Briefs

A brief or specification will clearly outline the client requirements for the finished product.

A designer or art director should ensure that their interpretation of the brief is correct and is appropriate for the target audience.

A number of versions or iterations will be discussed with the client.

Client briefs will usually be written documents, but some less important aspects may be informally discussed.

Negotiation may be required if a client’s budget is not sufficient for their expectations.

The following are likely to be included as part of the client requirements in either a client brief
or specification:

The purpose of the product
The target audience
What type of product is required
An outline/idea of the content for the product to be made
The deadline for the project
Any brand image, house style or themes that need to be incorporated

Research

When research is conducted, sources are used to support claims with facts.

There are two types of sources, primary sources and secondary sources.

Primary Sources

Primary sources gives first-hand information on a topic.

Interviews

Interviews are used to gather information to present to listeners, viewers or readers.

For example:

A conversation between a journalist and politicians, experts or celebrities to get their original words, first hand.
News broadcasts may also ask members of the public what they think of something, in what is known as a Vox Pop.

Online Surveys, Questionnaires and Polls

Online surveys are a way of taking the opinions of a sample of people from a population to find information out about them and their opinions.

Online surveys are completed via websites or apps.

A series of questions are asked which are then analysed by a computer program.

A poll typically asks 1 specific question and shows the people how many others agreed with them, questionnaires do not.

Focus Groups

A focus group is made up of carefully selected participants who reflect the target audience.

They participate in a planned discussion
This helps to give their views and respond
to each other

Focus groups may be used in:

advertising to find out desirable features or reaction to a product
politics to hear the response to different policies

Original Photos and Footage and First-hand accounts

Video footage, accounts of people who were there and photos of real events are primary sources and are often used for:

Politicians’ statements and comments
What is happening in a war or conflict
Business leaders’ views
What celebrities say or do

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources have second hand information. They will have had interpretation or analysis of the original information

Books and Journals

Books such as a history or English
textbook will analyse and interpret from other primary or secondary sources. For example:

A history book may give an
interpretation of a battle based on primary evidence such as diary entries and letters.

Academic journals contain papers
based on research by experts such
as doctors and professors.

Peer-reviewed papers will have been checked by other experts

Magazines and Newspapers

Magazines and newspapers often have articles that reuse, analyse or comment on other primary source.

This makes many articles secondary sources. However, if original photos or an interview is given, then this would be a primary source.

Websites

It depends which website you visit as to whether it is a primary or secondary source. For example:

A video showing a person as they are rescued from a river is a primary source – it shows the original footage.

A newspaper article that talks about the performance of a football team is a secondary source – the article is an interpretation or analysis of how the team is performing.

Reliablity

When researching, it is important to consider the reliability of a source, for example, you may send a questionnaire out to your target audience but if they have lied, or your questionnaire allowed them to select more than 1 option when you didn't want them to, that data is now unreliable.

Qualititive VS Quantitative Data

Quantitative data is data that can be measured (think quantity) for example:

93% of customers are happy
The average number of goals in a game was 3.18

Qualitative data describes the quality of something for example:

Many customers were unhappy with the quality of food saying it seemed bland, tasteless and underwhelming
Customers loved the new ride calling it incredible, scary and a real rush

Media Codes

Technical Codes

Technical codes are specific to the
type of media being created.

In film and television, technical codes include lighting, camera movement, transitions and sound.

For instance, in a dream sequence
there may be slow fades and camera
movement and soft music playing.

Symbolic Codes

Symbolic codes are not a part of the
media product itself, but are part of
our culture and experience

Symbolic codes are given through
acting (such as gestures), colour,
the set design and props

For example, 2 gold rings sat next to eachother on a table with some white cloth symbolises a wedding withoutthese being anything said about a wedding.

Written Codes

Written codes apply to written
text or dialogue in a script

Typography uses written codes such as:

A handwritten font could
be used to show writing
by a child or a more
rustic feel
A large font size is usually
used for important elements
of a page, such as a title - This webpage uses this by bolding key terms.

Mise-en-scène

Mise-en-scène comes from the French meaning ‘setting on the stage’. It covers anything the camera sees to create an overall feel, such as:

The arrangement of the set and props
Framing of the scene in the camera, lighting and colour
Costumes and position (blocking)

Transitions

Transitions connect two different shots together. They are carried out in editing and post production

Types of transitions include:

Fade in - the shot fades from black
Fade to black / fade out – the shot fades to black
Cross-fade – the fade goes between two shots
Wipe – the screen is wiped to reveal another shot beneath
Cut - a sudden perspective change on the same scenario - like cutting to a different camera during a football match.
Jump cut – frames are removed from the shot so that it jumps forward
J cut – The audio from the next scene overlaps the current scene. This leads the audience into the next scene before they see it
L cut – The video from the next scene is shown, whilst the audio of the current scene is still heard

Cameras and Lighting

For the visual element of filming the following will need to be considered:

Camera shots
Camera angles
Camera movement
Type of camera
Lighting

Remember that each of these are used to create technical codes in media products

Camera Shots

Long Shot

For a long shot the subject will appear further away with lots of space around them.

This type of shot can be used to show an isolated character.

It can also be used to show many characters at once.

Close Up

Close ups on an actor will show their face.

They are used to show how a character feels.
Facial movements and reactions can be seen – for instance a tear can be seen by the audience to show a character is upset.
A close up could be to show an important detail to the viewer.

The extreme close up is used to show intense emotions or very small details.

Mid Shot

The mid shot may show an actor or small number of actors

This is a very common shot as it gives a lot of information to the viewer

It can be used for dialogue between actors
It allows for body language to be viewed
such as arm movements, crossed armsor waving
It usually shows actors from the waist up
It often sets a scene with background information

Camera Angles

Low Angle

A low angle shot is taken from the ground level.

Enables viewer to look up at characters or buildings.

It can make people appear stronger and more powerful.

High Angle

A high angle shot will make a character appear smaller.

This may be used to show that a character is in danger or vulnerable.

It is also used to suggest CCTV footage as these cameras are normally placed high up.

Over the shoulder

An over the shoulder shot allows the viewer to see what a character is doing as if they are standing behind them.

Aerial

An aerial shot, also known as a birds-eye view, will have the camera high up and looking down.

Aerial shots are often filmed with:

Helicopters
Drones
Cranes

Camera Movement

Panning

Panning a camera is moving it horizontally left and right from a fixed position.

A tripod will normally be used for the smoothest quality, but panning can be done hand-held.

Panning allows a character to be followed.

Tilting

Tilting is when the camera moves up and down.

Tracking

When a camera physically moves
it is known as tracking.

Often the camera is put onto a dolly which is placed on a track.

It is possible to walk or run to produce a tracking shot, but the quality will not be smooth.

Tracking shots are used to follow characters or objects as they move

Actors can be followed as they move through a scene.

The camera can move through a landscape or a building.

If the camera is handheld it will wobble – this can be used to make the world feel unstable or let the audience experience the scene as if they are walking or running.

Lighting

One of the best types of light is natural light as it can be used creatively, but it is variable. In the middle of the day, the light may be too harsh, in the afternoon or evening, the light levbels may be too low.

Studio lighting gives more control over lighting and provide different colour lights.

Spotlights can help create shadows to add depth.

Light intensity is very important when filming or recording video. Working in low light levels or at night is complex and needs a good understanding of techniques and equipment.

Light meters measure the amount of light falling on a subject, this allows a photographer or camera operator to know what settings to use on their cameras.

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