PETER WALL CHIEF EXAMINER William Collins’ dream of knowledge for all began with the publication of his first book in 1819. A self-educated mill worker, he not only enriched millions of lives, but also founded a flourishing publishing house. Today, staying true to this spirit, Collins books are packed with inspiration, innovation and practical expertise. They place you at the centre of a world of possibility and give you exactly what you need to explore it.
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Published by Collins Acknowledgements An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers The following permission to reproduce material 77–85 Fulham Palace Road is gratefully acknowledged: Hammersmith ‘Desperate Dan slims down for Dandy relaunch’ London by Dominic Timms from The Guardian, W6 8JB 8 October 2004 © Dominic Timms, p18.
Browse the complete Collins catalogue at Cover by Caroline Grimshaw www.collinseducation.com Internal Design by JPD
© 2006 Peter Wall First published in 2006
Peter Wall asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. Any educational institution that has downloaded one copy of this publication may make duplicate copies for use exclusively within that institution. Permission does not extend to reproduction, storage within a retrieval system, or transmittal in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, of duplicate copies for loaning, renting or selling to any other institution without the permission of the Publisher. Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test Teacher Guidance
Introduction – About the Media Studies for GCSE Course
Both also contain helpful guidance for Media Language students preparing for the Controlled Test (pages 230–7 of the Student Book and Representation pages 17–18 of the Teaching Pack). In addition, teachers can obtain from the Institution Media Studies Subject Officer at AQA, an Audience information sheet that offers advice and guidance on the teaching of the Controlled Production Skills Test topic. About the Controlled Test SB Student Book The Controlled Test is the externally
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register and offers greater opportunities for remains buoyant despite competition from design-led responses than the Higher tier more dynamic media forms. paper. Teachers can change a candidate’s As ever, the key concepts remain an entry by telephoning the board up until the day before the test is released. important means of approaching the topic. Each worksheet has its coverage of the The Media Controlled Test downloads specific concepts clearly signposted so that cover the four Key Concepts found in the teachers can keep tabs on these. Of course, textbooks, with the addition of Production teachers are free to use the worksheets in Skills – one of the three Assessment any way they feel appropriate. However, it Objectives on which candidates are tested. is recommended that those sheets that deal The worksheets have been organised so with Media Language be introduced early that they provide a structured approach to on as close scrutiny of the texts themselves delivering the Controlled Test topic. is always a good starting point. Teaching the Topic Area A number of worksheets are designed to The worksheets which follow are designed develop students’ production skills. It is to help students get started on their important that given the potential for research into the 2006 Controlled Test graphic design work, students are topic, Children’s Comics. They are reminded that drawing skills in themselves intended to cover all of the key concepts as are not of great importance. The ability to well as stimulating ideas for approaching show flair and imagination albeit through the Production Skills assessment objective. basic drawings will always be rewarded. Clearly layout and design skills need to be Students should base their research addressed, however, and these might around British children’s comics targeted at usefully be linked back to the students’ the age range 7 to 12. Copies of The Dandy exploration of commercially produced texts. and Beano will provide good starting points. However, as the test has to cover A full list of the worksheets is given in some of the historical context for this topic, the bookmark at the side of each page, further research via car boot sales, which will enable teachers and students to relatives’ attics and the internet is also go directly to each necessary page in the recommended. Copies of comics such as document when reading the pages on a Bunty and Eagle are well worth seeking screen. out. Many can be found in the form of We have also provided a short resource annuals. Comics have a long history and list. Teachers and students may find some the circulation of the remaining titles of the websites especially helpful.
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Resources It may help students in the Controlled Test to know a little bit about the history of comics, especially those produced in this country. What they need to identify are some of the major changes that have taken place in comic production over the years. The following websites may be helpful: Comics UK – useful background detail: http://www.comicsuk.co.uk Nationmaster Data Source – provides a history of British Comics and information about their main publishers in the encyclopedia section: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedi a/British_comics/List_of_British_Comics DC Thomson – publishers of Beano and The Dandy: http://www.dcthomson.co.uk http://www.dandy.com http://www.beanotown.com
www.collinseducation.com 5 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Comic stories 1
For this worksheet you will need to look closely at two different comic stories. It is best if you can find these in two different comics or annuals. You will need to use these again in further worksheets, so keep them for reference. 1 Comparing the two stories, write a list of conventions that you think they have in common. You will need to look at such things as: ● The nature of the frames as they are laid out on the page ● The actual images within the frames ● The use of words and other devices within the frames.
2 Can you identify any differences between the two stories? For example, you might consider: types of character, featured settings, use of language or types of illustration.
3 What have you learned about the main conventions of comic stories?
www.collinseducation.com 6 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Front covers 2
For this worksheet you will need to look at the front covers of two comics. Try to look at two rival comics such as The Dandy and Beano. For each of the comics answer the following questions: 1 What do you notice about the typography (words and lettering) on the front of the comic? Write down some words that you think describe the use of typography.
Comic 1:
Comic 2:
2 What sort of illustration is used in the magazine? Consider, for example, the style of drawing and the use of colour. What sort of character has been chosen for the front cover? What is the character doing? Comic 1:
Comic 2:
3 What information is given on the front of the magazine? Comic 1:
Comic 2:
4 How do you think the magazine has been designed in order to attract its target audience? Do you think it is successful? Comic 1:
Comic 2:
www.collinseducation.com 7 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Words and images 3
Comics work because of the relationship between the images and the words which are on the page. The words often anchor the meaning of the images by explaining to the reader what is happening. Look at the two comic stories used in Worksheet 1 and then attempt the following tasks.
1 The frames in a comic story are still images, yet they imply that there is movement within the narrative. How is the sense of movement achieved? Think about the poses in which the characters are drawn, as well as the backgrounds.
2 Unlike in film and television, there is no sound in comic stories. How is sound conveyed to the reader? Think about dialogue and sound effects in your answer.
3 What other information do comic stories contain that help us translate still images on the page into narrative in our heads?
www.collinseducation.com 8 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Narrative 4a
Comic stories each provide us with a narrative. To do this they have to employ a series of narrative devices. Use the same two comic stories as for Worksheet 1 and Worksheet 3 to answer the following questions about how the narratives of each are constructed. 1 How does each narrative start? Think about the characters, the setting and the situation.
Comic Story A Comic Story B
2 Who are the main characters? What do we know about them? (Remember, readers will have probably come across them many times before.)
Comic Story A Comic Story B
3 Summarise each story in no more than two sentences.
Comic Story A Comic Story B
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Take the same two comic stories you considered in Worksheet 4a to answer the following questions about conflict in the narratives. 1 What is the main source of conflict that drives the narrative?
Comic Story A Comic Story B
2 How is this conflict resolved?
Comic Story A Comic Story B
3 Have the main characters changed in any way as a result of the narrative?
Comic Story A Comic Story B
www.collinseducation.com 10 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Devices 5
This worksheet is about identifying some of the devices used in comics that act as a code which the reader must understand in order to follow what is happening in the stories. Look through a copy of a comic or annual and find examples of the following devices and say how they are used.
Device used Example How it is used
Speech bubbles
Illustrated thought bubbles
Text boxes
Frame links
Sound words
Emotion words
Movement lines
Facial expressions
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Comic stories usually have two different types of characters – major and minor. The major characters will appear every week and be familiar to readers for this reason. They will be the main focus of the story and we may see the narrative through their eyes. Young children may also associate with them. Choose two major characters and for each one explain what you think their appeal is for young readers. You might like to choose characters that you think contrast with one another.
Character A
Character B
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As mentioned in Worksheet 6a, comic stories usually have both major and minor characters. While major characters appear every week, minor characters are less important characters who may appear less frequently and will, therefore, be less familiar to readers. Choose two minor characters and briefly describe what they are like. Explain why they have been included in the story. What is their relationship to the major characters? Character A
Character B
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The major characters in comics were once, and in some cases still are, household names. 1 Ask older relatives for some of the names of characters they remember from the comics of their youth and make a list of the replies you get. 2 Then choose two or three of the characters and research them, either by looking at past issues of comics or using the internet. For each of the characters you have researched, complete the table below:
Appearance Character A Character B Character C (Facial characteristics and clothes)
Personality
Typical settings (for example school)
Friends
Enemies
Typical storyline
www.collinseducation.com 14 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Character types 8
The next three worksheets deal with how characters in comics are represented. You may need to look through several different comics in order to complete them. Characters in comics are by their very nature caricatures. This means that they are recognisable by a few simple characteristics. In other words, they are stereotypes who can be relied upon to behave in a predictable way. One typically predictable way is that they are always getting into trouble. 1 Choose half a dozen characters from the comics you have looked at. Try to find ones that you think represent a different kind of stereotype, for example, mischievous young person, irate teacher, long suffering parent. Describe in a couple of sentences how each character displays these stereotypical features.
Character A
Character B
Character C
Character D
Character E
Character F
2 How convincing do you find the characters in comics?
www.collinseducation.com 15 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Female rogues 9
An interesting quality of many comics is the behaviour of the female characters. For this worksheet you will need to look at comics aimed at different audiences. First find a comic aimed at both boys and girls, such as Beano. Then look at an example of a girls’ comic such as Bunty. 1 Choose any female character from the girls’ comic and compare her with, for example, a female character like Minnie the Minx. Then write some of the differences between the two female characters into the table below.
Characteristics Comic A (boys and girls) Comic B (girls)
Dress
Appearance
Attitude
Behaviour
Common storylines
2 How do you account for the difference in the characters? What do you think it tells us about how girls and boys are expected to behave when they are growing up?
www.collinseducation.com 16 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Authority figures 10
A key element of children’s comics is the role played by authority figures. These can be defined as anyone who has responsibility for or control over other people, especially children. They include parents, teachers and police officers. 1 Look through a few comics and make a list of four of five different characters that you think represent authority. In the table below, write down the name of each of these characters and describe how this person is seen to represent authority.
Name of character How they represent authority
2 From your research into the different characters, what do you think we learn about the nature of authority, especially when it is challenged?
3 Do characters who challenge authority ever get the better of it?
www.collinseducation.com 17 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Political correctness 11a
Comics, even those produced today, belong to a bygone age. The values in our society have changed. Read the article below about the way in which Desperate Dan was revamped by the publishers of the Dandy to meet with the demands for a more politically correct character. Then complete the questions on Worksheet 11b.
Desperate Dan slims down for Dandy relaunch Purists will no doubt lament the passing of toddlers – who appeared a year later also make Chips and Bully Beef, Smasher, Korky the Cat the cut, as does Owen Goal and his football- and Desperate Dan’s gun, but the Dandy – the mad mentor, Coachie. nation’s longest-running comic – is attempting DC Thomson said it undertook in-depth to etch itself on the consciousness of a new research before relaunching the magazine in a generation of readers with a relaunch today. bid to make the venerable magazine “cool” The favourite childhood read of anyone over again among its core seven- to 11-year-old 40 – who could buy the comic for the princely readership. sum of two old pennies compared with £1.20 Like the very first issue, sold at auction for today – might not take kindly to the new, more a dandy £20,350 last month, the all-new comic politically correct, comic. But publisher DC keeps the covermount going. It was the first Thomson is adamant the changes will help the time a freebie had been given away with a struggling title “bowl” kids over in the magazine – back in 1937 it was a free Express newsagents. Whistle – hardly likely to tempt the kids of Out go old favourites like Beryl the Peril and today – so that’s been replaced with a “free Smasher, not to mention the 1968 classic gross tongue”. Spunky and His Spider – and in comes Jak the DC Thomson says the redesign should help cool kid with big sister problems. stem a long-term sales decline. In its heyday in In an attempt to bring a little multi- the mid-1960s the Dandy was selling well over culturalism to the mix, the new Dandy – 2 million. But just prior to the relaunch sales tagline: Can You Handle It? – introduces had slumped to less than 50,000. Dreadlock Holmes, a cod Rastafarian homage “We’re never going to hit the 2 million mark to Conan Doyle’s famous detective. again but if we could double existing sales to Desperate Dan is still there, but now looks around 100,000 we’d be happy,” said a like he’s been on an Atkins diet. Plus he has no spokesman. gun. His holster’s still there, but it looks like The comic that broke the mould when its one of those fabulously over-designed belt- first edition hit the shops in 1937 is trying to do worn mobile phone pouches that went in and it again. Sixty seven years ago it was the colour out of fashion sometime in 1995. and A4 format that pitched the comic into the Bananaman – the story of little Eric who hearts and minds of game-free, TV-free, turns into a superhero after eating the tropical celebrity-free school kids. fruit – also survives the redesign. He first Today with all the competition, glossing up appeared after the Dandy underwent its first that colour and bringing in a few new names is mid-life crisis in 1985, when three months shy unlikely to provide the same epoch-making of its 48th birthday it was forced to merge with impact. Seventy years used to be most people’s Nutty. idea of a good innings – and that could equally Cuddles and Dimples – the troublesome well apply to magazines.
From The Guardian
www.collinseducation.com 18 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Political correctness 11b
Political correctness is about not being offensive to different groups within our society. It demands that we take care in our social attitudes and, for example, use of language so as not to do or say things that might upset these groups.
1 Read a recent comic story of Desperate Dan in The Dandy. How far do you think he can be called ‘politically correct’?
2 Choose some other characters from contemporary comics. Do you think any of the representation might be offensive to different groups within our society?
3 How well do you think different minority groups are represented within present day children’s comics?
4 Do you think we should worry about things like this, or are comics just harmless fun?
www.collinseducation.com 19 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Appeal 12
For this worksheet you need to access the D.C. Thomson website. You can download a Media Pack for Dandy and Beano from the following link: http://www.marketing.dcthomson.co.uk/pdf_window.asp?pdf=beano_and_dandy.pdf (Please note: the media pack will be updated in February and April 2006.) Use the information in the Media Pack to answer the following questions: 1 What is the total number of readers who buy a copy of Dandy or Beano each week?
2 Are they mostly girls or boys?
3 What age group do D.C. Thompson say these comics are aimed at?
4 What age group do you think they are aimed at?
5 What, according to the publishers, is the difference between Beano and Dandy kids?
6 Do you think this is true?
7 How much does it cost to place a full page advertisement in one of the comics?
8 What sort of thing do you think might be advertised?
9 What do you learn on the website about the lifestyles of Beano and Dandy readers?
www.collinseducation.com 20 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Dead as a dodo 13
Look at the following website, which provides a list of British comics and the dates between which each of the titles was published: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/British_comics/List_of_British_Comics As you will see, the market for comics has diminished over the past half century. 1 What do you think are the main reasons for the decline in interest on the part of young children in comics?
2 What sort of media do you think this age group now consumes instead?
3 Why do you think titles like Dandy and Beano remain relatively popular?
4 Are there any types of comics available now that were not available previously?
www.collinseducation.com 21 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet History of comics 14
For the Controlled Test you will need to research the history of comics. It would be useful if you found information about some of the changes that have taken place in comics over the years. The best place to start looking is in comics, so you will need to get hold of earlier examples. Places like comic shops (if there is one near you), car boot sales, markets and Ebay are good places to start looking. Ask if any of your relatives has a supply of comics stashed away in their attic. If you cannot get hold of any, look at the websites listed in the Introduction (page 5). Then complete the following tasks.
1 Check the date on the front of the comic. How long ago was it published? How old were your parents/grandparents when this comic was sold? Ask them if they read comics like this and what they remember about those times.
2 Look carefully at the comic. How does its appearance in terms of design and printing compare with a modern comic? (For example, is it all in colour? What sort of paper is it printed on?)
3 Is this a title that is still published? If not, find out when it ceased publication. If it is still published, how many of the comic stories in it have survived to the present day?
4 What is the target market for the comics? Try to break this down in terms of gender and age.
5 How do you think young people would react if they were to read the comic today?
www.collinseducation.com 22 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Dandy versus Beano 15
One of the things you might have noticed from previous worksheets is the great rivalry between The Dandy and Beano. Strangely these two publications are published by the same company – D.C. Thompson & Co Ltd. Look again closely at the covers of these two comics and answer the following questions. 1 What is the difference in price between the two competitors?
2 How do you think this is likely to influence potential readers?
3 What devices does The Dandy use to persuade readers to buy it in preference to Beano? What does it say on the cover that might appeal to readers?
4 Why do you think the publishers have created this rivalry between the two titles, both of which they own?
www.collinseducation.com 23 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Visit the website 16
One fairly recent change that has taken place in the publication of comics is the development of websites. Look at a recent issue of a comic and you will often find the address of the website just below the masthead. Access the websites of a few comics. The obvious places you might start looking are: www.dandy.com www.beanotown.com Now try to answer the following questions: 1 What do you think is the attraction of the websites for a young reader?
2 What do the websites do that the comic itself cannot?
3 What can the website not do that the comic does?
4 How is the website used to promote the comic?
5 Do you think one day websites will replace comics?
www.collinseducation.com 24 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet The face says it all 17
Comic characters show a lot of their emotion through facial expressions. Take a close look at a copy of a comic and find examples of different emotions shown through different facial expressions. You can look for examples of: ● Annoyance ● Happiness ● Fear ● Spite ● Surprise. Concentrating on primarily on the eyes and mouth, try to work out how we read these and other emotions in the faces of characters. Below are some basic examples to help you create emotions in the faces of your own creations.
www.collinseducation.com 25 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Create your own comic 18a
In the worksheets that follow, you will have the chance to try out some of the design and production work that you might be asked to do if you ever get to work on a comic. Always bear in mind the target audience for comics is young people, usually in the 7–12 year age group. Be careful that any work you produce is appropriate for such an audience. It is a good idea to try out some of your ideas on relatives and friends in that age group. 1 Begin by thinking about characters. Write down some of the characteristics that you think will be appealing in characters aimed at this target readership.
2 Do you think these characteristics will appeal to both girls and boys? If not, how could they be changed so that they do?
3 You are going to create two or three characters with these characteristics. Try to think of an appropriate name for each of these characters (perhaps one that tells you about their character like Beryl the Peril).
4 Briefly describe some of the settings where readers might expect to see these characters.
www.collinseducation.com 26 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Create your own comic 18b
Comic characters are drawn by professional illustrators, highly skilled at their job. However, even if you are not brilliant at drawing, you should be able to put down on paper images that will tell us what your characters are like. In the space below, draw a quick sketch of one of your characters. Don’t forget to use colouring materials to help bring him or her to life. Label your drawing to make clear some of the finer details that might not be evident in your drawing.
www.collinseducation.com 27 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Create your own comic 18c
Using one of the characters you created in Worksheet 18a as your main protagonist, create a story to be included in a new or existing comic aimed at the 7–12 year age group. Firstly, you will need to come up with a storyline or narrative, including: ● A setting or settings ● Other characters ● A source of conflict ● An opening to the narrative ● An outcome to the narrative. When you have all these things, write a description of your story on no more than one side of A4 paper.
www.collinseducation.com 28 ©HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2006 Media Studies GCSE Controlled Test worksheet Create your own comic 18d
Go back to the narrative you created in Worksheet 18c. 1 Look at a copy of the type of comic you think your story would fit into and count how many frames each page of the comic carries. This will vary from story to story, but you will find that it is usually between seven and twelve. Notice that the size of each frame is not always regular. Some frames may be bigger than others as well as being different shapes to the normal square or rectangle. 2 Then look at the opening to your story. Try to plan out how this would appear on one page of the comic. Remember you will need to leave space for the title of the story. You can then divide the rest into the number of frames you want. If you want one frame to be bigger than the rest, then you will obviously have to plan this (you should also have a reason for doing this). 3 Now draw out your frames on to a sheet of plain paper. In each frame, create a simple drawing to show what is happening. Then add any words in the form of speech bubbles or sound effects that are needed. Don’t forget to use colouring materials to make your page more attractive.
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