TV Crime DRAMA GCSE STUDENT SUPPORT BOOKLET 1 Key Dates 14th May = Pre Released Material Thursday 14th June pm = TV Crime Drama Exam 90 minutes This booklet is designed to support you with the examination for TV Crime Drama. We are going to start by looking at the design of What is Preliminary the examination. Material? This will help you see the kind of information, How does it help me and preparation that you will need to do, in or- der to get a good grade in the exam. prepare for the exam? Preliminary Material This is an imaginary ‘brief’ from a media company - the best way to understand this, is to look at the one that I have made up below. Dear Student, At PCDR Productions we are dedicated to producing quality television crime dramas. Our series have been popular with audiences due to their strong lead characters. We are currently in the process of commissioning a new series which we hope to sell to a major broadcaster. We would also like it to have an international appeal and are hoping to sell to American channels. In the past we have specialised in traditional TV crime dramas targeted at an older audience. However, we are inter- ested in reaching a younger target audience. Whilst we would like to keep some of the successful elements of crime drama, we would also like to enliven this genre with some fresh ideas. At the moment we would are looking at producing something for the pre watershed market, so it needs to be appropri- ate for all the family. Given the growth in digital media, we would also like to look at how we can utilise this growing sector of the market. We would like you to pitch your ideas in four weeks time. • Keep your responses short and focused • Use diagrams/illustrations were appropriate • Provide examples to support your ideas We look forward to receiving your ideas You will get 4 exam questions based on the preliminary material, you will not see them until you open the exam on 14th June. 2 Possible Questions You should be prepared to answer questions that focus on the key ideas in Media: Media Language - this includes all the codes and conventions of the genre, choosing the cor- rect shot types and sound for your storyboard, making sure that you have a name for your TV crime drama that is connotative of the genre that you are attempting to pitch. You need major characters that are in keeping with the crime drama format. It also means that if they ask you to draw a teaser trailer, an opening sequence, an extract from the series you know the differences between these three. Audience - You need to know why audiences enjoy watching crime dramas, how popular they are and have a clear sense of how you address the target audience in your own production Institution - You will need to have an understanding of the type of stars and actors that are in Crime dramas, you will need to know about TV scheduling and should also have some research into the audience figures for different dramas. It is really important that you understand how Crime dramas promote themselves across a range of media in their attempt to win audiences. Representation - You will need to be able to analyse the types of Representations on offer in TV Crime dramas and be able to give specific examples. You will also need to have a clear idea of the representations that are signified in your own TV Crime Drama Here is some questions based on the brief: Complete all tasks You should spend 45minutes on Task 1 and 2 and 45minutes 3 and 4. Task 1 Outline three key features of television crime and drama and provide examples to support your ideas. (15 Marks) Task 2 Some critics of television crime drama claim that the genre is made up of tired old storylines that are constantly recy- cled and reused. To what extent do you agree with this? Provide examples to support your views. (15 Marks) Task 3 Outline your pitch for a television crime drama series. You need to talk about: • Character • Setting • An appropriate title • What will make it appealing to your target audience (15 marks) Task 4 We intend to make use of the internet to promote the commissioned series. Design the home page of a website for your TV drama programme. You should use the A3 design sheet provided. OR The website will feature a short trailer for the series. Plot a 30 second trailer to the target audience. You should use the 10-frame storyboard provided. (15 marks) For each question decide which key idea in Media they focus on, sometimes it will be more than one . 3 Here are another set of questions for the same Advise to examiners - This is what AQA tell examiners brief. As you can see you need to be able to apply When you are marking your scripts your aim should be: your research and planning to the question asked. 1. to identify and reward the achievement of all candidates Complete all tasks 2. to ensure compatibility of assessment for all candidates, regardless of task or examiner. You should spend 45 minutes on Task 1 and 2 and 45 minutes on 3 and 4. Task 1 From the research that you have conducted, what would you say are the features of TV crime drama? Examiners should reward any of the following: Provide evidence to support your ideas. (15 marks) • in role response Task 2 • reference to the brief Some people argue that the crime drama genre relies on stereotypes dominated by ‘old men in trench coats’. What have you discovered about the representations of men and women in television crime drama? What are the male and • evidence of research and independent learning female roles and suggest reasons for these, referring to storylines and audiences. (15 marks) • understanding of technological or sociological influences on the genre Task 3 • a range of examples Present your pitch for scrutiny. Give us your ideas for: • Main characters • originality of thought • Setting • How it will appeal to your target audience (15 marks) The preparation period should be reflected in the candidates’ responses. Task 4 When we look at the mark scheme, you will see how important it is to prepare for Either this examination, beyond what you do in lessons. Design a one-page advert to run in a national newspaper promoting the series Scrutiny. Use the A3 design sheet enclosed Or The highest grades are given for original ideas and independent research and We plan to use the internet to promote the new series. A sequence of the show will appear on our website. thought. Storyboard a 30-second extract of the programme which introduces two main characters. You should use storyboard sheets enclosed. (15 marks) I have started this booklet with exam questions as I wanted to show you what you are aiming to achieve and what the exam will look like. The next section will outline the mark scheme. It will also look at what examiners are told to reward. 4 Advise to examiners - This is what AQA tell examiners When you are marking your scripts your aim should be: 1. to identify and reward the achievement of all candidates 2. to ensure compatibility of assessment for all candidates, regardless of task or examiner. Examiners should reward any of the following: • in role response • reference to the brief • evidence of research and independent learning • understanding of technological or sociological influences on the genre • a range of examples • originality of thought The preparation period should be reflected in the candidates’ responses. When we look at the mark scheme, you will see how important it is to prepare for this examination, beyond what you do in lessons. The highest grades are given for original ideas and independent research and thought. nt objectives th sme at y ses ou as a AO3 re he t This tests the ability of te s re candidates to demonstrate t a e research, planning and d e r o e n H 5 6 How do I get a C or above? Write in role for example – As part of my research for the pitch I decided to look at TV Crime dramas that are already popular with audiences. I found out the following: They usually follow the solving of a crime by either .................................. TV crime dramas are often whodunits that follow the ………….for example in Lewis …………… Keep referring to the brief – If they have asked you to create a female detective for a prime time Sunday schedule on a major channel – refer to this. Create what they want! Know your key terminology – make sure that you know the terminology for all aspects of the exam. Some examples follow just to get you thinking, I will put a glossary at the back of the book * Words about visual style – pull focus, mise en scene, low key lighting, jump cut, parallel editing, connotation * Words about genre – signifier, iconography, mise en scene, hybridization, star image, connotation * Words about narrative – binary opposition, disequilibrium, protagonist, antagonist, enigma code, enclosed narrative * Words about audience – demographic, profiling, uses and gratifications, target audience, preferred reading, dominant reading, viewing figures, prosumer, fragmentation, niche audience, star image, watershed * Words about Institution – broadcaster, production company, scheduling, commissioning, branding, synergy, unique selling point, inheritance factor, hammocking, marketing, franchise, spin off, watershed, public service broadcaster * Words about impact of technology and cross media promotion – interactivity, virtuality, augmented reality, synergy, convergence, proliferation, QR code, high speed, stream, download, hyperlink, navigate user created content, prosumer, fansite, dynamic content * Words about representation – stereotype, atypical, subvert, dominant ideology, polysemic reading, patriarchy Make sure that you have a range of examples to back up what you say- * This may be examples of the narrative structure in a particular series/programme.