December Mock Exam: Learner Response Blog Tasks
1) Type up any feedback on your paper (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential). If you only have marks and a grade on the paper, write a WWW/Next Steps yourself based on your scores.
18/84 grade 2
2) Use the mark scheme for this Paper 2 mock (posted on GC) to read the answers AQA were looking for. First, write down a definition and example of non-diegetic sound (Q1.1 and 1.2).
• The opening shot in the extract focuses on the omelette in Will’s hand – almost a close-up – with handheld camera movement following the plate to the table. This focus on the food Will has cooked seems to establish him as the less dominant person in the relationship. The medium shot of Lyra suspiciously looking at the food reinforces this power imbalance in their relationship.
• Camera angle is used in an interesting way in the extract. Will is often shown from a low angle which should suggest power or dominance. However, his expression and body language is very timid so in fact seems to further emphasise Lyra’s confidence. When Lyra is sitting at the table, the camera is deliberately placed at Lyra’s level so she is not presented as weak or vulnerable.
• The wide shot and slow dolly/tracking through the open doors shows both characters together sitting at the table. This deliberately places both characters in the same frame as the conversation becomes more friendly and less guarded. The camerawork is communicating the growing friendship between Lyra and Will and helps to foreshadow the suggestion (in the very next shot) from Will that they team up and work together. The slow dolly/track at this point signals to the audience that something important is happening; their relationship is changing. It works in a similar
Non-verbal communication
• Will’s expression and body language is very timid which subverts masculine stereotypes. In contrast, Lyra’s movements and expressions exude confidence. This can be seen in the extract both outside at the table and later when discussing which beds they will take.
Mise-en-scene
• Lyra’s costume subverts feminine stereotypes. It is blue, practical and does not emphasise her figure or draw attention. It helps to establish Lyra as a practical, confident character who is used to surviving on her own.
• The way Lyra first investigates and then eats the omelette also subverts feminine stereotypes. Her interaction with props in the scene deliberately subvert ideas of being ‘ladylike’ or feminine.
5) Look at Q2 - the 20-mark essay on representations of age and social and cultural contexts. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your answer.
• Susan is a stereotypical loner. Although she claims to like the school, she is not seen to engage with other pupils and they laugh at her mistakes (eg re decimal currency).
• Susan is clearly in touch with popular culture. As a stereotypical teenager, she is engrossed in pop music on her radio and her modern clothes differentiate her from the teachers. In spite of her intellectual superiority, she is polite and deferential to her teachers. She is not afraid, though, to challenge her ‘grandfather’, the Doctor, in order to defend Barbara and Ian.
• In HDM it is the teens/young adults who lead the way in driving the narrative forward. The adults tend to accept their more peripheral roles or discuss the prophecy that revolves around Lyra. The teens are proactive, and the adults react.
• Marcus Rashford demonstrates this with his commercial partnerships with Burberry, Nike, Coca-Cola and more. The fact he appeals to such mainstream brands is evidence of his power in the digital age.
• Much of Rashford’s power comes from his skilful use of social media to promote good causes such as food poverty and childhood literacy. His work with Fareshare and his campaign for free school meals during holidays during the pandemic meant that he was directly opposing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. That Rashford won the battle demonstrates the power he now has.
• Marcus Rashford’s Instagram engagement rate of 6% is exceptionally high. With more than 15m followers on Instagram this means an incredible number of ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ on his post. This boosts Rashford’s power and influence – and makes him even more appealing for mainstream brands and commercial partners.
In relation to Marcus Rashford’s online presence, he uses this to promote companies that he has signed endorsement deals and his book club (that can boost his own book sales). There is not a clear distinction between his promotional and advertising work and the rest of his social media or website content. This blurring of the boundaries perhaps suggests more regulation is necessary. The Advertising Standards Authority has called on celebrities and influencers to be more explicit when they are posting paid promotion on their social media platforms.
Rashford and Kim Kardashian are prominent on Instagram – she has more than 350m followers. Instagram has been linked with higher rates of depression and anxiety in teenage girls which perhaps suggests regulation is needed. There are over 25m Instagram users in the UK alone which is a staggeringly high number. It seems remarkable that much of the media is heavily regulated – e.g. TV and radio by Ofcom and yet such an influential platform as Instagram is free to do whatever it likes.
There are also debates regarding authenticity and anonymity on social media. Twitter/X no longer has celebrity verification so it is more difficult than previously to tell if a real celebrity or influencer is posting. The ‘blue check’ can now be bought by any user willing to pay Elon Musk £8 a month which arguably makes the platform more dangerous and more in need of outside regulation.
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