klm AQA GCSE Media Studies (3571)
Guidance for Teachers on the 2009 AQA GCSE Media Studies Controlled Test Topic
Television Quiz Shows
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Guidance for teachers on the 2009 AQA GCSE Media Studies Controlled Test Topic Television Quiz Shows Definition: A Quiz Show is a programme, on television or radio, where contestant(s) demonstrate knowledge by answering questions and has a competitive element. The following guidelines are intended to support the preparation of you and your students for the GCSE Media Studies Controlled Test in general and the 2009 topic, Television Quiz Shows, in particular. They are not designed to cover all aspects of teaching Television Quiz Shows but are intended to offer suggestions on how to approach the topic. The ethos of the paper is, as always, to encourage students to explore the topic and to show what they know and understand. You are reminded of the need to refer to the current specification and past question papers, mark schemes and Examiner’s Reports for further guidance on the content and administration of the Controlled Test. The Controlled Test carries 50% of the total marks available for this qualification and please note that:
Sufficient time should be given to the teaching of the Controlled Test topic before the release date of the preliminary materials (3571/HM and 3571/FM) No teaching of the topic may take place after this date No tier changes are permitted after this date – make sure you give the correct tier preliminary paper to each candidate No assignment or practical production may cover the topic area of the Controlled Test.
Assessment Objectives and Weightings Your teaching of the Controlled Test should be guided by the assessment objectives. These are given below together with the approximate weightings applied to the Controlled Test. The scheme of assessment requires candidates to demonstrate their ability to: AO1 Knowledge and Understanding 15% Use media terminology appropriately to describe theoretical concerns and production techniques 2
Demonstrate a knowledge of mass media organisations and their structures including new technologies, output and the working practices and constraints under which they produce texts Be aware of the impact of the mass media on people’s lives and the formation of social attitudes.
AO2 Analysis and Interpretation 20% Analyse and evaluate a range of media texts, their distinctive formats and conventions, including their own media productions Consider the implications of the media representations of individuals, groups, events and issues Explore the relationship between the production of media texts and institutions and their consumption by audiences. AO3 Production Skills 15% Use practical skills to create a media production, demonstrating creativity and initiative in using available resources Undertake a range of pre-production tasks such as research, scripting, and storyboarding and production tasks such as design. Key Concepts As with coursework assignments a useful place to start when preparing for the Controlled test topic is with the key concepts:
Media Language: forms and conventions Institutions Audience Representation.
Appropriate production skills also need to be practised in preparation for the Controlled Test. Media Language: forms and conventions Media language should be investigated through a range of contemporary and non-contemporary texts. Generic conventions are: Quiz shows on television are set in a studio. Set design often includes a podium behind which the contestants stand (perhaps to help stop them 3
shaking?). Light is often an important element of the mise-en-scene with lights dimmed or spotlights used to heighten dramatic tension. The host is sometimes a key element of the show; an aging star of television, someone whose ‘A list days’ are over, although it could perhaps be argued that Anne Robinson has become an A list celebrity since she began ‘The Weakest Link’. Quite often the host is a TV star from a different genre of television i.e. comedy or even news. Comedians often make good hosts. The host must have presence and a ready patter if and when the contestants dry up or do something unexpected, this is where comedians have an advantage as they have a ready wit and a sense of familiarity. The presenter or host often holds cards as an aide-memoire but these are usually just for the opening of the show where the contestants are introduced and these cards contain relevant information about the contestant. Traditionally the host is male accompanied by a ‘glamorous assistant’, although in some shows the ‘assistant’ is the brains – Channel 4’s ‘Countdown’ with Carol Vorderman as an example. The contestants are chosen from the thousands who apply to join the show. They are often required to send in a photograph of themselves because the selection process begins straight away. They have to have a certain ‘something’ about them so they can communicate with the audience and help make the show successful. They can vary in age and background. Contestants are sometimes drawn from the studio audience as in ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’. So these contestants have to apply to be on the show, get selected to be in the initial group who then have to go through an elimination round or two to select the final contestants for the quiz. The questions can vary depending on the target audience. They are usually set independently. Contestants usually know whether they are going to be general knowledge or specialist subjects and have time to prepare or swot up on the subject, as in ‘Mastermind’. Questions often start easy, to put the contestants at their ease and then get progressively harder. They can be multiple choice or straight question and answer. Technology has now made it possible for contestants to have computer screens in front of them to key in their answers and for the viewing audience to see the responses and if they are clever enough, to know in advance whether the contestant has got it right. The prizes can be prestigious such as sponsored cars/caravans and even boats. Sometimes it is a glass bowl, (Mastermind), a pen and pencil set (Crackerjack) or cash. Usually even the losers go away with something even if, as in the case of ‘The Weakest Link’, it is only the experience of being able to blow off steam about fellow contestants on camera.
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Television Quiz Show gimmicks or catchphrases have become part of the institution and part of the national consciousness. Catchphrases such as ‘You are the weakest link, goodbye’, ‘Can I phone a friend?’ and ‘I’ve started so I’ll finish’ quickly pass into public vernacular. Other gimmicks include, the support of school children, ‘Are you Smarter than a Ten Year Old?’ - ask the audience, or a variety of clues. Music is often used first as a catchy theme tune and then as mood music to increase tension or to signal different parts of the show. Institution Quiz Shows are cheap television especially if they are sponsored or if they are linked with telephone call lines. The latter have recently caused great controversy. BBC: Prestige and children’s quizzes where the prizes are not particularly glamorous. Shows like ‘Mastermind’ are all about prestige and the glass bowl. In the past ‘Ask the Family’ was again prestige rather than prizes and very middle class. BBC2 comprises of some more avant-garde shows such as ‘QI’ and ‘Have I got News for You’ which now boasts a range of celebrity hosts who suffer a barrage of witty abuse by team captains Paul Merton and Ian Hislop. This has led to many imitations such as ‘Mock the Week’, and ‘They Think it’s All Over’. Sporting enthusiasts have been entertained with famous sporting faces in ‘A Question of Sport’. The BBC were quite innovative for a more ‘conservative’ channel BBC2 with the more wacky and spontaneous wit in ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’. ITV: encourages sponsorship of quizzes so the prizes are donated by the sponsor in exchange for the covert and often overt publicity they get. Telephone entries have helped finance prizes in the past where BT has donated a percentage of the cost of the call to the production company in exchange for all the extra business and this has financed the prizes. Recent controversy has made some contestants wary of this though and ITV were actually fined: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/26/ngmtv22 6.xml It is useful to compare BBC and ITV approaches to quiz shows. For ITV this has been a major popular and successful prime time format with ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’, ‘Family Fortunes’ and ‘Bullseye’ etc. Whereas the BBC often aimed for the more middle class audience where more academic knowledge is valued – ‘Mastermind’, ‘University Challenge’ and ‘Call My Bluff’’. None of these were prime time shows. Channel 4 was quick to recognise the value of daytime quiz shows to an older demographic with shows like ‘Countdown’. Sometimes quiz shows change channel and are re5
launched which is what has happened to ‘University Challenge’ the longrunning television quiz show, licensed and produced by Granada Television was first shown on ITV from 21st September 1962 to 31st December 1987, then and on BBC2 from 21st September 1994 to the present day. Recently ‘The Weakest Link’ has transferred from BBC2 to BBC1. DVD’s and Games have extended the life of the Quiz Show with the play at home versions although earlier boxed editions were often made available as spin off from popular shows. Many quiz shows now regularly produce celebrity versions either as one off ‘specials’ or for charity purposes. This of course helps increase the popularity of the show. Quiz formats can be syndicated around the world with variations on a theme appearing from Russia to the Caribbean as exampled by the various versions of ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ and ‘The Weakest Link’. Audience There are several different audiences. There is the studio audience who are encouraged to participate either by cheering, voting or merely applauding. Audiences are usually invited to apply for tickets and there is always a multitude who wants to experience the vicarious pleasure of appearing on TV. When contestants are chosen from the audience television editing makes the whole process appear seamless. There is the viewing audience at ‘home’ who are rarely passive and just watch the programme almost everyone would be tempted to pit their wits against the contestants on ‘University Challenge’ or those on ‘Mastermind’. And who can resist seeing if they are indeed ‘Smarter than a Ten year Old’? Sometimes viewers are encouraged to participate in the quiz either through interactive buttons on the television or via their computer. Technology has come a long way from the suit and tie and evening dresses of the panel on ‘What’s My Line?’ It is interesting to look at the demographics of ITV and BBC audiences where various issues might be raised. Representation Whether you are sitting with the audience in the darkened studio of ‘Mastermind’, laughing with the bitchy comments of Anne Robinson or hoping for humiliation in ‘Beat the Teacher’ there is a lot being said about the values and ideologies present. The production values evident in the quality and 6
innovativeness of the studio set, the kind of prizes offered, the degree of rigour in the questions asked and the respect or lack of it offered to the contestants again says a lot about the programme. It was a newsworthy item when a London Cabbie won the final of ‘Mastermind’ and the first £1 million winner of ‘Who Wants be a Millionaire’ was accused of cheating. Candidates may want to investigate why they became newsworthy. It isn’t always the cleverest who wins in a contest where strategy plays a part. Uses and Gratification theory is evident when everyone thinks they too can be a winner and they get the chance to pit their wits against the experts. Production Skills Any production work required for the Controlled Test will need to be considered in terms of the topic. Students should be thoroughly prepared for the Controlled Test as a result of the two years of study needed to complete the course. Whatever production task is required on the paper, it should be tackled with the same degree of confidence about the codes and conventions as any other. Non-contemporary context Quiz shows originated on the radio and any study of past or current radio quiz show output is to be encouraged. However, the focus on the Controlled test paper is TELEVISION quiz shows. Television quiz shows are almost as old as television broadcast with ‘What’s My Line?’ broadcast on 16th July 1951. By the end of the 1950’s basic television quiz shows became big money winning game shows. The following is just a selection of some of the television quiz shows broadcast on television in the past: 1951: What’s My Line? 1952: Animal, Vegetable or Mineral? 1955: Crackerjack (Quiz as part of show) 1955: Take Your Pick 1955: Double Your Money 1957: Criss Cross Quiz 1967: Ask the Family 1970: A Question of Sport 1975: Celebrity Squares 1981: Bullseye questions) 1996: Never Mind the Buzzcocks 2003: QI 2005: Eggheads 2008: Duel 7
BBC BBC BBC ITV ITV ITV BBC BBC ITV ITV (combining darts skill with BBC2 BBC2 BBC2 ITV
Resources Online Controlled Test resources available for free download at http://www.collinseducation.com/autosites/default.aspx?pageID=1441 GCSE Media Studies for AQA by Mandy Esseen, Ann Riley and Martin Phillips published by Heinemann ISBN 0435109693 GCSE Media Studies by John Price published by Nelson Thornes ISBN 0748767037 Looking at Media Studies for GCSE by Julian Bowker published by Hodder Arnold ISBN 0340848553 Investigating Media Studies by Mike Edwards et al published by Hodder Arnold ISBN 0340758384 Teaching Quiz Shows - Wendy Helsby Auteur Publishing (2008) ISBN: 978-1-903663-94-3 Articles http://www.oxfordstudent.com/tt2004wk1/Features/is_that_your_final_answe r%3F ‘Is that Your Final Answer?’ Books The Quiz Show: by Su Holmes Edinburgh University Press ISBN 100748627529 (published 15th October 2008) – (This is not a student text but may be of interest to teachers.) Websites A Google search will provide some interesting websites but it is important that students do not confuse Quiz Shows with Game Shows. http://www.museum.tv/ http://www.quizplayers.com/ http://www.ukgameshows.com/
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