Hints & Tips

Make sure you stick to the TERMINOLOGY – WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THE CHARACTER – WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THE WIDER SOCIAL GROUP model you see in the table on the following page for each of your points

Use Precision Terminology – for example, colours aren’t “dull” they are “de-saturated”. A shot isn’t “big”, its a “close-up.”

Remember that although a character may be represented in a particular way, an audience might be positioned to feel something totally different about them.

Make sure every point you make contains evidence from the clip

Be precise about who you are talking about. Don’t say “they used a close-up”, say “the director has chosen a close up”. Don’t say “they may view this character as being aggressive,” say “the audience may view this character as being aggressive.” Otherwise we don’t know who you are talking about!

Keep sentences to a manageable length. Commas and full stops are our friends!

Make sure you mention all FOUR KEY AREAS in your essay (camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene). If you only mention 2 or 3 areas, you cannot get higher than a C

Be concise and don’t waffle. There is nothing worse than a student repeating the same point over and over in very slightly different ways.

Proof-read! Make sure you read your paragraphs through after you’ve written each one, and then read the whole essay again before handing it in. Spell checking computer written documents is essential, BUT remember that spell check doesn’t pick up everything!

Make sure your points are relevant to the social group being asked about. There’s no point wasting your time mentioning things that are relevant to their age or ethnicity if the question is about class or gender!