YEAR 10 MEDIA · ONE-PAGE REVISION
Knowledge Organiser
Everything on the exam, on two pages. 15 min reading · 90 min writing · 50 marks.
A · Photography 11
B · Represent 23
C · Action 16
SECTION A · Photography — the Exposure Triangle 11 marks
ApertureHow wide the lens opens (f-stops). Small number = big hole. Wide (f/1.8) = shallow DoF (blurry bg). Narrow (f/16) = deep DoF (all sharp).
Shutter speedHow long the shutter is open. Fast (1/500+) freezes motion. Slow (1/30−) = blur + more light. Handheld min ≈ 1/60.
ISOSensor sensitivity. Low (100) = clean, needs light. High (1600+) = shoots dark but adds noise/grain. Keep it low.
| Problem | Fix | Problem | Fix |
|---|
| Movement blur | Shutter faster | Too dark indoors | ISO up / open aperture |
| Blurry bg (wanted) | Aperture wide | All in focus | Aperture narrow |
| Grainy/noisy | ISO too high | Triangle rule | Change one → compensate |
SECTION B · Represent — Codes, ACA & COCA 23 marks
Symbolic codesSetting · mise-en-scène · acting/body language · colour & costume. (red roses, all-black villain)
Technical codesCamerawork · editing · audio/music · lighting. (close-up, low-angle, slow-mo)
Written codesText on screen: captions, title cards, headlines, subtitles. (“GUILTY”, “3 years later”)
ACA conventionsVoiceover · doorstop/ambush interview · surveillance handheld · music sting · captions/lower-thirds · B-roll of evidence · talking-head in home · freeze-frame.
ACA character typesDodgy Guy = doorstop, surveillance, freeze-frame, harsh light. Battler = home, soft light, family, slow cuts. Expert = eye-level, office, credentials. Same person, conventions decide.
COCA paragraph — the analysis structure
Contention (name the code + your claim) · Observation (what you see/hear) · Connotation (what it means / why) · Audience (how it positions the viewer). Short answers: Identify → Describe → Explain.
KNOWLEDGE ORGANISER · PAGE 2
Section C & Exam Craft
Continuity · cross-cut
SECTION C · Action — Editing & Tension 16 marks
Cross-cutting (parallel editing)Alternates TWO threads of action at the same time, different places. Audience sees both; characters can’t. Cuts get shorter/faster → urgency → convergence point.
Convergence typesCollision — threads physically meet (Strangers on a Train). Reveal — info is revealed (Argo). Deadline — race a clock (Star Wars trench run).
Screen direction (180°)Move left→right in shot 1, stay left→right in shot 2. Broken = character seems to turn around.
Matching movementA movement continues at the same speed/angle across the cut. Broken = jolt, lost momentum.
Cut on actionCut during a movement; the movement hides the join → seamless.
Break any continuity rule → audience confused/disoriented, illusion breaks, momentum & immersion lost. Camera movement (pan, tilt, track, dolly, handheld, crane) = a strong “one other technical code”.
Exam craft — how to win marks
Command wordsList/State/Identify = the right word. Describe = name + how it works. Explain = + audience effect. Match points to marks.
Timing15 min reading (plan the big answers). ~1 mark/min. Never leave a blank. Underline the command word first.
Practise it all → media.codes/strikes-back · drills, flashcards & AI-marked writing.