Student Questionnaire

My name is Georgia Irving. For my GCSE results, I achieved four A grades, five B grades and two C grades. My hobbies include playing guitar, writing, and designing and making clothes. I enjoy reading magazines, watching films and music videos and listening to music.

Occasionally, I will read articles in the weekend telegraph newspapers as these are purchased by my family. The types of article that would interest me would be headline news, music related items and rugby match reports. In the past, I have purchased the new 'I' newspaper. This appeals to me because it is low cost and concise. I do, however, prefer to use the internet to view news stories as you can be more personally selective about what you want to read.

The type of magazines I choose are fashion and music magazines. These interest me not only because fashion and music are important to me, like most young people, but also I take Textiles as an A level subject and play guitar.

I don't tend to listen to radio media for information, but do listen to Radio 1 and 6 Music for entertainment. My music taste is eclectic, including genres such as indie, folk rock, rap, ska, drum and bass and many others. My CD collection is a minestrone soup of music. I am not part of a band, however I am a self-taught singer/songwriter. I access music on the internet regularly via YouTube, and I have mixed views on the subject of illegal downloading. Whilst I feel the artist and production company should receive recognition and remuneration, as a student struggling with finances the accessibility of free music makes the level of temptation high.

Each music genre has a specific stereotype. Therefore, if you are a follower of a certain genre, you will aspire to replicate that particular 'look'. As I mentioned, I have a varied music taste and I feel my dress sense reflects that as I don't adhere to any specific genre image. In terms of my attitudes and aspirations, I feel the music industry doesn't influence them significantly because my influences come from elsewhere, nevertheless I do recognise and understand how big an influence it can have.

Although I don't play video games regularly, I do play them with friends. I wouldn't say I have a particular favourite game, as I enjoy the social aspect most. I feel the video game market is quite male orientated, and in many cases reinforces negative stereotypes of gender, aiming more domestic-based games towards a female audience. A large majority of video games are constructed on themes of war and violence, which could lead to people believing that conflicts are best solved in these ways.

My generation have grown up with new technologies and almost instant access to information about other countries, other cultures and world news. This means that I have a greater understanding of the wider world, however this also makes me aware of the fact that not everyone has that freedom of information. In terms of communication, technology has provided us with many more platforms to interact through. It has been made a lot easier to contact people worldwide, rather than being limited to our own local areas. The internet has made films, television programmes and music constantly attainable almost effortlessly and other new technologies, such as i-Pods, have made these portable.

My favourite television channel is E4, because it is aimed towards my age group so the programmes it plays appeal to me. In relation to genre, my preference would be comedy, due to its upbeat and optimistic nature. I consider Dr. Who to be a memorable television programme, as it is fast-paced and very well produced, and although it is the longest running science-fiction television show in the world, it has been reinvented for a new generation.

Psychological thrillers would be my preferred film genre. I like the way this genre induces adrenaline and tension, whilst also challenging the mind. Three films which I find outstanding are 'Four Lions', 'Black Swan' and 'Sunshine', because all three of these films surprised me and shocked me in a way that most films wouldn't. I would generally prefer to watch films at the cinema, as I feel this then makes the film become more of an experience, despite mainly consuming films from home via television or computer due to the fact that this is more easily accessed. My favourite cinema within Norwich is Vue Cinema, since it is in the city centre and the prices are reasonable. I prefer to watch films in a group, as I enjoy discussing films with others and sharing opinions on them.

I have contributed to the construction of a short film, helping with the filming of footage, and suggesting appropriate soundtracks to enhance the visuals. I am looking forward to developing these skills and acquiring new skills over the duration of my A level media course.

I have not been offended by any specific media text, however I do feel offended by the over-sexualisation of women in the music industry. An example of this is Christina Aguilera promoting her film 'Burlesque' by appearing on a family entertainment programme at 8pm wearing basque, stockings and suspenders, and performing an overtly sexual dance routine that could be viewed by relatively young children. I feel this could have a negative effect on the way society views women.

As I mentioned previously, the Chris Morris film, 'Four Lions', is a film that I find outstanding. The reason for this is that Morris took an innovative approach in tacking a difficult and controversial subject. The film is a laugh-out-loud comedy, not in a condescending way; it is just genuinely funny. This is what makes the final scene so shocking, as you have invested in the characters and come to like them, despite knowing that what they're doing is wrong. This film has also changed my views on the world by showing the human story behind people who we would instantly judge as malevolent

If I was asked to construct a media text on the condition of England, my community, popular culture or the state of the contemporary world, I would choose to make a documentary film showing young people in a positive light. I feel that the media generally displays young people as criminal, layabout or violent and I would wish to show that there are young people who are valuable to their communities and who generally have a positive attitude.

I have chosen media studies as an A level option because I recognise the power of the media in today's society. Even if I were not to pursue a directly media-related career, I believe that an understanding of the way the media works will be of benefit in any industry. In addition to this, during my GCSE studies, I found it an interesting, stimulating and challenging subject.