INTRODUCTION TO SECTION A

The examination is two hours. Candidates are required to answer two compulsory questions, on their own production work, and one question from a choice of six topic areas.

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks) 1a) Theoretical evaluation of skill development over the

course of the two years (both AS and A2 c/w productions including preliminary and ancillary tasks)

1b) Theoretical evaluation of one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept

Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks) Contemporary Media Issues - Media and Collective Identity – The

Representation of British youth and youth culture

G325: CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES IN MEDIA

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks) – 1 hour 1a) Theoretical evaluation of skill development over

the course of the two years (both AS and A2 c/w productions including preliminary and ancillary tasks) (25 marks)30 min

1b) Theoretical evaluation of one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept (25 marks)30 min

Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks) – 1 hour Contemporary Media Issues - Media and Collective

Identity – The Representation of British youth and youth culture

TIMING

Question 1(a) requires candidates to describe and evaluate their skills development over the course of their production work, from Foundation Portfolio AND Advanced Portfolio.

The focus of this evaluation must be on skills development, and the question will require them to adapt this to one or two specific production practices.

The list of practices to which questions will relate is as follows: Digital Technology Creativity Research and planning Post-production Using conventions from real media texts

QUESTION 1A

Question 1(b) requires candidates to select one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept.

The list of concepts to which questions will relate is as follows: Genre Narrative Representation Audience Media language

Where candidates have produced relevant work outside the context of their A Level media course, they are free to additionally refer to this experience.

QUESTION 1B

In the examination, questions will be set using one of these concepts only.

In some circumstances, candidates will be expected to select the production that appears to relate most effectively to the specific concept that arises in the exam question.

However, the requirement for candidates to evaluate one of their productions in relation to a concept does not assume that the concept will necessarily always fit easily and in an orthodox way. Thus in some cases candidates will be describing their productions in terms of them not relating straightforwardly to the concept

QUESTION 1B CONT…

You will need to know your own coursework projects in detail, and be able to recall and analyse your own work in relation to each of these concepts.

Question 1a – Both AS and A2 coursework Digital Technology Creativity Research and planning Post-production Using conventions from real media texts

Question 1b – Either AS or A2 coursework Genre Narrative Representation Audience Media language

YOUR COURSEWORK

SECTION A, QUESTION 1A – SKILLS

EVALUATION OF PRODUCTION

Jan 2010 June 2010 Jan 2011 June 2011 Jan 2012

Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making. Refer to a range of example in your answer to show how these skills developed over time

Describe the ways in which your production work was informed by research into real media texts and how your ability to use such research for production developed over time

Describe how you developed your skills in the use of digital technology for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to your creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills.

Explain how far your understanding of the conventions of existing media influenced the way you created your own media products. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how this understanding developed over time.

Describe how your analysis of the conventions of real media texts informed your own creative practise. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills have been developed over time.

PREVIOUS QUESTIONS

What did you do?How did you do it?How did your skills develop?All supported with specific examples In relation to the area(s) in question

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Reflective practice is a skill that is much sought after and is highly regarded by universities and employers. This goes beyond evaluations of the outcomes; we are not simply thinking about strengths and weaknesses.

This is probably the most diffi cult part of the A2 course.

CRITICAL REFLECTION

For this topic, you need to consider the impact of the new technologies you have used on your consumption and production of media texts.

Consider how you have presented your work; have you used blogs?

How has the internet supported your skills development?

Consider the pro’s and con’s of the digital technology you have used

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY-HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND ONLINE

How did AS compare to A2?Blogs/websitesSlidesharePreziAny online questionnairesFilm and upload to YouTube (audience questionnaires

and feedback) VlogsPost it note fi lm/stop frame animationsDigital photographySoftware and hardware

ICT/DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

You need to consider the skills you have learnt during AS with the following software:

Adobe Photoshop . The image manipulation program allowed you to manipulate graphics necessary for the magazine. E.g. crop tools such as Marquee (magic wand), Lassos, and colour converters such as Red Eye Corrector, Colour Variations, Colour Dropper, Dodge and Burn, text tools, picture boxes, shape tools, photograph manipulation, layers etc. How the software allowed you to create a realistic product through layout/font/logo/colour manipulation etc.

Final Cut Pro . The editing software allowed you to add specifi c transitions/sound eff ects/manipulate time (temporal relations)…etc.

LiveType to make titles. Weblogs . e.g. blogger which allowed you to regularly post about

your research & planning, progress and to display your fi nal piece. It also enabled you to leave comments (audience feedback) on each other’s blogs….

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

You need to consider the skills you have learnt from AS to A2 with the following hardware:

Digital stills camerasLightingVideo camerasTripodsMacExternal hard drive to back up work

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

What are the pros and cons of the software and hardware you used at AS and A2 in terms of skills development?

How did you use your skills to aid the construction of your task?

Be really really specifi c with your examples

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

It is important not to assume one answer to any question!

Rather than ask yourself the question, "How have I become more creative during my A level course?", ask yourself, "Have I become more creative?".

If you answer the second question, then you will evaluate your progress much more thoroughly.

Consider the pro’s and con’s of the technology you have used and how this has impacted on your creativity

CREATIVITY

Creativity involves thinking or behaving imaginatively. It might involve challenging conventions or replicating / furthering knowledge of them – what did you do in your c/w?

You need to think about the decisions that were made for you (the restrictions put on you by the exam board) e.g. you must make a music magazine. Then consider the creative choices you made e.g. which type of music magazine? Etc.

CREATIVITY

How creative do you think you were in the decisions you made when creating your c/w?

Did the technology enhance your creativity or not?What ideas did you communicate and what stylistic

techniques did you use? How did it relate to your interests/vision of identity?

Was your product influenced by your social environmental?

Was this original or did you add something extra to an original media text?

Would you take any creative skills into future projects or have you been influenced to engage these skills in any other projects?

CREATIVITY

Consider the following:How you reviewed real text examples and discuss

conventionsAnalysis of old student work and discuss marking

criteriaHow you planned the micro elementsResearch into audience expectationsHow you reviewed your own progress and update your

plans.

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Think about the types of research you carried out:Primary – fi lms, magazines, internet, questionnaires,

audience feedbackSecondary – internet, textbooks, blogs for theoriesAdvantages/Disadvantages of your sources:Cost of magazines etcAccessibility – easy to find?Time consuming?Reliability of sources?Accuracy of sources?Usefulness of sources?

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

How did you organise your research and planning? E.g. labels, blog etc

What did you research?How did drafting help you?How did audience feedback improve your planning?How organised were you?What did you learn about working as part of a group

or independently?How did you present your research and planning? E.g.

wordle, moodboard, fl ickr, scribd, slideshare etc

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Consider the following:How you made decisions about editing and layout Influence of audience expectationsPhoto manipulation

POST-PRODUCTION

Post Production at AS might have consisted of editing images and putting text together in Photoshop. This is very similar to the software listed as part of Digital technology

You need to identify all of the steps you took once you had photographed – to do this accurately it will be helpful to look at your work and make a list of everything you did in order to get to the finished stage.

Post-production is everything that happens after photographing.

POST-PRODUCTION

Each of your 3 practical projects had a specific set of conventions.

For this topic, you need to consider how your understanding has developed over the course.

Begin by make a note of the conventions of each of the genres you created.

Then pick 2 or 3 of these conventions and say how you used them within your own work

Don't forget to ask yourself how useful it is to understand and apply real conventions AND why your ability to apply this understanding has improved over the course.

USING CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA TEXTS

What conventions of music magazines did you apply to your c/w?

Identify real media texts and explain how your text is similar and diff erent.

“Creativity is always constrained by generic conventions”. To what extent did you adhere to or subvert generic conventions in the creation of your media products.

USING CONVENTIONS FROM REAL MEDIA TEXTS

You should analyse both your AS and A2 coursework pieces, applying each of them to the key concepts that you might be asked about

These notes should be detailed and use specifi c examples from your coursework. The more detailed these notes are, the more useful they will be as revision aids

There are several ways you can layout these notes, for example the grid shown on the next slide, or a mind map. Make sure your layout works for you and your own style of learning.

Which ever way you lay them out, make sure they are detailed and specifi c. These will form the basis of your revision for this section of the exam

QUESTION 1A REVISION

Concept AS Coursework A2 CourseworkDigital Technology

Creativity

Research and planning

Post-production

Using conventions from real media texts

ONE SUGGESTED LAYOUT