Q1a 2017
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This document provides guidance on preparing for Question 1(a) of the Critical Perspectives exam, which requires students to describe and evaluate their skills development over the course of their media production work. It discusses focusing the response on one or two specific skills areas from a list including digital technology, research and planning, post-production, using conventions from real media texts, and creativity. For each area, the document provides examples of relevant skills and advice on how to structure a high-scoring answer, including using examples from coursework projects to show skills development over time.
Q1a 2017
- 1. A2 MEDIA - G325 Critical Perspectives Focus on Q1a
- 2. First, a quick recap of the whole exam paper…
- 3. The Critical Perspectives Exam – 2 hrs Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production Q1(a) 25 marks Q1(b) 25 marks Section B: Contemporary Media Issues Media in the Online Age 50 marks
- 4. Brief overview Media in the Online Age - Discuss contemporary issues and debates surrounding different forms of media in the online age (Choice out of two questions). Q1(a) – Evaluate your skills development in a specific area. Q1(b) – Evaluate one of your own media products in relation to a key media concept. SectionASectionB
- 5. Just to check you’ve been paying attention... • Question 1(a) requires you to describe and evaluate your ______ ___________. • Question 1 (b) requires you to evaluate ___ of your media products in relation to a key media _______. • Section B requires you to discuss issues and debates surrounding different forms of _____ __ ___ ______ ___.
- 6. Just to check you’ve been paying attention... • Question 1(a) requires you to describe and evaluate your skills development. • Question 1 (b) requires you to evaluate ___ of your media products in relation to a media _______. • Section B requires you to discuss issues and debates surrounding different forms of _____ __ ___ ______ ___.
- 7. Just to check you’ve been paying attention... • Question 1(a) requires you to describe and evaluate your skills development. • Question 1 (b) requires you to evaluate one of your media products in relation to a media concept. • Section B requires you to discuss issues and debates surrounding different forms of _____ __ ___ ______ ___.
- 8. Just to check you’ve been paying attention... • Question 1(a) requires you to describe and evaluate your skills development. • Question 1 (b) requires you to evaluate one of your media products in relation to a media concept. • Section B requires you to discuss issues and debates surrounding different forms of media in the online age.
- 9. Question 1(a) Requires you to describe and evaluate your skills development over the course of your production work, from Foundation Portfolio to Advanced Portfolio. It will require you to adapt this to one or two specific areas from the following: • Digital Technology • Research and planning • Post-production • Using conventions from real media texts • Creativity
- 10. The following slides go through each of the areas you may be asked about in the exam... Digital Technology Research and planning Post-production Using conventions from real media texts Creativity
- 11. Digital Technology Digital technology refers to hardware, software and online technology, so the digital cameras, the computers and devices, the software packages and the websites and online applications that you have worked with. For example: Canon Legria Camera (AS) Canon 550 D SLR Camera (A2) iMacs, iPads, Smartphones Final Cut Pro X GarageBand Adobe Photoshop (A2) Adobe Illustrator (A2) Internet (e.g. YouTube, Storyboard That, OneDrive, Freesound, etc.) Tip: Your AS and A2 coursework evaluations required you to consider how you used digital technology / new media so look back at these evaluation tasks
- 12. Research and Planning It is worth dealing with research and planning separately. Research refers to looking at real media and also audiences to inform your thinking about a media production. Planning refers to all the creative and logistical thinking and all the organisation and record keeping that goes on in putting the production together so that everything works.
- 13. Research Research can be further broken down into the following areas: 1. Research into conventions of real media texts • Institutional conventions, e.g. what you would expect a media product from a certain type of organisation to be like/include. • Format conventions, e.g. duration, and what you would expect a film opening, teaser trailer, poster or magazine cover to be like/include • Genre conventions, e.g. what kind of narrative, characters, setting and location, iconography and style (camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing and sound) you would expect from a product in that genre.
- 14. Research 2. Audience research • Secondary research (Pearl & Dean data, IMDB info, etc.) • Primary research (feedback questionnaires, vox pops, etc.) 3. Technical research, e.g.: • How to achieve a particular camera shot • How to use features in the software to achieve a particular effect (many of you found YouTube video tutorials to find out how to do something in Final Cut Pro or Adobe Photoshop) 4. Logistical research, e.g.: • recce shots of your locations • sourcing suitable costumes, props and actors
- 15. Planning Planning involves a wide range of creative and organisational skills, for example: • writing a synopsis • creating shot lists • drafting shots/storyboards • creating animatics • organisation of equipment, costumes, props, locations, actors, crew - compiling filming schedules and call sheets helped with this. • carrying out risk assessments
- 16. Post-production Post-production is about everything you do after filming to complete your media product, for example: - Image manipulation - Video editing (from cutting the shots and placing them on the timeline to special effects) - Creating and editing titles and graphics - Sound production - Audio & video mixing
- 17. Post-production So, post-production skills could include things like: • isolating an image from the background in Photoshop using the magic eraser tool • organising clips on the timeline in FCPX • using quick keys • adding transitions • using particular effects, or animating effects with key frames • adjusting sound levels, looping/layering sound clips, etc. (Be as specific as possible to describe the tools you used during post-production)
- 18. Using Conventions of Real Media Texts Use of real media conventions involves consideration of other texts that you looked at and how skilfully you were able to weave their conventions into your work or ways in which you might have challenged them. You could consider: • Institutional conventions, e.g. what you would expect a media product from a certain type of organisation to be like/include. • Format conventions, e.g. what elements you would expect a film opening, teaser trailer, poster or magazine cover to include • Genre conventions, e.g. what kind of narrative, characters, setting and location, iconography, style (camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing and sound) you would expect from a product in that genre.
- 19. Using Conventions of Real Media Texts Advice on this section from the Chief Examiner: ‘You need to do more than just say ‘I looked on YouTube’ for conventions of real media, but actually name specific videos you looked at, what you gained from them and how they influenced your work.’
- 20. Creativity Creativity includes: • The process of coming up with ideas for your product. • The creative/ inventive use of technical elements such as camerawork, editing, sound, and mise-en-scene. • How you used creativity to solve problems. • The effectiveness of your creative choices.
- 21. How to structure your answer Paragraph 1 should be an introduction which explains which main coursework projects you did. It can be quite short. Paragraph 2 should suggest something about your starting point with the skills area in the question - what skills did you have already and how were these illustrated. Use a brief example. Paragraph 3 should talk through your use of skills in early projects and what you learned and developed through these. Again there should be examples to support all that you say. Paragraph 4 should go on to demonstrate how the skill developed in later projects, again backed by examples, and reflecting back on how this represents moves forward for you from your early position and how the development of these skills enabled you to be more creative. Paragraph 5 short conclusion