Question 1a overview

A2 MEDIA - G325 Critical Perspectives
Introduction to the exam and Q1a

The Critical Perspectives Exam – 2 hrs
Section A:
Theoretical Evaluation of
Production

Q1(a)

Section B:
Contemporary
Media Issues

25 marks

Media in the
Online Age

Q1(b)

50 marks

25 marks

Brief overview
Q1a – Evaluate your skills development in a specific
area.

Q1b – Evaluate one of your own media products in
relation to a key media concept.

Media in the Online Age - Discuss contemporary
issues and debates surrounding different forms of
media in the online age.

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

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 _____ __ ___ ______
___.

paying attention...
your skills development.
• Question 1 (b) requires you to evaluate ___ of your
media products in relation to a media _______.
___.

paying attention...
• Question 1 (b) requires you to evaluate one of your
media products in relation to a media concept.
___.

paying attention...
• Question 1 (b) requires you to evaluate one of your
media products in relation to a media concept.
surrounding different forms of media in the online
age.

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

Digital Technology
Digital technology refers to hardware, software and online
technology, so the digital cameras, the computers, the packages
you used and the programs online that you have worked with.
e.g.
HD Flip Cams
Canon 550 D SLR (A2)
iMacs
iPads (A2)
Macbooks
iMovie
Final Cut Express
Soundtrack / Garageband
LiveType
Adobe Photoshop (A2)
Adobe Illustrator (A2)
Loads of online applications!

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

Research and Planning
Research refers to looking at real media and also audiences to
inform your thinking about a media production. This can be
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.

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 ProX or Adobe Photoshop)
4. Logistical research, e.g.:
• recce shots of your locations
• sourcing suitable costumes, props and actors

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. For example,
•
•
•
•
•
•

writing a synopsis
creating shot lists
drafting shots/storyboards
creating animatics
compiling filming schedules (includes organisation of
equipment, costumes, props, actors, crew)
carrying out risk assessments

Also, don't forget everything you planned as part of the above to
achieve continuity!

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
- Sound & Video mixing

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 FCProX
• 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)

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.

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.’

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.

Q1(a) - What does the Chief Examiner
say this question is about?

How to structure your answer
Paragraph 1 should be an introduction which explains which projects you did.
It can be quite short.
Paragraph 2 should pick up the skill area and perhaps suggest something
about your starting point with it- what skills did you have already and how
were these illustrated. Use an example.
Paragraph 3 should talk through your use of that skill 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

Question 1a overview

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Question 1a overview