Section 1

G325 Exam preparation section 1.

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production You must answer both 1(a) and 1(b).

2014

In question 1(a) you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units and you may refer to other media production work you have undertaken.

1 (a) Describe the most important post-production decisions you made for your different media productions and explain why these decisions were significant. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how your skills in post-production developed over time. [25]

In question 1(b) you must write about one of your media coursework productions.
(b) Apply the concept of genre to one of your coursework productions. [25]

2013


In question 1(a) you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units and you may refer to other media production work you have undertaken.

1 (a) Explain how your skills in the creative use of digital technology developed over time. Refer to a range of examples from your media productions in your answer. [25]

In question 1(b) you must write about one of your media productions.
(b) Apply the concept of representation to one of your coursework productions. [25]








The purpose of this unit is to assess candidates’ knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates, through their understanding of one contemporary media issue and their ability to evaluate their own practical work in reflective and theoretical ways.

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. The unit is marked out of a total of 100, with the two questions on production work marked out of 25 each, and the media theory question marked out of 50.

There are two sections to this paper:
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks) Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks)



Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

Candidates answer two compulsory questions. The first requires them to describe and evaluate their skills development over the course of their production work, from Foundation Portfolio to Advanced Portfolio. The second asks them to identify one production and evaluate it in relation to one theoretical concept.

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

Post production is an ambiguous term for some media areas and thus examiners will credit candidates’ ability to demonstrate their understanding of the term in relation to their own. For example, the manipulation of copy and images Using Indesign and Photoshop should be considered as post production in print. For film: post production will include visual editing (treatment, Luma curves, clip transitions, white balance correction, and sound editing). Candidates should explain their use of the term in their answers in the examination to aid the examiner.






In the examination, questions will be posed using one or two of these categories.

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

Media language refers to the ways in which media producers make meaning in ways that are specific to the medium in which they are working and how audiences come to be literate in ‘reading’ such meaning within the medium. For example, the ‘language of film’, print layout conventions, web design and navigation conventions and rule economies in gaming. These medium specific languages will often be closely connected to other media concepts such as genre or narrative and candidates are at liberty to make such connections to a greater or lesser extent in their answers.

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. Candidates may choose to write about work undertaken at AS or A2, main task or preliminary/ancillary.



Section A



UNIT G325 SECTION A teaching theoretical evaluation of production 



Digital Technology



· What software was used?

· What equipment was used?

· What were the technical pros and cons of the software and hardware?

· In what ways was technology used to create the production?

· In what ways did the technology constrain or enable the production to be developed?



Creativity



· What was the intended outcome of the production?

· How were these outcomes achieved in terms of page layout and camera shot choices?

· What stylistic techniques were used to appeal to the audience?



Research and Planning



· What primary and secondary research was undertaken? How did it inform the production?

· What quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were employed? How did the results from these inform the production?

· How effectively were storyboards and magazine flat plans followed?






Post-Production



· What editing decisions were made? How did they inform the production?

· What particular editing tools were used and to what effect?

· How did the post production process enhance the overall production?

 

Generic Media Conventions



· In what ways were media conventions adhered to? For example did a music video have fast paced editing? Did the performers act to the camera?

· What media theories were utilized? Were the representations involved appropriate to the product?





Students should be looking at charting the skills development from their initial state in the Foundation Portfolio (year 1) to the level they have attained in the Advanced Portfolio (year 2)



· Specific and in depth descriptions of the skills in question must be included i.e. how was the three way colour corrector used in Premier Pro to edit a clip placed on the timeline?

· Explicit descriptions of progress between the 2 units MUST be shown.








UNIT G325 SECTION B teaching theoretical evaluation of production



For this question students have to choose one of their productions, either the AS production, the A2 main task, or any of the 2 ancillary tasks.



This question will relate to one of the following media concepts:

1. Genre

2. Narrative

3. Representation

4. Audience

5. Media Language



Genre



What genre is the production?

· what are the codes and conventions of the production?

· how is the genre established?

· how does the mise en scene support the genre?

· what is the role of the specific elements of the mise en scene? Refer to props, costume, makeup, location, theme etc.

· have generic conventions been adhered to or subverted?

· how will the generic elements of the production appeal to the audience?



Narrative



· what is the narrative structure of the product?

· how do the specific elements of the production relate to the narrative structure ?

· does the production adhere to or subvert narrative conventions?   how does the narrative support the establishment of the chosen genre of the production?

· how have narrative techniques been used to appeal to the audience? Refer to Enigma, multi strand, restricted, unrestricted, Propp, Strauss, etc.



Representation



· identify characters, events or issues within the production to discuss

· what representational concepts are highlighted? i.e. race, gender, cultural attitudes , etc.

· what representations have been generated?

· discuss the specific elements of character representation i.e. mode of address, facial expressions, clothing, behavior etc.

· have any stereotypical representations been generated?

· does the production conform to or subvert any dominant ideologies?








Audience



· who is the target audience for the production? Define by age, race gender, social class etc.

· what are the social classifications of the audience i.e. ABC1, youth, age, ethnicity?

· why will the production appeal to this target audience?

· what techniques and lines of appeal has the production used to attract the target audience?

·  how does the production use narrative theory? i.e. uses and gratification, hypodermic needle, etc.



Media Language



· identify the elements or ‘signs’ within the production that are going to be discussed.

· what connotations and significations are apparent?•  what codes and conventions have been used?

· what semiotic techniques have been used to generate meaning?

· identify and describe the meanings generated.



Remember Media language refers to the ways in which media producers make meaning in ways that are specific to the medium in which they are working and how audiences come to be literate in ‘reading’ such meaning within the medium. For example, the ‘language of film’, print layout conventions, web design and navigation conventions. These medium specific languages will often be closely connected to other media concepts such as genre or narrative and candidates are at liberty to make such connections to a greater or lesser extent in their answers. Example a crime genre may follow particulary conventions in terms of pace, enigma code, social realism, you therefore will need to access information on narrative theory and, editing and so on to demonstrate in communicating the media language of a e.g. a film opening/poster that you have created.

You will be used to associating the word ‘text’ with something written or printed. In Media Studies, the word ‘text’ is used to describe any media product such as television programmes, photographs, adverts, film, newspaper adverts, radio programmes, web pages etc. ‘Texts’ are therefore the main point of our study in understanding how media languages create meaning. One of the keys to understanding the meanings in text is the use of codes. KEY TERM CODES Rules or conventions by which signs are put together to create meaning.

Media language will include in the case of film: how you used



Mise en scene, framing, camera angle, camera shot (MS,CU, etc.) lighting, nonverbal communication and so on…



Semiotics = the study f signs



Useful link

http://www.slideshare.net/reigatemedia/revision-guide-a2-media-ocr?next_slideshow=1

http://www.slideshare.net/reigatemedia/revision-guide-a2-media-ocr

http://www.slideshare.net/andywallis/media-language-6842843