1a digital technology

G325 – Critical G325 – Critical Perspectives in MediaPerspectives in Media

Section A , Question 1a – Skills Evaluation of Production

HomeworkHomework

Research and planning and Creativity Exam answers due

Breakdown of Section A question Breakdown of Section A question 1a1a

Section A, question 1a of the A2 exam is worth 25 marks

You will be evaluating your AS and A2 coursework in terms of the skills you have developed over the 2 years

You will have 30mins to answer this question

How is it marked?How is it marked?

10 marks - Explanation, analysis, argument10 marks – Examples5 marks - Terminology

Section A: Skills Evaluation of Section A: Skills Evaluation of ProductionProduction

Question 1(a) describe and evaluate your skills development over the course of your production work – this can include the preliminary tasks, your actual c/w, ancillary tasks and any other pieces you have created in the past year.

In the exam 1 or more of the following areas will be selected for you to write about:

Digital Technology Creativity Research and planning Post-production Using conventions from real media texts

Section 1A Section 1B

Digital Technology √ Media Theory

Creativity √ Genre

Research and Planning √ Narrative

Post production Representation

Conventions Audience

Media Language

Jan 2010 June 2010 Jan 2011 June 2011 Jan 2012

1) 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

2) 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

3) 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.

4) 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.

5) 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.

What is it about?What is it about?

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

Critical ReflectionCritical Reflection

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 difficult part of the A2 course.

Section A: Skills Evaluation of Section A: Skills Evaluation of ProductionProduction

There is some cross over between the 5 areas e.g. for Research and Planning you had to research other music videos/music magazines, which clearly links to “Using conventions from real media texts” , the final bullet point.

Your task will be to produce a detailed evaluation of your coursework using all 5 areas. The documents you produce will be vital revision aids for the exam this summer.

Digital Technology-Digital Technology-hardware, hardware, software and onlinesoftware and online

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; blogs?

How has the internet supported your skills development?

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

ICT/Digital TechnologyICT/Digital Technology

How did AS compare to A2? Blogs/websites Slideshare Flickr Facebook questionnaires Film and upload to YouTube (audience

questionnaires and feedback) Vlogs Post it note film/stop frame animations/

animatics Digital photography Software and hardware

Digital TechnologyDigital 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.

Illustrator. The print construction software allowed you to create a realistic product through layout/font/logo/colour manipulation etc.

Final Cut. The editing software allowed you to add specific transitions/sound effects/manipulate time (temporal relations)…etc.

Weblogs e.g. blogger which allowed you to regularly post about your research & planning, progress and to display your final piece. It also enabled you to leave comments (audience feedback) on each other’s blogs….


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

Digital stills camerasLightingHD CamerasTripodsPCMini DV tape


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 specific with your examples


Using Youtube to watch music videos

Using Myspace to listen to a track when researching genre and lyrics

Using Google images to find music adverts – Pinterest? Glogster?

Using Web 2.0 to create a blog and uploading photographs to invite comment

Using Flickr to research and source shared images when studying conventions of portraits

Using Flickr to research and source shared images

Recording an interview on your mobile

Texting a friend to arrange a shoot

Taking and downloading images from a digital camera

Creating a powerpoint to share research with the class and elicit feedback

Retouching a photograph using Photoshop tools


Using Youtube to watch music videos

Using Myspace to listen to a track when researching genre and lyrics

Using Google images to find front covers of school magazines

Using Web 2.0 to create a blog and uploading photographs to invite comment

Using Flickr to research and source shared images when studying conventions of portraits

Using Flickr to research and source shared images

Recording an interview on your mobile

Texting a friend to arrange a shoot

Taking and downloading images from a digital camera

Creating a powerpoint to share research with the class and elicit feedbackTake 6 of these:Brainstorm:-How you used the skills specifically on the 2 tasks (make sure you mention something relevant)-How you improved your skills/what were the main developments in skills-What problems or solutions you found-Main learning points-Evaluate how much the skills helped you devise project-Are these skills useful in isolation from the other skills eg

-How have creative ideas forced you to develop digital technology skills?-How has digital technology allowed you to be more creative?

1. Digital Technology and Creativity - THEORY

Does digital technology really encourage creativity?

David Gauntlett says YES;

Henry Jenkins says that Participatory Cultures encourage creativity because you can share what you create online and get feedback on it;

David Gauntlett David Gauntlett

In Making is Connecting , David Gauntlett argues that, through making things, people engage with the world and create connections with each other. Both online and offline, we see that people want to make their mark on the world, and to make connections. During the previous century, the production of culture became dominated by professional elite producers. But today, a vast array of people are making and sharing their own ideas, videos and other creative material online, as well as engaging in real–world crafts, art projects and hands–on experiences. Gauntlett argues that we are seeing a shift from a ‘sit–back–and–be–told culture′ to a ‘making–and–doing culture′. People are rejecting traditional teaching and television, and making their own learning and entertainment instead.

But what if all the online stuff is crap?

Where is the quality control?

What has the feedback been line for your work online? Was this feedback helpful, productive, kind?

David Buckingham talks about ‘loser-generated content’

1. Digital Technology and Creativity

Exemplar Question - HomeworkExemplar Question - Homework

In this section you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units. You must answer 1(a) and 1(b)

1 (a) ‘Digital technology turns media consumers into media producers.’ In your own experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions?

Post-ProductionPost-Production

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

Post-productionPost-production

Post Production at AS might have consisted of editing the material and putting all the titles and music together on Final Cut or editing images and putting text together on Photoshop/Indesign. 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 either filmed or 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 filming/photographing

You would need to discuss:EDITING – techniques used; style; pace; transitions and how the editing helped communicate meaning to the audience.

SOUNDTRACK & SOUND EFFECTS – the choices made and the impact of these choices on audiences.

SPECIAL EFFECTS – discuss any special effects (fast-motion, slow-motion etc) and any effects you used to distort/edit images. Again, the emphasis should be on the way these effects impact on audiences and communicate meaning.

CreativityCreativityIt 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

CreativityCreativity

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 or film opening. Then consider the creative choices you made e.g. which type of music magazine or genre of film? Etc.

CreativityCreativity

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?

Research and PlanningResearch and Planning

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.


Think about the types of research you carried out: Primary – films, magazines, internet,

questionnaires, audience feedback Secondary – internet, textbooks, blogs for

theoriesAdvantages/Disadvantages of your sources: Cost of magazines etc Accessibility – easy to find? Time consuming? Reliability of sources? Accuracy of sources? Usefulness of sources?


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, flickr, scribd, slideshare etc

Using Conventions of Real Media Using Conventions of Real Media TextsTexts

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 from real Using conventions from real media textsmedia texts

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

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

“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.

1a digital technology

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